| The
tremendous political events led to a cultural renaissance of which Shiva was the centre.
Ganga was the emblem of purity. The sacredness of the bull and the cow was accepted as a
national creed.5 The great literary movement in favour of Sanskrit began in this period
and was carried forward by the Vakatakas and the Guptas. Sanskrit became the language, not
only of religion but also of refinement and the courts.6 As Dr. Jayaswal puts it, the foundations of modern Hinduism were laid by the Naga
emperors and its edifice was built and elaborated by the Guptas. The Naga Empire
included Gujarat and evidently the existence of the First Temple in this period shows that
Prabhasa was a place sacred to Shiva.
5 Ibid., p. 61.
6
Ibid., p. 95. |
