explain the cultural life during gupta period?
Answers
Answered by
2
Gupta Age Art and Culture
• The Gupta period witnessed a tremendous progress in the field of art, science and literature and on account of this it has been called “a golden age”.
• A few scholars even call this period a period of renaissance, but it should be remembered that there was no dark period before the Gupta rule.
• Therefore the cultural progress witnessed during the Gupta period may be called the culmination of Indian intellectual activities.
Architecture
• By evolving the Nagara and Dravida styles, the Gupta art ushers in the history of Indian architecture a formative and creative age with unlimited scope for future development and elaboration.
• The rock-cut caves continue the old forms to a large extent, but possess striking novelty by bringing about extensive changes in the ornamentation of the facade and in the designs of the pillars in the interior.
• The Most notable groups of rock-cut caves are found at Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra) and Bagh (MP). The Udayagiri caves (Orissa) are also of this type.
• Structural Temples: The following five groups may be distinguished among the structural temples:
1. Flat-roofed square temple;
2. Flat-roofed square temple with a second storey (vimana) above;
3. Square temple with a curvilinear tower (sikhara) above;
4. Rectangular temple; and
5. Circular temple.
– The second group of temples shows many of the characteristic features of the Dravida style.
– The importance of third group lies in the innovation of a sikhara that caps the sanctum sanctorum, the main feature of the Nagara style.
• Stupas: They were also built in large numbers, but the best are found at Sarnath (UP), Ratnagiri (Orissa) and Mirpur Khan (Sind).
Sculpture
• A good specimen of stone sculpture is of Buddha from Sarnath.
• Of the Brahmanical images perhaps the most impressive is the Great Boar (Varaha), at the entrance of a cave at Udayagiri.
• Metal Statues: The art of casting statues on a large scale by the cire process was practised by Guptan craftsmen with conspicuous success.
• Two remarkable examples of Gupta metal sculpture are:
– A copper image of the Buddha, about eighteen feet high at Nalanda in Bihar, and
– Sultanganj Buddha of seven and half feet.
Painting
• The art of painting seems to have been more in general practice and popular demand in the Gupta period than the art of stone sculpture.
• Remains of paintings of this period are found at Ajanta, Bagh, Badami and other places.
• From the point of technique, the surface of these paintings was perhaps done in a very simple way.
• Infact the mural paintings of Ajanta are not true frescoes, for a fresco is painted while the plaster is still damp and the murals of Ajanta were made after it had set.
• The art of Ajanta and Bagh shows the Madhyadesa School’ of painting at its best.
Literature
• The Sanskrit language became prominent during the Gupta period. Nagari script had evolved from the Brahmi script.
• Numerous works in classical Sanskrit came to be written in the forms of epic, lyrics, drama and prose. The best of the Sanskrit literature belonged to the Gupta age.
• Himself a great poet, Samudragupta patronized a number of scholars including Harisena.
Science
• The Gupta period witnessed a brilliant activity in the sphere of mathematics, astronomy, astrology and medicine.
• Aryabhatta, a great mathematician and astronomer, wrote the book Aryabhatiya in 499 A.D. It deals with mathematics and astronomy. It explains scientifically the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses.
• Aryabhatta was the first to declare that the earth was spherical in shape and that it rotates on its own axis.
• Varahamihira composed Pancha Siddhantika, the five astronomical systems. He was also a great authority on astrology. His work Brihadsamhita is a great work in Sanskrit literature. It deals with a variety of subjects like astronomy, astrology, geography, architecture, weather, animals, marriage and omens. His Brihadjataka is considered to be a standard work on astrology.
• A Gupta inscription from Allahabad district suggests that the decimal system was known in India at the beginning of the fifth century A. D.
• In the fields of astronomy a book called Romaka Sidhanta was compiled which was influenced by Greek ideas, as can be inferred from its name.
• In the field of medicine, Vagbhatalived during this period. He was the last of the great medical trio of ancient India.
• The Gupta period witnessed a tremendous progress in the field of art, science and literature and on account of this it has been called “a golden age”.
• A few scholars even call this period a period of renaissance, but it should be remembered that there was no dark period before the Gupta rule.
• Therefore the cultural progress witnessed during the Gupta period may be called the culmination of Indian intellectual activities.
Architecture
• By evolving the Nagara and Dravida styles, the Gupta art ushers in the history of Indian architecture a formative and creative age with unlimited scope for future development and elaboration.
• The rock-cut caves continue the old forms to a large extent, but possess striking novelty by bringing about extensive changes in the ornamentation of the facade and in the designs of the pillars in the interior.
• The Most notable groups of rock-cut caves are found at Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra) and Bagh (MP). The Udayagiri caves (Orissa) are also of this type.
• Structural Temples: The following five groups may be distinguished among the structural temples:
1. Flat-roofed square temple;
2. Flat-roofed square temple with a second storey (vimana) above;
3. Square temple with a curvilinear tower (sikhara) above;
4. Rectangular temple; and
5. Circular temple.
– The second group of temples shows many of the characteristic features of the Dravida style.
– The importance of third group lies in the innovation of a sikhara that caps the sanctum sanctorum, the main feature of the Nagara style.
• Stupas: They were also built in large numbers, but the best are found at Sarnath (UP), Ratnagiri (Orissa) and Mirpur Khan (Sind).
Sculpture
• A good specimen of stone sculpture is of Buddha from Sarnath.
• Of the Brahmanical images perhaps the most impressive is the Great Boar (Varaha), at the entrance of a cave at Udayagiri.
• Metal Statues: The art of casting statues on a large scale by the cire process was practised by Guptan craftsmen with conspicuous success.
• Two remarkable examples of Gupta metal sculpture are:
– A copper image of the Buddha, about eighteen feet high at Nalanda in Bihar, and
– Sultanganj Buddha of seven and half feet.
Painting
• The art of painting seems to have been more in general practice and popular demand in the Gupta period than the art of stone sculpture.
• Remains of paintings of this period are found at Ajanta, Bagh, Badami and other places.
• From the point of technique, the surface of these paintings was perhaps done in a very simple way.
• Infact the mural paintings of Ajanta are not true frescoes, for a fresco is painted while the plaster is still damp and the murals of Ajanta were made after it had set.
• The art of Ajanta and Bagh shows the Madhyadesa School’ of painting at its best.
Literature
• The Sanskrit language became prominent during the Gupta period. Nagari script had evolved from the Brahmi script.
• Numerous works in classical Sanskrit came to be written in the forms of epic, lyrics, drama and prose. The best of the Sanskrit literature belonged to the Gupta age.
• Himself a great poet, Samudragupta patronized a number of scholars including Harisena.
Science
• The Gupta period witnessed a brilliant activity in the sphere of mathematics, astronomy, astrology and medicine.
• Aryabhatta, a great mathematician and astronomer, wrote the book Aryabhatiya in 499 A.D. It deals with mathematics and astronomy. It explains scientifically the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses.
• Aryabhatta was the first to declare that the earth was spherical in shape and that it rotates on its own axis.
• Varahamihira composed Pancha Siddhantika, the five astronomical systems. He was also a great authority on astrology. His work Brihadsamhita is a great work in Sanskrit literature. It deals with a variety of subjects like astronomy, astrology, geography, architecture, weather, animals, marriage and omens. His Brihadjataka is considered to be a standard work on astrology.
• A Gupta inscription from Allahabad district suggests that the decimal system was known in India at the beginning of the fifth century A. D.
• In the fields of astronomy a book called Romaka Sidhanta was compiled which was influenced by Greek ideas, as can be inferred from its name.
• In the field of medicine, Vagbhatalived during this period. He was the last of the great medical trio of ancient India.
pushpojit223:
yea mention no
no
not
Similar questions