The Vakataka–Gupta Age (circa 200–550 A.D.) c7.8

c7.8

The absence of an enduring political unity in the country was more than counterbalanced by an all-pervasive cultural uniformity that prevailed throughout the land. The administrative machinery was similar all over the country. The powers of the king, the items of taxation and the extent of local self-government did not show much variation, whether we consider the Gupta or the Vākāṭaka or the Pallava administration. The same three religions,—Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism—met a foreign observer, whether he was travelling in Bengal or in Mahārāṣṭra. New religious ideas and philosophical views were travelling from one end of the country to the other with lightning rapidity. There is no doubt that the missionary and religious activities of monks and preachers contributed a good deal towards the fostering of the cultural unity. A Vasubandhu from Peshawar would go to Ayodhyā to preach his Mahāyāna philosophy, a Dharmapāla from Kāñchī would settle down in Nālandā to preside over and guide its educational activities. Ceylonese monks were moving about in India preaching the gospel of the master in the land of his birth, and Indian monks like Buddhaghosha and Buddhadeva were settling down in Ceylon to start a new era in its literary and religious history. The effect of the new ideas and movements in Hinduism could also be seen all over the country. During the 3rd century A. D. the enthusiasm for Vedic sacrifices was as marked in Rajputana as it was in the Tamil country. A little later the Bhakti movement made as pronounced a headway in the south as in the north. It is needless to add that the family structure, the caste system and religious rituals were almost the same all over the country, and further helped its cultural unification.