The Gupta Empire - Literature and Science

Literature

Sanskrit Literature was a great beneficiary of the Gupta era, enjoying tremendous patronage under several Gupta kings. Chandra Gupta II for instance had a set of nine poets in his court, known as the nine jewels. The greatest amongst them was the poet Kalidasa who was an excellent dramatist and a composer of epic poems. Some of his major works are the two epic poems of Kumarasambhava and Raghuvamsha, the lyrical poem Meghaduta and the great drama Shakuntala.

The Purana which date back to the Vedic age gained their final shape during the Gupta period. The Puranas are a set of books which have a collection of myths, philosophical dialogues and description of rituals. They are a vast volume of text and offer a valuable source of historical information. The Puranas are a set of several books, there are 18 Great Puranas and 18 Lesser Puranas. There is also the Vishnu Purana which is an important religious book. The goddess Durga was apparently important in the Gupta period for aside from a major piece on her heroics in the Markandeya Purana she also has been depicted in several sculptures of the Gupta era.

Science

There was great progress in science during the age of the Guptas. Several important scientific advancements were made and there were several notable scientists during the period. One of the main achievements was the progress made in metallurgy. One of the most amazing examples is the Iron pillar located in New Delhi. This pillar which has been exposed to the ravages of time and weather for about 1600 years has yet to rust! The coins of the period and the 25 metre tall copper statue of Buddha at Nalanda are also evidence of development in this area.

One of the most famous scientists of the period was Aryabhatta, a great mathematician and astronomer. Aryabhatta calculated the value of p ,also developed the formula for calculating the area of a triangle. He also proved that the earth revolves around the sun and rotates on its own axis. He used this knowledge to discover the cause of solar and lunar eclipses and was able to predict the timings of their occurrences. Aryabhatta was also able to prove that heavenly bodies like the moon are spherical and shine because of the light they reflect from the sun. He was also able to calculate the time it takes for earth to complete one revolution around the sun, he put it at 365.3586805 days a figure that is remarkably close to recent estimates.

However, the most significant scientific discovery of the time was the invention of the modern system of numbers, one that set the foundations for present day science and is perhaps one of the most important inventions of all time. The invention of the zero and decimal system of counting finally gave the world a highly scalable and flexible counting system, a tool which proved invaluable in scientific advancement.

Literature

Sanskrit Literature was a great beneficiary of the Gupta era, enjoying tremendous patronage under several Gupta kings. Chandra Gupta II for instance had a set of nine poets in his court, known as the nine jewels. The greatest amongst them was the poet Kalidasa who was an excellent dramatist and a composer of epic poems. Some of his major works are the two epic poems of Kumarasambhava and Raghuvamsha, the lyrical poem Meghaduta and the great drama Shakuntala.

The Purana which date back to the Vedic age gained their final shape during the Gupta period. The Puranas are a set of books which have a collection of myths, philosophical dialogues and description of rituals. They are a vast volume of text and offer a valuable source of historical information. The Puranas are a set of several books, there are 18 Great Puranas and 18 Lesser Puranas. There is also the Vishnu Purana which is an important religious book. The goddess Durga was apparently important in the Gupta period for aside from a major piece on her heroics in the Markandeya Purana she also has been depicted in several sculptures of the Gupta era.

Science

There was great progress in science during the age of the Guptas. Several important scientific advancements were made and there were several notable scientists during the period. One of the main achievements was the progress made in metallurgy. One of the most amazing examples is the Iron pillar located in New Delhi. This pillar which has been exposed to the ravages of time and weather for about 1600 years has yet to rust! The coins of the period and the 25 metre tall copper statue of Buddha at Nalanda are also evidence of development in this area.

One of the most famous scientists of the period was Aryabhatta, a great mathematician and astronomer. Aryabhatta calculated the value of p ,also developed the formula for calculating the area of a triangle. He also proved that the earth revolves around the sun and rotates on its own axis. He used this knowledge to discover the cause of solar and lunar eclipses and was able to predict the timings of their occurrences. Aryabhatta was also able to prove that heavenly bodies like the moon are spherical and shine because of the light they reflect from the sun. He was also able to calculate the time it takes for earth to complete one revolution around the sun, he put it at 365.3586805 days a figure that is remarkably close to recent estimates.

However, the most significant scientific discovery of the time was the invention of the modern system of numbers, one that set the foundations for present day science and is perhaps one of the most important inventions of all time. The invention of the zero and decimal system of counting finally gave the world a highly scalable and flexible counting system, a tool which proved invaluable in scientific advancement.