Brittany Dickens
Chelsea Hindman
India’s Classical Age
India’s Classical Age lasted
approximately from AD 320 to 550. According to
Norton Anthology it was also known as
The Golden Age for its relative peace, law and order and the cultural
achievements that took place; there were achievements in mathematics, logic,
astronomy, and literature (“Gupta Empire”). Classical literature had
extreme growth under the Guptas, who ruled over much of Northern India.
According to
Pearson Longman women during this
period were “strictly subject to patriarchal authority within their households”
and they were not allowed to read the Vedas, which was a Hindu sacred text
consisting of four books. Women also were unable to take over property,
seen as a “social liability” for families, and widows were not allowed to
remarry. Also, the worth of a woman was decided by how many sons she had.
The ideal Hindu wife is Sakuntala from
the story Sakuntala and the Ring Recollection much like Sita from
Ramayana.
According to About.com the Classical Age started under the rule of the Guptas who ruled from the capitals of Pataliputra and Ujjayini between 335AD and 470AD. The first three rulers of the Classical Age were Chandragupta I (319-335), Samudragupta (335-376), and Chandragupta II (376-415). They all brought India together under their rule. The stabilized government of India allowed for great “agricultural productivity and foreign trade.”
During India’s Classical Age archeticture and art flourished. India Buzzing says they had Ajanta Murals which were paintings about Buddhism done in bright colors of ancient monastery. They also did metalwork which included gold and copper coins with Gupta Rulers on them. Many Hindu temples were built during this time period as well.
Pearson Longman says, “The caste system during this period was revived as the basis of the social hierarchy.” There were four stages of life that males of high castes had to pass through: “Students, householders and husbands, hermitage and meditation, and wandering ascetism.” Though there were four stages very few passed beyond the householder stage.
According to India Buzzing the two well-known people during this period were Aryabhattta and Kalidiasa. Aryabhatta did a lot for the success India in mathematics. He gave us the concept of zero and calculated the size of the earth. Because of this, it’s safe to say the size of the earth was known to India. Aryabhatta also not only recommended that earth spins on an axis but he also was the first to claim that it revolved around the sun. According to Norton Anthology Kalidasa was a playwright; his most famous work was Shakuntala and the Ring Recollection. The literature of the Classical Age was the court epic, drama, short lyrics, and narrative are the major genres of Kanya “poetry”. After Shakuntala was translated it had a huge impact on Goethe and writers of the German Romantic Movement. The play was fixed in India’s classical civilization and joined with an “ideal human vision.”
Sanskrit plays were plays like Shakuntala. Some critics of the plays said that drama is the best of all kavya genres because it was full, all ended in happiness and agreement, ancient dramas were viewed as “rites of renewal and order.” Plays showed the model life: “life of the golden mean, of mutually tempered duty and desire, vitality shaped by self-control, and nature celebrated as culture’s foundation and its component.”
The primary enemies of India during the Golden Age were the White Huns or The Hephthalites; India knew them as Hun. According to About.com the religion of the time was Hindu and Buddhism. During the Classical age the Hindu religion went through dramatic changes, many of which still used in modern day religion. These changes were major “sectarian deities, image worship, devotionalism, and the importance of the temple.”
The education of the time was more for the men. They were taught in grammar, composition, logic, metaphysics, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy.
Work Cited
“Classical Civilization: India.”Pearson Longman. 14 Oct. 2009
<http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wcap_4/0,8810,1189535-,00.html>
“Gupta Empire.” Indian Child. Sept. 1995. 13 Oct. 2009 <http://www.indianchild.com/gupta_empire.htm>
“India: Historical Setting.”About.com. 14 Oct. 2009
<http://historymedren.about.com/library/text/bltxtindia7.htm>
Krishna, “Golden Age of India (300-600 AD)-Gupta Dynasty.” India Buzzing. 13 Oct.
2009 <http://www.indiabuzzing.com/2008/10/27/golden-age-of-india300-600ad--
dynasty/>
Lawall, Sarah, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: Norton &
Company, 2002.