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Archaeological evidence for the Gupta architecture is, however, poor. The Gupta shrines have been
discovered in the jungles of central India, especially in Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. They include
those as Bhitargaon in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh).

HoW Were stupas and temples BuIlt

Kings and queens used to spend money from their treasury in order to build temples and
monuments.
The craft persons who worked to build those splendid structures were paid from the treasury.
The kings and queens were very particular about constructing these structures. They would
get the best quality stone excavated and transported to the site, often carefully chosen for
the new building. Then the rough blocks of stone were shaped and carved into pillars and
panels for walls, floors and ceilings and then these were placed in their right place. So it
was quite an expensive affair.

Whenever the devotees would come to visit the temple or the stupa, they were expected
to bring gifts with them, which were used to decorate the buildings. An ivory masterpiece
was one such example which was gifted by an association of ivory workers, for one of the
beautiful gateways at Sanchi. other donators were merchants, farmers, garland makers,
perfumers, smiths and the common men and women. The names of the donator were
inscribed on the pillars, railings and walls.
paIntIng

Ajanta is a place, where several caves were
hollowed out of the hills, centuries ago. The
greatest specimen of Buddhist art in Gupta times

is provided by Ajanta paintings. These paintings
depict various events in the life of Buddha. These
paintings are lively and natural. The colours used
in it are vivid even after 1500 years. Those colours
were made of plants and minerals, but there is no
record about the artists who created them. Paintings from Ajanta cave

tHe World of Books

The book provides useful information in understanding the history of any period. The books
also throw useful light on the condition of the society of historic period. The two great
best-known epics of the Aryans, the Ramayan and the Mahabharata contain a great deal
of mythology and legends and they also throw useful light on the condition of the society

in the post vedic period. Epics are grand, long compositions about heroic characters and
include stories of social and political conditions of the people and goods.
In the seventh century BC, the Tamil language had taken a definite shape. Tamil, Malayalam,
Kannad and Telugu have been the principal languages of the land. But Tamil is the oldest

and purest. The Tamil literature is the richest and best so far as the epics are concerned.
It has Five famous epics. The Silappaddikaram and the Manimekalam are the famous Tamil
72 Social Studies-6