Ancient India

They were instrumental in the transition from rock-cut architecture to stone temples.

The Pallavas were the first well known dynasty which came into power in the south after the fall of Andhras (Satavahanas).

An important characteristic of the Chalukyan temples is that every attempt is made to decorate every part of them and consequently there is “crowded abundance of minute details which covers the surface”.

Founded by Pulakesin I, Chalukyas ruled the extensive Deccan region between 6th and 12th century CE with the capital at Badami (Vatapi).

Harshavardhana, who ruled North India from 606 to 647 A.D. made Kannauj, the centre of North India’s political dominance.

The Hunas were a wild and fierce nomadic people of Central Asia. They over-ran the whole of Persia and Afghanistan and then in the middle of the 5th century A.D. they poured towards India in large numbers.

The eclipse of the Kushanas in North India and of the Satavahanas in the Deccan in the 3rd century CE, ushered in a period of political disintegration. It paved the way for the emergence of several minor powers and new ruling families.

Rock-Cut Caves, Sculpture, Paintings, Terracotta and Pottery.

The development in the spheres of Mathematics. Astronomy, Medicine, Metallurgy and Science.

The oldest surviving temple in the country is a small, nondescript shrine in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Gupta period.