Hinglish

The Quest for Beauty and the Decline of the Guptas

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 7.4

Learn

Gupta rulers created an atmosphere where craftsmanship thrived, and "Gupta art" set lasting standards of beauty. Sārnāth became famous for graceful Buddha sculptures; the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, carved with Gupta and Vākāṭaka support, hold temple-like halls and paintings like the Bodhisattva Padmapāṇi; the rock-cut caves at Udayagiri (Madhya Pradesh) have grand carvings of Viṣhṇu; and the Daśhāvatāra temple at Deogarh shows Viṣhṇu resting on Śheṣhnāg. Terracottas show the river goddesses Ganga on a makara and Yamuna on a tortoise.

By the 6th century CE the empire weakened. The fierce Hūṇas from Central Asia attacked again and again, and powerful regional rulers rose, leading to internal conflicts. Was this simply an end, or the beginning of a new turning point in Indian history? We will find out in Part 2.

Explore: match the place.

  1. Sort each clue.

Remember

  • Gupta art (Sārnāth, Ajanta, Udayagiri, Deogarh) set high standards of beauty.
  • Hūṇa invasions and rising regional rulers weakened the empire by the 6th century CE.

Quick check

Which invaders weakened the Gupta Empire in the 6th century?

  1. the Hūṇas
  2. the Greeks
  3. the Romans
  4. the Cholas
Answer

the Hūṇas. Regional rulers also rose, causing internal conflict.

Think about it

Why do you think paintings at Ajanta survived for about 1,500 years?

One answer

They were painted inside deep rock caves, sheltered from sun and rain, using natural colours on well-prepared plaster, and the caves were long hidden and little disturbed.

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.