Hinglish

The Classical Age: Great Minds

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 7.3

Learn

A long period of peace and stability let the state support scholars, artists and scientists, so some historians call this India's classical age. Knowledge from earlier eras was compiled into texts, Sanskrit literature flourished, and the Guptas, though devotees of Viṣhṇu, also supported Buddhist institutions like Nālandā.

Āryabhaṭa, who worked in Kusumapura (near Patna) around 500 CE, wrote the Āryabhaṭīya. He proposed that the Earth spins on its axis, causing day and night, explained eclipses correctly, estimated the size of the Earth, and gave the year as 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds, only minutes from the modern value. Some calculation methods you learn today were first written down by him 1,500 years ago. Varāhamihira of Ujjayinī wrote the encyclopedic Bṛihat Saṃhitā on astronomy, weather forecasting, architecture, town planning and farming.

Kālidāsa, the great Sanskrit poet, wrote the Meghadūtam ("The Cloud Messenger"), in which a banished yakṣha sends a message to his beloved through a passing cloud, describing the landscapes and weather of north India along the way. Āyurveda, with roots centuries older, was codified: the Charaka Saṃhitā and Suśhruta Saṃhitā took final shape, covering diagnosis, diet, medicines and surgery, and stressing the link between mind, body and nature.

Explore: who did what?

  1. Sort each contribution.

Remember

  • Peace and patronage made the Gupta age a classical age of learning; Nālandā flourished.
  • Āryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira and Kālidāsa made lasting contributions; Āyurveda was codified.

Quick check

Who proposed that day and night are caused by the Earth spinning?

  1. Āryabhaṭa
  2. Kālidāsa
  3. Faxian
  4. Harisena
Answer

Āryabhaṭa. He wrote the Āryabhaṭīya around 500 CE.

Think about it

Why do periods of peace often lead to progress in science and the arts?

One answer

With less war, rulers can spend on learning, scholars can work and travel safely, trade brings wealth and new ideas, and people have time to create.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.