The Cultural and Political Changes and Ccontinuities in China

286 Words2 Pages
The decline of the Gupta Empire at the end of the classical era was not as drastic as the fall of the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Important social and cultural aspects of the Indian society survived into the postclassical era and continued to shape life in the region. The decline of Gupta rule in India was partially a result of Hun invasions from the north. India had always maintained a large degree of political fragmentation and the decline of the Guptas only served to facilitate this trend. Regional leaders ruled over their various areas of influence and were largely unsuccessful in uniting the Indian subcontinent. Many important social and cultural aspects of Indian society outlived the Gupta rule in the classical era. Hinduism remained as the highly dominate religion, unlike in Rome where the rise in Christianity corresponded with the fall of the Roman Empire. Indian society remained glued together by its common Hindu religion. The rigid caste system in India also managed to survive into the postclassical era. The caste system which used birth to place people into their respective sectors of the sacred hierarchy was closely tied to the Hindu religion. This system remained an integral part of Indian society for centuries. Advances in Indian culture, particularly mathematics, also continued into the future. Indian artistic styles, which focused primarily on religious images, changed little. The culture of the Indian subcontinent changed little in the transition from the classical to postclassical eras. The changes in Indian society during the decline of its government were not as distinct as those in Rome and were more similar to those in China. Important social and cultural institutions were largely unaffected and continued well into the
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