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THE GUPTA EMPIRE AND ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Gupta Empire:
Although preceded by two Guptan rulers, Chandragupta I (reign 320-335 CE) is credited with establishing the
Gupta Empire in the Ganges River valley in about 320 CE, when he assumed the name of the founder of the
Mauryan Empire. The period of Gupta rule between 300 and 600 CE has been called the Golden Age of India for
its advances in science and emphasis on classical Indian art and literature. Gupta rulers acquired much of the land
previously held by the Mauryan Empire, and peace and trade flourished under their rule.
Sanskrit became the official court language, and the dramatist and poet Kalidasa wrote celebrated Sanskrit plays
and poems under the presumed patronage of Chandragupta II. The Kama Sutra, a treatise on romantic love, is also
dated to the Gupta era. In 499 CE, the mathematician Aryabhata published his landmark treatise on Indian
astronomy and mathematics, Aryabhatiya, which described the earth as a sphere moving around the sun.
Detailed gold coins featuring portraits of the Gupta kings stand out as unique art pieces from this period and
celebrate their accomplishments. Chandragupta's son Samudragupta (r. 350 to 375 CE) further expanded the
empire, and a detailed account of his exploits was inscribed on an Ashokan pillar in Allahabad toward the end of
his reign. Unlike the Mauryan Empire's centralized bureaucracy, the Gupta Empire allowed defeated rulers to
retain their kingdoms in return for a service, such as tribute or military assistance. Samudragupta's son
Chandragupta II (r. 375415 CE) waged a long campaign against the Shaka Satraps in western India, which gave
the Guptas access to Gujarat's ports, in northwest India, and international maritime trade. Kumaragupta (r. 415
454 CE) and Skandagupta (r. c. 454467 CE), Chandragupta II's son and grandson respectively, defended against
attacks from the Central Asian Huna tribe (a branch of the Huns) that greatly weakened the empire.
Questions:
1. What is Sanskrit?

2. What form of currency was used during the Gupta Empire? What can we infer from the fact that
the Gupta Empire had currency?

3. Why is the Gupta Empire referred to as the Golden Age of India?

Sciences:
Astronomy, astrology, mathematics, and religion were closely linked in ancient India. Astronomy developed out
of the need to determine solstices, equinoxes, and phases of the moon for Vedic rituals. Eighteen early
astronomical texts or siddhantas, of which only the Surya-Siddhantha, written around 400 BCE, survives, discuss
topics including lunar and solar eclipses, astronomical instruments, and the phases of the moon. The Vedanga
Jyotisha composed by the astronomer Lagadha about 500 BCE outlines a calendar based on a five-year cycle or
yuga with 62 lunar months and 1,830 days. India's earliest calendar, the Saptarshi calendar is broken into 2,700year cycles and a version counting back to 3076 BCE is still in use in parts of India today.
Astronomy flourished under the Gupta Empire (c. 320-550 CE) during which time Ujjain in central India emerged
as a center for astronomical and mathematical research. In 499 CE, Aryabhata, an Indian astronomer and
mathematician who was also head of the university at Nalanda in Magadha (an ancient region located in what is
now Bihar), composed the Aryabhatiya, a significant treatise about mathematics and astronomy written in
Sanskrit. Aryabhata described a spherical Earth that rotates on its own axis and the orbits of planets in relation to
the sun. He dated the universe to approximately 4,320,000 years and calculated the length of the solar year. India's
first space satellite, launched in 1975, was named Aryabhata in his honor.
Questions:
1. Vedic rituals are part of what major world religion? Why would they call these rituals Vedic
rituals if they are part of this religion?

2. What major astronomical discovery was made by Aryabhata in 499 C.E.?

Mathematics:
Ancient and medieval mathematics in India contributed new knowledge to geometry, mathematical logic, algebra,
and trigonometry, including the base-10 decimal system and numerals, concepts that form the foundation of
mathematics today. A decimal ruler made of shell and an ivory scale are among the earliest archaeological
evidence of the Indus Valley Civilization's system of accurate weights and measures. That civilization's wellplanned urban centers featured public baths with water-supply systems and suggest sophisticated knowledge of
geometry.
Ancient religious texts written perhaps around 800-500 BCE, the Sulbasutras, described the construction of Vedic
altars using calculations similar to the Pythagorean theorem but apparently before Pythagoras. The grammarian
Panini, who rigorously systematized the science of linguistics through rules describing Sanskrit grammar, may
have influenced mathematical notation as well.
Under the Gupta Empire (c. 320-550 CE), arts and science flourished and Ujjain's observatory in central India
became a center for astronomical and mathematical research. In 499, at the age of 23, the Indian astronomer and
mathematician Aryabhata wrote the Aryabhatiya, a Sanskrit treatise in verse that covers astronomy, trigonometry,
arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry. Aryabhata calculated pi () to 3.1416, discussed square and cube roots, and
developed the sine trigonometric function. The 12th century mathematician and astronomer Bhaskara, head of the
Ujjain observatory, built on the work of Aryabhata. He used letters to represent unknowns, developed new
methods for solving quadratic equations, and refined approximations of pi ().

These advances in mathematics would spread to other civilizations and the Muslim world through invasions in
later centuries. Between the 13th and 16th centuries CE, Kerala was another great Indian center of mathematics
two centuries before Calculus was understood in Europe.
Questions:
1. Aryabhata could be said to be an expert in numerous areas of science and math; what are some of
the contributions/discoveries that he made in mathematics and science?

2. Bhaskara used what form of mathematics when he was using letters to represent unknowns in his
equations?

Medicine:
An ancient traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda ("the science of life"), originated in India approximately
3000 years ago and may have developed out of Vedic medicine. According to Indian belief, the original Ayurveda
text was revealed by the god Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, and was written between 1400 and 1200 BCE.
Three primary authors, Charaka, Susruta, and Vagbhata, are credited with writing the classical Sanskrit texts,
Susruta Samhita, Charaka Samhita, and Astangahrdaya Samhita. Together, the texts are known as the
Brddhatrayee, or ancient triad. The Charaka Samhita, finalized in the 1st century BCE, focuses on general
medicine while the Sushruta Samhita, finalized in the 7th century CE, discusses surgery, including amputation,
caesarean section, and cataract surgery. The texts describe hundreds of different drugs derived from plants,
animals, and minerals that Ayurvedic physicians used in treatment. General topics, including medical ethics,
qualities of a good physician, education of medical students, and how environment affects health are also covered.
Ayurvedic medicine focuses on maintaining health through good living and the proper balance of three elements
(doshas)spirit, phlegm, and bilethat are also associated with the three Hindu gods, Vishnu, Shiva, and
Brahma. Each individual has a unique constitution, or prakriti, a combination of physical and psychological
characteristics. In Ayurvedic physiology, the body is composed of seven different tissues and five elements
earth, water, fire, wind, and empty spacethat hold the life force of the body, prana. Disease is considered an
imbalance of doshas, and important to proper diagnosis are the 107 significant points, or marmas, that correspond
with the body's critical vessels, nerves, muscles, and organs. Influenced by yoga practices, Ayurveda emphasizes
maintaining health through proper lifestyle including diet, meditation, and exercise. Today, nearly 80% of India's
population uses Ayurvedic medicine in some form, and the system is also practiced in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Nepal, and Pakistan.
Questions:
1. According to Indian belief, where did the Indians get their knowledge of medicine?

2. What kind of medical problems were the Indians able to develop treatments for?

3. What is prakriti? Explain.

4. According to Ayuryedic medicine, what is the human body comprised of?

5. What is the prana?

6. What is disease considered to be according to Ayuryedic medicine?

7. How is one supposed to maintain health according to Ayuryedic medicine?