Gupta Empire Controls Most of Northern South Asia (ca. 321 to ca. 500 CE)
• 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, 1-500 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"Smaller regional centers across the north, under Kushan control in the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., are brought together under the Gupta dynasty in the fourth century." 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.
Lesson Plan • The Story of India: Monument to the Stars [PBS]
For middle to high school levels. Objectives: "Understand the factors that led to the rise of the Gupta Empire; Identify the great accomplishments made in mathematics and science during the Gupta era." With many images and online video resources.
• Art of the Silk Road: Cultures: The Gupta Dynasty [University of Washington, Simpson Center for the Humanities]
An overview of the Gupta dynasty, with a map and images of five related artifacts. Part of an online exhibit "organized as part of Silk Road Seattle, a collaborative public education project exploring cultural interaction across Eurasia from the first century BCE to the sixteenth century CE."
Buddhism
• The Origins of Buddhism [Asia Society]
"A short essay that explores how Buddhism grew out of Hinduism and spread from India to the rest of Asia. How does Buddhism vary from place to place, sect to sect? Learn about how the spread of ideas combine of new beliefs with existing thoughts and practices."
• The Travel Records of Chinese Pilgrims Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing: Sources for Cross-cultural Encounters between Ancient China and Ancient India [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Article about three Chinese monks who traveled to India: Faxian (337?-422?), Xuanzang (600?-664), and Yijing (635-713). With maps.
The Puranas, ca. 4th Century
• Puranas [UCLA]
A brief introduction to the Puranas by UCLA professor of history Vinay Lal.
Gupta Style of Buddhist Sculpture Develops; Hindu Sculptures and Temples Proliferate
• Buddhism and Buddhist Art [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
An overview of the development of Buddhism and Buddhist art in South Asia from the 1st century BCE to the 6th century CE. With images of six related sculptures.
• Hinduism and Hindu Art [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
A brief overview of Hinduism and Hindu art in India, with emphasis on the importance of architecture and sculpture. With nine images of related artworks.
