Pre-AP World History

Guptas vs. Muryans
The Guptas and Muryans were both ancient civilizations that were located in India. The Muryans lasted from around 323-185 BCE. The Guptas lasted from around 320 CE – 550 CE. Both the Gupta and the Muryan Empire united India but they different ways to do it.
Asoka – one of the rulers of the Muryan Empire – used their main religion Buddhism to shape the laws of his empire. The Guptas used the caste system. The caste system was not just used to shape the laws it was part of the religion. The belief that if you had done good things in your life and had good karma, you would be reincarnated into the next higher class. Most of the lower classes of the caste system converted over to Buddhism so they wouldn’t have to die several times just to be in a good social class.
Chandra Gupta I ruled over the Muryan Empire and his grandson – Asoka – is the one who really made a difference in India. His tolerance towards Hinduism in that he allowed the casted system to stay in play even though it was rejected in the Buddhist religion. This helped Asoka maintain political control over India. This also could be why the Muryan Empire was larger than the Gupta Empire. The Gupta Empire brought India’s “Golden Age”.
While Asoka was Buddhist he allowed the caste system and was tolerant of the Hindu religion. This allowed Hinduism to emerge better in India is might be why Hinduism is the main religion in India today. In Hinduism the main goal was moksha, to leave the caste system. In Buddhism the main goal is Nirvana (Enlightenment). In Hinduism you needed good karma to advance in the caste system. If you were born into a lower level social class you had to die and your soul would be reborn into the next class. In Buddhism you could be in any social class. You needed to follow the eight-fold path reach Nirvana and become enlightened.
The Guptas really focused on mathematics and education for younger men. Muryans really focused on spreading Buddhism. The Guptas invented the concept of zero, and they developed algebra. They discovered that the planet’s shapes were spherical instead of flat. (Hints at the possibility that the Europeans knew that the world was not flat earlier than we like to think they did). They also established universities for young men with wealthy families.
The Guptas put in wells for travelers and made the roads easier to travel on by packing down the dirt. They used yoga, herbs, and roots to treat diseases. The Muryans were definitely more focused on medicine. They established many hospitals and vet clinics. They too made roads but unlike the Guptas they also had restrooms. Both the Muryans and the Guptas use the Silk Road but for different reasons. The Guptas used the Silk Road for trade mostly. This allowed for India’s “Golden Age”. The Muryans mainly used the silk road to spread their main religion, Buddhism.
The Guptas and the Muryans had different ways of doing things. Different religions, focuses on intellectual, technological, and economical ideas. But they both did what not many other rulers of India could do. They untied India for a substantial amount of time.