After climbing mountains, and struggling across desert lands I have found my way across the land of the once flourishing empire known as the Gupta. I have no words to explain the significance of this trip, and are truly grateful I could discover pasts from people who know the Gupta empire like they know themselves. I am also truly thankful for the readers who have followed me along these winding roads, and those who have seen this experience the way I have.
From Pataliputra a capital, to Ujjain a site of true greatness this experience has brought me great intellect, and an experience I will never forget. Stay tuned to my next adventure....to the land of the Greeks!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Gupta Experience Day 6 (July 8, 450CE)
On this edition of The Gupta Experience we hit the site of Meharauli, a land of fertile plain, and the Thar Desert. This land is dry, brown, hot, humid, and flat. This made the travels frustrating and uncomfortable because I must have sweat an ocean worth. This land is the last of our travels and I am feeling depressed that I must soon head home. The crew that I am with has looked forward to this day, because we now are looking at the metalwork of the Gupta.
My father being. a metalworker has told me details to look for in this work, and I am ecstatic about comparing modern day American metalwork, and the skill of the past. Government officials notified me the the past Gupta Kings had controlled the local mines of gold, copper, and tin with full power. I found it quite intriguing that the metalworkers created special coins in honor of kings wealth, and accomplishments. I wish that I had that kind of treatment by my crew. (don't tell them I said that) A common metalworker I met up with named Kijau spoke with me about his works, and how proud he is of the ancient cultures of his past. He informed me that the experts were best known for their iron work accomplishments, but of course theses workers were expert at my personal favorite work...GOLD! I also came upon after a day of hard work and traveling at sunset a once famous pillar known as Meharauli. I stood in place for a moment and thought about the past that I wish I knew, and the people that formed my world. As I stood I daydreamed about the past lives of the Gupta, and I could almost see time pass through my eyes. Coming soon to blog...the finale of The Gupta Experience.
My father being. a metalworker has told me details to look for in this work, and I am ecstatic about comparing modern day American metalwork, and the skill of the past. Government officials notified me the the past Gupta Kings had controlled the local mines of gold, copper, and tin with full power. I found it quite intriguing that the metalworkers created special coins in honor of kings wealth, and accomplishments. I wish that I had that kind of treatment by my crew. (don't tell them I said that) A common metalworker I met up with named Kijau spoke with me about his works, and how proud he is of the ancient cultures of his past. He informed me that the experts were best known for their iron work accomplishments, but of course theses workers were expert at my personal favorite work...GOLD! I also came upon after a day of hard work and traveling at sunset a once famous pillar known as Meharauli. I stood in place for a moment and thought about the past that I wish I knew, and the people that formed my world. As I stood I daydreamed about the past lives of the Gupta, and I could almost see time pass through my eyes. Coming soon to blog...the finale of The Gupta Experience.
The Gupta Experience Day 5 (July 7, 450CE)
The next city on my travels was to Pataliputra. As the capital of the Gupta empire, this land is along the Ganga River. The land itself is dry and humid like most of the other sites of the exploration. But there are also nearby mountains to give off a refreshing breeze to lighten up a tiring day.
First and Foremost, I found that the Gupta astronomy was much more accurate and sophisticated compared to that of the Greek. The most famous of the Gupta astronomers happen to be the man famous for his skills in mathematics. Aryabhata discovered that a year is actually 365.258 days at a time. He also found that the earth is spherical and turns on an axis, which is a well known fact today. I was also told by the modern day astronomers of this land that Aryabhata found that the planet traveled around the sun, and that eclipses-moon shadows existed. It was also known that Mercury and Venus were the sun and the moon. Tune in to the next portion of this blog..coming soon to Internets around the globe.
The Gupta Experience Day 4 (July 6, 450CE)
The next site of this adventure is Bakshali, a land on the shores of the Indus River surrounded by three different mountain ranges making the land rocky. The land itself is hot and dry, so a water bottle or Gatorade would be a good thing to carry along the way. In this land of the mountains I studied the ancient works of mathematics.
I first stopped at local school and sought out to find who started this concept of math. I was told by the well informed students, especially a young boy name Jesus that a man by the name of Aryabhata developed works of geometry, algebra, and the dreaded trigonometry. So kids now you know where some of your "loved" schoolwork has originated from. This man has also helped to understand the concept of zero and the numbers one through nine. This man also produced decimal and fractions which we also use today. But still the Gupta numbers come from the original Arabic numbers, transferred to Europe by Muslim traders. Don't change blogs...I'll be right back with more from the Gupta Experience.
I first stopped at local school and sought out to find who started this concept of math. I was told by the well informed students, especially a young boy name Jesus that a man by the name of Aryabhata developed works of geometry, algebra, and the dreaded trigonometry. So kids now you know where some of your "loved" schoolwork has originated from. This man has also helped to understand the concept of zero and the numbers one through nine. This man also produced decimal and fractions which we also use today. But still the Gupta numbers come from the original Arabic numbers, transferred to Europe by Muslim traders. Don't change blogs...I'll be right back with more from the Gupta Experience.
The Gupta Experience Day 3 (July 5, 450CE)
The next destination on my adventure filled expedition was to Ujjain of the Gupta to explore the literature of these well established people. The humid, and warm weather didn't hold me back from the untold stories ahead. The rocky, hilly, dry, and brown earth gave me a feel for the empire like any empire with rocky problems, and times. The cloudless sky prompted this day and the view of the nearby mountain ranges brought a cool breeze.
The writers and authors of the Gupta wrote literature such as plays, poetry, fables, religious texts, and legal texts just like the advanced society of today's world. Two famous dramatists of the time were Shudraka and Vishakhadatta. These dramatists wrote comedies, satires, historical, and political dramas to entertain and inform the citizens. Maybe theses dramatists were like the Shakespeare of England, and I thought that there was no better writer than myself. (yeah right) A historian by the name of Raja informed me of two great works of the Gupta people know as Mahaburata which was a well known work of poetry, and the Puranas which were religious texts of the time. Another well known text of the Gupta I found out about were the Dharmasastras, which were legal texts recording basic Hindu laws. The literature of this time mirrors some of the great works of today. While on this part of the expedition I "attempted" to write the ancient language, and found out I actually was a half descant writer. Coming soon to blog....the next portion of the Gupta Experience.
The Gupta Experience Day 2 (July 4, 450CE)
The first stop on my travels was to the flat, and fertile plain of Nalanda. Nalanda is near the Ganga River, with healthy green land. Bring your umbrella, the land has copious amounts of rain, and sweat dripping humidity. I came to this magnificent spot to examine the medicine of the Gupta people, and the methods used on patients. I came to find from a local woman of Gupta descent that Ayurvedic medicine was widely used, focusing on the mind, body, and spirit of a person. The spiritual people of this fertile land used such items as herbs, honey, garlic, and grains. So watch out for those bumblebees, they like the honey too! A most impressive tactic for patients, which is often used today for relaxation is yoga.(A personal hobby of mine) The Gupta people used yoga to bring harmony to their spirits, and clear their heads. Of course there are no specially used mats or videos to lead them, but the method was used to relax and forget problems.
A notable fact I found out by a local doctor was that the Gupta people had free hospitals, unlike the over priced hospitals of today. These hospitals were supported by local citizens, and were kept going by such donations. An astonishing fact I happened to stumble upon, after examining an ancient operating room, was that the doctors of the Gupta people performed actual surgeries, in a somewhat efficient way. This showed me the superiority these people had during their time. Stay tuned for the next chapter of my adventure across the Gupta empire, and the events that will make your jaw drop to the floor.
A notable fact I found out by a local doctor was that the Gupta people had free hospitals, unlike the over priced hospitals of today. These hospitals were supported by local citizens, and were kept going by such donations. An astonishing fact I happened to stumble upon, after examining an ancient operating room, was that the doctors of the Gupta people performed actual surgeries, in a somewhat efficient way. This showed me the superiority these people had during their time. Stay tuned for the next chapter of my adventure across the Gupta empire, and the events that will make your jaw drop to the floor.
The Gupta Experience Day 1 (July 3, 450CE)
First and Foremost I would like to thank all of the dedicated readers who are going along with me on a journey of a lifetime to the land of the Gupta. By the way, I like to go by Karina. As a twenty year old traveling historian I look for significant aspects of cultures, and on this lively adventure you will see what I see about the successful and never forgotten Gupta empire. As a historian I have traveled all around the globe land and sea, with witty sailors and peoples of their native lands.
I have decided to create this blog to inform readers of the significance of the Gupta people and to compare the two separate and distinct worlds of past and present. Along the way topics such as painting, roads, sculpture, universities, metalwork, medicine, mathematics, literature, and astronomy of the Gupta will be explained in a new and meaningful way.
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