cultural Achievements
As trade brought widespread peace and prosperity to India, the arts and culture of India flourished and advances in science and mathematics developed. In literature, some of India's greatest poems and plays were written during the Mauryan and Gupta Empires' time. Kalidasa, a famous poet, was a court poet for Chandra Gupta II. Kalidasa wrote many famous plays, such as Shakuntala, that generations of Indians have admired. In the Kingdoms of Tamil in southern India, a writing academy was established that produced thousands of Tamil poems. Drama was also popular, and actors traveled from city to city and performed shows. These traveling actors and actresses laid the basis for modern India's Bollywood, which produces hundreds of movies every year, more than Hollywood!
The sciences also flourished in India. Trade advanced sailing technology, and knowledge of the stars, essential for navigation, increased. The Indians also used Greek methods for keeping time, and began to use cycles of the sun instead of the moon for time. Indians found that the earth was round before the Europeans by watching a lunar eclipse and noting that the earth's shadow was round. Hindu doctors also had an advanced knowledge about medicine, and several ancient guides that described medicinal plants and more than 1000 diseases were written.
Indian mathematics were probrably the most advanced during that time period. A mathematician named Aryabhata who lived around A.D. 500 was very important during his time. He calculated Pi to 4 digits, and he accurately found the length of a solar year. THe idea of a number 0 was developed in India during this time as well, and spread to other countries.
The sciences also flourished in India. Trade advanced sailing technology, and knowledge of the stars, essential for navigation, increased. The Indians also used Greek methods for keeping time, and began to use cycles of the sun instead of the moon for time. Indians found that the earth was round before the Europeans by watching a lunar eclipse and noting that the earth's shadow was round. Hindu doctors also had an advanced knowledge about medicine, and several ancient guides that described medicinal plants and more than 1000 diseases were written.
Indian mathematics were probrably the most advanced during that time period. A mathematician named Aryabhata who lived around A.D. 500 was very important during his time. He calculated Pi to 4 digits, and he accurately found the length of a solar year. THe idea of a number 0 was developed in India during this time as well, and spread to other countries.
Religion also was very productive during the two empires. Click on the link to learn more about India's two major religions during this time - Buddhism and Hinduism.