Gupta Dynasty

The founder of the Gupta dynasty was Sri Gupta. He was succeeded by Ghatotkacha. The next ruler was Chandragupta I.
Chandragupta I is considered to be the founder of the Gupta era which starts with his accession in A.D. 320.
The Golden Age :  The Gupta period witnessed a tremendous progress in the field of art, science and literature. 
Architecture
•    Temple architecture : Gupta era saw Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temple architecture flourish under affluent royal patronage. Indian emple architecture reached its climax during this period. 
Some fine examples of Gupta era’s contributions to temple architecture can be easily seen at Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh (Jhansi); Garhwas temple (Allahabad). 
•    Sculptures : Buddha statue at Saranath, Bhitari monolithic pillar of Skandagupta.
•    Caves : the use of mural paintings on the walls of the caves became an added feature of the Gupta era. 
o    Ajanta is a series of rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri ranges on Waghora river near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
o    Ellora caves located nearly 100 Kms away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri ranges of Maharashtra. It is a group of 34 caves – 17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain.
•    Coinage : Gupta emperors issued gold, silver and copper coins of different varieties.