India's golden age occurred from about A.D. 320 to 500, under rulers of the Gupta <I>dynasty</I> (family). Art of the Gupta period explored both Hindu and Buddhist religious themes. The relief sculpture above, carved about A.D. 425, decorates an exterior wall of the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh, India. It portrays the Hindu god Vishnu sleeping on the coils of a giant serpent.
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Dr. Suresh Vasant, ACSAA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor</P>
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