When it got dark and the stars lit up in the sky, Bhanugupta, who could not find a place for himself, climbed to the roof of the palace. Covered by the air scorched during the day, he thought about the coolness of the palace, where a small fragrant fountain beat in every room, and the walls were cooled with the help of special devices. By the light of the moon, from the roof one could see the observatory, warehouses, arsenal, guard rooms, watchtowers, stables, stalls for elephants, the palace pool. Next came the city buildings. Bhanugupta absentmindedly looked from the temple to the caravanserai and beyond: the school, the hospital, the sacred grove...
Thought did not leave him. That evening he did not touch the chess, he passed indifferently past the peacocks in huge golden cages. What was the great king of the mighty state Guptov thinking about that evening? Maybe he remembered the victories over the enemies? Or did he understand that, despite military successes, the state was weakening, and foresaw difficult days ahead? It was 510 years...
Bhanugupta was the last ruler of a great empire. Subsequently, historians will call the period of Gupta rule the time of the greatest prosperity of the united country - the “golden age of India”. The once mighty state soon disintegrates into many small feudal estates.
The richest feudal lords were, of course, Hindu monasteries and temples. Their lands, granted by the lords for a period of time "as long as the Sun and the Moon shine," i.e. forever exempted from all taxes. Already since the VI century. temples receive whole villages as a gift, the inhabitants of which were charged with the duty to supply the clergy with food. Divine services in the temples took place many times a day, and each required garlands of fresh flowers, a variety of incense, fresh ghee. All of the above were supplied exclusively by "their" peasants. Many people lived at the temples - artisans, scribes, musicians and even ... dancers. After all, some ancient dances were performed not for entertainment, but only as a dedication to the gods. These dancers, "devadasi" ("given to God"), constituted a separate caste. Their daughters inherited their mothers' profession. In each temple, along with a sanctuary, a hall for worshipers, a hall for offering gifts, there was a “nat-mandir” - a hall for ritual dances.
https://all-andorra.blogspot.com/2020/06/news-update-21062020-34009.html
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