Sanskrit literature

The sixth seventh centuries are equally

important in the history of Sanskrit literature. Sanskrit continued to be used

by the ruling class from about the second century A.D. As the rulers came to

live in pomp and splendor, the style of their language became verbose and ornate.

The ornate style in Sanskrit prose and

poetry became common from the seventh century, and the traditional Sanskrit pundits

still love to write in it. The best example of verbiage in prose is found in

the writings of Bana. Although the prose of Bana was not easy to imitate, it

continued to serve as a model for Sanskrit writers in the medieval period.

From the seventh century A.D. we also

notice a remarkable development in the linguistic history of India. Buddhist

writings from eastern India show the faint beginnings of Bengali, Assamese,

Maithili, Oriya, and Hindi. Similarly the Jaina Prakrit works of the same

period show the beginning of Gujaiati and Rajasthani.

It seems that each region came to develop

its own language on account of its isolation from the others. On the breakup of

the Gupta empire there arose several independent principalities, which

naturally hindered countrywide contacts and communications. The decline of

trade meant lack of communication between the various regions, and this promoted

the growth of regional languages.

Regional scripts became more, prominent

from the seventh century A.D. From Maurya to Gupta times, although the script

underwent changes, more or less the same script continued to obtain throughout

the country. Thus a person who has mastered the script of the Gupta age can

read inscriptions from different parts of the country in that period. But from

the seventh century every region came to have its own script, and hence nobody

can read post Gupta inscriptions found m different parts of the country unless

he learns several scripts

Bhakti and Tantrism

In sculpture and construction of temples

every region came to evolve its own style from the seventh eighth centuries.

Particularly south India tended to become the land of stone temples. Stone and

bronze were the two mam media in which divinities were represented. Bronze statues

began to be manufactured on an impressive scale.

Although they are also found in good

numbers in the Himalayan territories, they predominated in south India because

of their use in brahmanical temples and in eastern India because of their use m

Buddhist temples and monasteries. Although the same gods and goddesses were

worshipped throughout the country, people of every region portrayed them in

sculptures in their own way.