Introduction
The Golden Age of India, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic,mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy that crystallized the elements of what is generally known as Hindu culture. Chandra Gupta I, Samudra Gupta, and Chandra Gupta II were the most notable rulers of the Gupta dynasty. The Guptas are credited of having conquered about twenty one kingdoms, both in and outside India, eventually almost covering the Indian subcontinent. The high points of cultural creativity are magnificent architecture, sculptures and paintings. Science and political administration reached new heights during the Gupta era. Strong trade ties also made the region an important cultural center and set the region up as a base that would influence nearby kingdoms and regions in Burma, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. The earliest available Indian epics are also thought to have been written around this period.
Gupta Coin With Portrait of Samudra Gupta (late 5th century)
Samudra incorporated over twenty kingdoms into his realm and his rule extended from the Himalayas to the river Narmada and from the Brahmaputra to the Yamuna. He gave himself the titles King of Kings and World Monarch. Historian Vincent Smith described him as the "Indian Napoleon". Samudragupta was not only a talented military leader but also a great patron of art and literature. The important scholars present in his court were Harishena, Vasubandhu and Asanga. He was a poet and musician himself. He was a firm believer in Hinduism and is known to have worshipped Lord Vishnu. He was considerate of other religions and allowed Sri Lanka's Buddhist king Sirimeghvanna to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya
Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh (500 C.E.)
The Vishnu Temple, often termed Dashavatara, meaning "ten incarnations", is located in Central India. The temple is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples still surviving today. The Vishnu Temple shows the ornate and beauty seen in Gupta style architecture. This temple is also a good resource for looking at the intricate Gupta style sculptures and art. Many of these early Hindu stone temples were dedicated to a single Hindu deity. The temple at Deogarh is dedicated to the Vishnu. These temples made in the early part of the 6th century of the Gupta Period housed images and symbols of Hindu gods. These temples allowed people to make contact with the gods they were worshiping. The Temple was built out of stone and brick consisting of a single cubical sanctum that sheltered the images within. Statuaries of the Vishnu were both sculpted in the interior and exterior walls of the temple.
Ellora Caves
The Ellora Caves housed three major religions of India, Buddhism, Brahminism, and Jainism. They also illustrate the characteristic of tolerance that was carried in those religions and throughout India. These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff. Its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from CE 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life.Progressing from south to north along the cliff, successively the twelve caves of the Buddhist group, which appear to be the oldest (600 and 800 CE) and comprise monasteries and a single large temple. Then the caves of the Brahmin group (600 to 900 CE) Finally, the Jain group whose sanctuaries were created towards 800-1000 CE, The Jain caves, the last to be excavated, drew their inspiration from the art already existing at Ellora.
