The Golden Age of Bharat was during Gupta Empire. It was termed the Golden Age not because precious metals like Gold and Silver were produced in abundance; but because it was in this period that devotion towards the motherland and values of life were of immense importance. It was also during this period that cultural as well as political developments connected Bharat to the rest of the world.
Not only was this era important because of our victory over the invaders, but also was notable because of our spiritualism, religion, vision, literature and history. It was in this period that scholars like (aadi guru Shri Shankaracharya), Mahatma Buddha, and Mahavir Swami became famous. Bharateeya art, culture and science spread to the rest of the world during this time. Republic of states came into being. There were famous rulers and Prime Ministers like Kautilya and Vassakar. Pukkusati, King Puru and Maurya were famous rulers of the Gupta and Vardhan Dynasty. There were a series of brave kings and rulers like Shunga and Andhra Satavahana rulers. Chandragupta Maurya was the first national ruler from the Maurya Dynasty who uprooted the Greeks from Bharat and defined Afghanistan as the scientific border of Bharat. Samrat Ashoka spread the message of world-wide cultural tolerance of Bharat, generosity and her independent thinking to the rest of the world. Pushyamitra, the great ruler of Shunga Dynasty established political stability in Bharat. He had the company of learned men like the great saint Patanjali.
The Andhra Satavahana rulers had a very important role to play in the history of Bharat. They established their capital in a place called Paithan in the northern shores of the Godavari. The notable rulers amongst them were Shatkarni I, Shatkarni, the son of Gautami and son of Vashishthi, Pulumavi. The Golden Age of Bharat was during Gupta Empire. It was termed the Golden Age not because precious metals like Gold and Silver were produced in abundance; but because it was in this period that devotion towards the motherland and values of life were of immense importance. This era was characterised by great rulers like Chandragupta II, Samudragupta and Skandagupta. There were also scholars from different walks of life like Dhanwantary, Amar Singh, Kalidas, Varahmihir etc. A large expansion of the states was effected. The country reached the epitome of art, literature, linguistics, science, education and culture attained the apex point of progress and development. Notable travellers like Fahien came to Bharat during this time and were spell bound by the lifestyle of this country. During the rule of Harshavardhan (647 AD), Bharat had an all-round development. Harshavardhan appealed to everyone because of his liberal religious policies. The Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang participated in the huge Buddhist conference in Kanauj and the General Conference in Prayag. In the Southern part of Bharat, the Chalukya and Chola dynasties emerged and developed. Tamil literature and culture flourished.
In brief, this period was the most significant period of Bharat in terms of cultural as well as political developments which in turn played an important role in connecting Bharat to the rest of the world.
Dr Satish Chandra Mittal (The writer is Professor (Retd.) History Department Kurukshetra University,Kurukshetra) (To be concluded)
