Mod 8: The Golden Age โ Aryabhata of Kusumapura, Varahamihira, Kalidasa, Temples and Sculpture, the Sultanganj Buddha and the โGolden Ageโ Debate
Concept
13.15 Science: Aryabhata of Pataliputra
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Mathematics and astronomy
Aryabhata (born 476 CE) wrote the Aryabhatiya in 499 CE at Kusumapura โ Pataliputra, in Bihar. In just 121 verses he gave methods of arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry and astronomy that shaped Indian science for centuries.
| Scholar | Work | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhata | Aryabhatiya (499) | Earthโs rotation, eclipses, ฯ โ 3.1416, place value |
| Varahamihira (c. 505โ587) | Pancha-siddhantika, Brihat Samhita | Summary of five astronomical systems; encyclopaedia of omens, plants, gems, architecture |
| Brahmagupta (b. 598) | Brahmasphuta-siddhanta (628) | Rules for zero and negative numbers (post-Gupta) |
- Tradition links Aryabhataโs observatory with Taregana near Patna; Khagaul is also associated with him.
- Indiaโs first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched on 19 April 1975; Patnaโs Aryabhatta Knowledge University was set up in 2008.
- Aryabhata: Aryabhatiya (499) at Kusumapura; rotation, eclipses, ฯ โ 3.1416.
- Varahamihira: Brihat Samhita; Brahmagupta: zero rules (628).
- Question: Where did Aryabhata write the Aryabhatiya? Answer: Kusumapura (Pataliputra).
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[School] Aryabhatiya was written by:
[BPSC level] Aryabhata wrote his work at Kusumapura, which is:
[UPSC level] Aryabhata explained eclipses as caused by:
[BPSC level] Aryabhataโs value of ฯ was about:
[BSSC pattern] Indiaโs first satellite, named after Aryabhata, was launched in:
[UPSC level] Varahamihiraโs encyclopaedic work is the:
[UPSC level] Rules for using zero as a number were first set out by:
[BPSC level] A place near Patna traditionally linked with Aryabhataโs observatory is:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Where did Aryabhata write the Aryabhatiya?
Kusumapura (Pataliputra).Concept
13.16 Literature and art
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Kalidasa, temples and a debate
| Author | Works |
|---|---|
| Kalidasa | Plays: Abhijnanashakuntalam, Vikramorvashiyam, Malavikagnimitram; poems: Meghaduta, Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava, Ritusamhara |
| Vishakhadatta | Mudrarakshasa, Devichandraguptam |
| Shudraka | Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) |
| Amarasimha | Amarakosha (Sanskrit thesaurus) |
| Vishnu Sharma | Panchatantra (animal fables) |
| Others | Final compilation of many Puranas; smritis of Yajnavalkya, Narada, Brihaspati |
| Monument / object | Note |
|---|---|
| Dashavatara temple, Deogarh (Lalitpur, UP) | Early stone temple with a shikhara; Vishnu on Sheshanaga panel |
| Bhitargaon (Kanpur, UP) | Oldest surviving brick temple |
| Sanchi Temple 17; Tigawa | Flat-roofed early temples |
| Udayagiri Varaha (Vidisha) | Huge relief of Vishnuโs boar incarnation |
| Sarnath seated Buddha | Dharmachakra-pravartana mudra; finest Gupta sculpture |
| Sultanganj Buddha (Bhagalpur, Bihar) | About 2.3 m copper image, found 1861โ62; now in the Birmingham Museum, UK |
| Ajanta caves 16, 17 (Maharashtra) | Paintings under the Vakatakas, Gupta allies |
Nationalist historians (R. C. Majumdar, R. K. Mookerji) called it a Golden Age for its art, science and Sanskrit literature. Later historians (R. S. Sharma, D. N. Jha, Romila Thapar) point out it was golden mainly for the elite: untouchability hardened (Faxian), sati appears (Eran 510), forced labour grew, and trade declined later. Many now prefer the term โclassical ageโ.
- Kalidasa, Shudraka, Vishakhadatta, Amarasimha, Vishnu Sharma; Puranas.
- Deogarh, Bhitargaon, Sarnath Buddha, Sultanganj Buddha (Birmingham), Ajanta (Vakataka).
- Question: Who wrote the Amarakosha? Answer: Amarasimha.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[School] Abhijnanashakuntalam was written by:
[BPSC level] Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) was written by:
[BSSC pattern] The Sanskrit thesaurus Amarakosha was compiled by:
[BPSC level] The Panchatantra fables are attributed to:
[UPSC level] The oldest surviving brick temple of the Gupta period is at:
[UPSC level] The Dashavatara temple with an early shikhara is at:
[BPSC level] The copper Sultanganj Buddha, found in Bhagalpur district, is now in:
[UPSC level] The Ajanta paintings of caves 16 and 17 were sponsored mainly by the:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who wrote the Amarakosha?
Amarasimha.Concept
๐ฏ UPSC ยท BPSC ยท BSSC ยท State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Aryabhata; temple evolution; โGolden Ageโ critique |
| BPSC | Aryabhata of Kusumapura; Sultanganj Buddha; Taregana |
| BSSC / SSC | Kalidasaโs works; Amarakosha |
Aryabhatiya was written at: (a) Ujjain (b) Kusumapura (Pataliputra) (c) Nalanda (d) Kanchi
- Aryabhata himself says he wrote it at Kusumapura in 499 CE, aged 23. Ujjain was Varahamihiraโs centre.
- Rules for zero as a number: Brahmagupta (628), not Aryabhata.
- Ajanta paintings are Vakataka-sponsored, not Gupta.
- Sultanganj Buddha is in Birmingham, not in Patna.
Model question: โThe Gupta age was a Golden Age of Indian culture, but not of Indian society.โ Discuss. Points: Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Kalidasa; temples and Sarnath sculpture; Nalanda; versus caste rigidity, sati, vishti, land grants; historiographical views.
- โGolden Ageโ vs โclassical ageโ: culture flourished, society unequal.
- Question: Where is the Sultanganj Buddha now? Answer: Birmingham Museum, UK.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Meghaduta is a poem by:
[UPSC level] Historians who question the โGolden Ageโ label point to:
[BSSC pattern] The finest Gupta Buddha image in dharmachakra mudra is from:
[BPSC level] Aryabhatta Knowledge University in Patna was established in:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Where is the Sultanganj Buddha now?
Birmingham Museum, UK.