After the Mauryan empire, many small kingdoms rose and fell. In the period from c. 300 to 700 CE, the Gupta kingdom emerged as a great power and achieved the political unification of a large part of the Indian subcontinent. Feudalism began to take root, and with an effective guild system and overseas trade the economy boomed. Some historians call it a golden age, but the book says this is not entirely accurate; many scholars agree it was a period of cultural florescence and a classical age for the arts.
1. Sources
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Literary | Smritis; Kamandaka's Nitisara (on polity, 400 CE); Visakhadatta's Devichandraguptam and Mudrarakshasam; Buddhist and Jaina texts; Kalidasa; the Chinese traveller Fahien |
| Epigraphical | Allahabad Pillar inscription – Samudragupta's personality and achievements in 33 lines composed by Harisena, engraved in Sanskrit and in Nagari script; Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription |
| Numismatic | Gold coins with legends and figures – tell us the titles the Guptas assumed and the Vedic rituals they performed |