• India:
A Historical Overview [Asia Society]
Background reading about "the people and characteristics of India's
historical eras, from the early Indus River Valley civilization, through
the Mughal period to present day."
• South
Asia, North, 500-1000 A.D. [Timeline of Art
History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The religion that we now call Hinduism begins to take recognizable
shape in this period and is patronized by the powerful regional kingdoms
that rise up in the wake of Gupta power. Hindu temples dominate the
physical and cultural landscape of dynamic urban centers, patronized
by powerful kings and managed by Brahman priests. Buddhist and Jain
centers also thrive. Islam enters the South Asian cultural and religious
landscape with the arrival of traders and, later, invaders from the
west." With a period overview, list of key events, and seven related
artworks.
• South
Asia, South, 500-1000 A.D. [Timeline of Art
History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The religion that we now call Hinduism begins to take recognizable
shape in this period and is patronized by the dynamic regional kingdoms—Pallava,
Pandya, Chalukya, and Chola—that rise up in the wake of Gupta
power. Temples are the focal point of both religious and social life,
as regional rulers construct massive temple complexes that attest to
the divine origins of their power on earth. Buddhism and Jainism also
thrive. Tamil, used as a literary language from the beginning of the
first millennium, is the primary medium of the early bhakti (devotional)
poets of the south. These poets represent the beginnings of a powerful
pan-Indian social and cultural orientation that transforms Indian religions
into the next millennium." With a period overview, list of key
events, and six related artworks.
Timeline • The
Story of India: Ages of Gold [PBS]
Excellent annotated timeline with text, images, and video clips throughout.
| back to top | |
