The golden age of India stretched between 2^nd and 3^rd BC. Arts & Science flourished, while religion and culture progressed.

The golden age witnessed notable cultural development. Jainism and Buddhism propagated in this era. It was during this period Khyber Pass was built that served as a trading route between India and the outside world. Spice and silk were widely exported. Exquisite temples, forts, palaces and monuments were built. Take a trip down the memory lane with a vacation in India.

Overview

During the Golden Age, several different dynasties like Pandyans, Cholas, Cheras, Kadambas, Pallavas and Chalukyas ruled South India. These kingdoms were stretched into Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Satavahana dynasty ruled south and central India around 230 BC. Followed by the rule of Kalinga dynasty under which Jainism flourished in the Indian subcontinent.

Later in the 1st century BC, the Kushanas migrated from Central Asia into northwestern India and established an empire that expanded from Tajikistan to the middle Ganges.

The successors of the Indo-Scythians and contemporaries of Kushans, ruled the Kuninda Kingdom in the Himalayas between 2^ndand 3^rd century BC. n state, survived from around the 2nd century BCE to roughly the 3rd century CE.

Amalgamation of Cultures

The north-western hybrid cultures of the Indian subcontinent included Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Indo-Sassinids.

The Indo-Greek kingdom was established with the invasion of Greco-Bactrian king- Demetrius I in 180 BC. Existing for two centuries, the kingdom was ruled by over 30 Greek kings.

The Indo-Scythians migrated from southern Siberia, initially into Bactria, subsequently into Sogdiana, Kashmir, Arachosia, and Gandhara, and finally into India. Their kingdom survived between 2^ndand 1^st century BC.

The Indo-Parthians over powered the local Indian rulers and expanded their reign well into present-day Afghanistan and northern Pakistan.

Sassinids came from Persia and evolved into a strong Indo-Sassanids culture by defeating the Gupta Empire, their kingdom expanded into the region of present-day Pakistan.

Commerce

Historians discovered the coin of the Roman emperor Augustus at Pudukottai, South India, which dates back to1^st BC. Therefore, it can be safely said that India opened its ports for the West during the reign of Augustus. The trade started by Eudoxus of Cyzicus in 130 BC expanded, and trade routes and harbour formed via the Erythraean Sea.

Arts, Literature & Science

During the Gupta Empire, academics reached its prime, the era produced eminent scholars like Kalidasa, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Vishnu Sharma, and Vatsyayana. The famous Sanskrit play Abhijnanasakuntala written by poet Kalidasa was a legacy of this empire.

This period also witnessed the extensive achievements in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy. The invention of decimal numeral system and the concept of zero emerged during this period.

Political administration embarked new heights with the formulation of strong trade ties, subsequently influencing nearby kingdoms in Burma, Sri Lanka, the Malay Archipelago, and Indochina.

The advancement of science and technology paved way for magnificent architecture, sculpture, and paintings.  The caves of Ajanta and Ellora are a fine example of the Golden Age.

Religion

Hinduism gained momentum, while Jainism and Buddhism flourished. Vedic sacrifices were legitimate and equally violence-free religions were patronized.