Gupta Age is commonly called the Golden Age of ancient Indian history. Which of the following statements best supports this claim? You may choose more than one option.

1. Samudragupta issued eight different types of coins, most of them in gold.
2. Chandragupta II controlled a vast empire, which extended from the Ganga to the Indus, and from north Pakistan to the Narmada.
3. Chandragupta II was a great patron of literature and numerous scholars adorned his court—the most prominent being the legendary Kalidasa.
4. Fa-hsien described people as honest, prosperous and happy. Corporal punishments were also rare.

Number the following statements to put them in the correct chronological order.

1. Chandragupta II controlled a vast empire, which extended from the Ganga to the Indus, and from north Pakistan to the Narmada.
2. Chandragupta I succeeded his father Ghatotkacha.
3. Samudragupta granted permission to the king of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to build a Buddhist temple in Gaya.
4. The beginning of Samudragupta's reign was marked by the defeat of his immediate neighbours.

What is the most important source of information regarding the reign of Samudragupta?

Outline the main points of Fa-hsien's accounts on the reign of Chandragupta II.