 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2011) |
Certain time periods have been named "golden ages" in Indian history, based on the achievements of Indians in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy during those periods.
Ancient India
The period between the 4th and 6th centuries CE is known as the Golden Age of India because of the considerable achievements of Indians in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, science, religion and philosophy during the Gupta Empire. The decimal numeral system, including the concept of zero, was invented in India during this period.[1] The peace and prosperity created under the leadership of the Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors in India.[2][3] The Golden Age of India came to an end when the Hunas invaded the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE.
The high points of this cultural creativity are celebrated examples of architecture, sculpture and painting. The Gupta period produced poets such as Kalidasa and scholars such as Aryabhata and Varahamihira, who made great advancements in many academic fields. 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, Malay Archipelago and Indochina.
The Golden Age of India saw achievements that are in many regards similar to those of the Greco-Roman world. Guptas made advances in the sciences (Gupta philosophers proposed that the earth was not flat, but was instead round and rotated on an axis by viewing lunar eclipses and discoveries about gravity and the planets of the solar system, which they used to tell the horoscopes), mathematics (the invention of a symbol for zero, the decimal numeral system, the sine function and chess), literature, architecture (Mahabodhi Temple) and religion.
South India
South India in the 10th and 11th century CE under the imperial Cholas is considered as another Golden Age.[4] The period saw extensive achievements in Dravidian architecture, Tamil literature, sculpture and bronze working, quasi-democratic reforms, maritime conquests and trade.
The Cholas left a lasting legacy. Their patronage of Tamil literature and their zeal in building temples have resulted in some great works of Tamil literature and architecture. The Chola kings were avid builders and envisioned the temples in their kingdoms not only as places of worship but also as centres of economic activity. They pioneered a centralised form of government and established a disciplined bureaucracy.
References
- ↑ "THE GUPTA EMPIRE OF INDIA 320-720".
- ↑ Padma Sudhi. Gupta Art: A Study from Aesthetic and Canonical Norms. Galaxy Publications. p. 7-17.
- ↑ Lee Engfer (2002). India in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 9780822503712.
- ↑ The First Spring Part 1: Life in the Golden Age of India. Penguin UK. 2014. p. 102. ISBN 9789351186458.
The period of the 'imperial' Cholas was the golden age of South India.