Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Over the course of the 4th century, the Gupta dynasty, based in Magadha, extended its control over the whole of northern India. The Guptas, who established their capital at Pataliputra, held sway over many tributary states by virtue of marital and military alliances. This was the 'Golden Age' of Indian civilization, an era of peace and stability which led to a great flowering of Indian literature, architecture, sculpture, painting, and science. But Gupta rule was shattered by the invasion of White Huns (Hephthalites), nomads from Central Asia, in the 5th and 6th centuries." [DK Timelines, p. 94] "Between 319 and 415, the Guptas of India conquer an empire and resurrect Sanskrit to record its greatness. [Bauer: Medieval World, p. 21] "One of the great inventions of the human mind, the decimal system of numerical notation, emerged in India at that time. The heart of Sanskrit learning, however, lay not in natural science but in the study of the literary classics, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata." [Nothiger] "Between 415 and 480, the Gupta empire fades away, while Theravada Buddhism encourages the pursuit of individual enlightenment." [Bauer: Medieval World, p. 95]