The Gupta Empire existed from about
320 A.D. until about 550 A.D. Its first ruler was Chandragupta I, but
it was his son, Samudragupta, who gave the empire some of its greatest
achievements in the field of war. He expanded the territory of the
empire extensively and is regarded alongside other historical conquerors
such as Napoleon and Alexander the Great.Other achievements by
the Gupta Empire center on the arts and the sciences. It was a time when
the creation of sculpture, painting and literature flourished. The
fields of mathematics and astronomy were advanced through renowned
scholars. For example, the scholar Aryabhatta calculated that a solar
year was 365.358 days, which is very close to the figure that is now
known to be correct. In addition, the famous book the "Kamasutra" was
written by Vatsyayana during this period. Popular plays were also
written, including those by the historically important Indian poet
Kalidasa.Examples of great paintings include those that depict
the various lives of the Buddha that were found on the walls of the
Ajanta caves in southern India.
