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The Gupta Dynasty was an ancient Indian empire that is renowned for supporting art, literature, architecture, and science. LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ] Discuss the advancements in art and science during the Gupta period, and the subsequent decline of the post-Gupta period. KEY POINTS [ edit ] The period of Gupta rule is known as the Golden Age of India, as it was a time marked by peace, prosperity, and the flourishing of arts and sciences. The Gupta dynasty patronized Hindu as well as Buddhist and Jain art and culture. The Ajanta cave paintings as well as Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh were created in the Gupta period. The concept of zero, the game of chess, and the Kama-Sutra were all developed during the Gupta period. Some of the great artists and thinkers that flourished in the time of Chandragupta II include Kalidasa, one of the greatest authors of Sanskrit poetry and drama, and Aryabhatta, a brilliant and influential mathematician and astronomer. TERM [ edit ] jataka tales (Sanskrit ज) A voluminous body of folklore-like literature native to India and concerning the previous births (jāti) of the Buddha. Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [edit ] The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire that covered much of the Indian subcontinent and was run by the Gupta Dynasty from approximately 320 to 550 CE. After the fall of the Mauryan Empire in the 2nd century BCE, India had remained divided in a number of disparate kingdoms. During the late 3rd century CE the Gupta family gained control of the kingship of Magadha (modern-day eastern India and Bengal). The period of Gupta rule is known as the Golden Age of India, as it was a time marked by unprecedented prosperity and the flourishing of the arts and sciences in India. Register for FREE to stop seeing ads The rulers of the Gupta Empire were staunch supporters of the arts, science, literature, and architecture. In addition to patronizing the art of the Hindu religion, which the majority of the rulers subscribed to, the Guptas were known also for their support of Buddhist and Jain art and culture. In particular, Gupta period Buddhist art was quite influential in most of East and Southeast Asia. The Ajanta caves, Buddhist rock-cut architecture dating from the 2nd century BCE to 600 CE, contain wall paintings that were created during the Gupta period. The paintings depict the Jataka tales and are considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art . In addition, the Gupta Empire supported the Buddhist Universities of Nalanda and Vikramasila. Great works of Hindu art and architecture from the period include the Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh . Dashavatara temple The 6th century late Gupta period Dashavatara temple, Deogarh. Ajanta Cave Painting A wall painting from the Ajanta Caves, painted during the Gupta dynasty c. 6th century CE. The most notable rulers of the Gupta period were Chandragupta I, Samudragupta the Great, and Chandragupta II the Great. Chandragupta included in his court the Navaratna, or Nine Jewels, a group of nine exceptional scholars and poets. The Gupta period produced such masters of literature as Kalidasa, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Vishnu Sharma, and Vatsyayana. The earliest available Indian Epics, or Puranas, are also thought to have been written around this period. In addition to the arts, the various sciences also made great advancements during the Gupta period. Aryabhata, a scholar of the time, postulated the notion that the earth was three dimensional and moved around the sun. He is also believed to be the first mathematician to come up with the concept of zero. Additionally, the game of chess developed during the Gupta period and was known as caturanga, which translates into "four divisions" (of the military). The Kama-Sutra, an ancient Gupta text written in Sanskrit by the Indian scholar Vatsyayana, remains to this day the standard work on human sexual behavior. The Gupta Empire quickly declined under the successors of Chandragupta II. By the middle of the 5th century a new enemy to the empire had appeared, nomadic-pastoralist warriors from the Eurasian steppe. These invaders were called Huna or Huns by the Indians, and today are commonly called Hephalites or White Huns (to distinguish them from the other Huns, who were attacking the Roman Empire around the same time). In the year 480 CE, the Huns launched an invasion of India. By the year 500 CE, the Huns had overrun the Gupta Empire. Though the Huns were eventually driven out of India, the Gupta Empire would never recover. Buddhism started to fade out of the picture, however, and was replaced by growing Hinduism, which is reflected in this time period. The subcontinent once again became a patchwork of independent states. However, the Gupta Empire and the Golden Age of India would not be forgotten.