This chapter explores the Gupta Empire, which flourished from about the 3rd to the 6th century CE with its capital at Pataliputra, often called the 'classical age' of India. It opens with the rust-resistant Iron Pillar of Delhi, erected under Chandragupta II, as proof of advanced metallurgy. The Guptas rose from regional rulers near present-day Uttar Pradesh. The chapter highlights Samudragupta, the warrior king praised in the Prayaga Prashasti inscription, and Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya), under whom art, science and literature reached their peak. It uses the travelogue of the Chinese pilgrim Faxian, who visited in the early 5th century, as a valuable but partial source on Gupta society, reminding students to assess multiple sources. The Gupta administration divided the empire into provinces and granted land recorded on copper plates, while thriving trade reached the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and China. The era produced remarkable figures: Aryabhata, who proposed the Earth spins on its axis and gave a near-accurate length of the year; Varahamihira, author of the encyclopaedic Brihat Samhita; and Kalidasa, master of Sanskrit poetry, author of Meghadutam. Ayurveda was codified, and Gupta art shone at Sarnath, Ajanta and Udayagiri. The chapter also notes contemporary dynasties — the Vakatakas, Pallavas and Kamarupa — before the empire declined under Huna invasions.
Rise of the GuptasSamudragupta and Chandragupta IIFaxian and Gupta societyScience, literature and artDecline and contemporary kingdoms
Key terms
Classical age
A name historians give the Gupta period because of its outstanding achievements in art, science, literature and governance.
Prayaga Prashasti
A pillar inscription at Prayagraj, composed by the court poet Harisena, praising the conquests and achievements of Samudragupta.
Land grants
Grants of land to local rulers, priests and chieftains, carefully recorded on copper plates, used by the Guptas to govern and collect taxes.
Aryabhatiya
Aryabhata's treatise on mathematics and astronomy, which gave formulas for celestial motions and proposed that the Earth spins on its axis.
Brihat Samhita
Varahamihira's encyclopaedic work covering astronomy, astrology, weather forecasting, architecture, town planning and farming.
Ayurveda
The Indian traditional system of medicine, with older roots, that was compiled and codified into its classic form during the Gupta period.
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Why is the Iron Pillar of Delhi remarkable?
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