Gupta Empire
I. Gupta Rule
A. The Gupta family came to power in Magadha, the old capital of the
Mauryans. The Guptas expanded their empire through conquest and
intermarriage. Eventually, they controlled almost all the territory of
Northern India.
B. The Mauryan Empire had become Buddhist when Asoka had converted.
Gupta rulers favored Hinduism. At this time, many Indians converted to
Hinduism and Hinduism became the dominant religion of India. It
remains the dominant religion today.
C. Culture, science and the arts flourished
under the Gupta rulers. Examples:
1. Gupta literature is famous for its fairy
tales some of which influenced
European writers like the Brothers
Grimm.
2. Indian scientists pioneered advances
in mathematics. They were some of
the first to use a zero and today we still
use the Indian symbols for 1 through 9.
3. Indian doctors inoculated their patients against disease.
4. Indian artists and builders decorated stupas - large rounded shrines.
II. Great Architecture of India
A. Perhaps the most famous work of Indian Architecture is the Taj Mahal.
The Taj Mahal was commissioned by emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj
Mahal was created as a mausoleum or tomb for his favorite wife Mumtaz
Mahal. The legend states that when Mahal died giving birth to their
daughter, Shah Jahan was so upset that he decided to build a tomb to
personify his love and grief.
B. The Taj Mahal is not the
only famous work of
Indian architecture.
Another example is the
Red Fort located in the
city of Agra. The Red
Fort is covered in ornate
jewels and has ceilings
that are made entirely of
gold and precious stones.
To appreciate Indian music, westerners need to give up firmly-held ideas
about things like rhythm, melody, and scales. Indian music is built on a
completely different set of concepts. As a result, traditional Indian music can sound very foreign.
The primary component of Indian music is called the raga, which is a melodic framework based on
a specific rhythm and a set of five to seven notes. There are hundred’s of different ragas; sometimes
only a single note will tell the difference between two ragas. Tala is the rhythmic aspect of Indian
music. Western ears may not follow Indian rhythms very easily because there are many styles
and cycles. We might count 1-2-3-4; by contrasts an Indian rhythmic cycle may have anywhere
between 3 and 108 beats.
Indian instruments include
the sitar, the tabla and the
tanpura. The sitar is a long
instrument with up to 25 strings.
Some of these strings are called “sympathetic strings”.
Sympathetic strings run below the other strings; they are not played
but vibrate when the others are plucked. The tabla is a pair of drums, which
drummers beat with their fingers and palms. The tanpura is a string instrument that makes a
droning sound and accompanies other instruments.
Indian Music