<P> Scholars of this period include Varahamihira and Aryabhata, who is believed to be the first to come up with the concept of zero, postulated the theory that the Earth moves round the Sun, and studied solar and lunar eclipses . Kalidasa, who was a great playwright, who wrote plays such as Shakuntala, and marked the highest point of Sanskrit literature is also said to have belonged to this period . The Sushruta Samhita, which is a Sanskrit redaction text on all of the major concepts of ayurvedic medicine with innovative chapters on surgery, dates to the Gupta period . </P> <P> Chess is said to have originated in this period, where its early form in the 6th century was known as caturaṅga, which translates as "four divisions (of the military)"--infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry--represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, rook, and bishop, respectively . Doctors also invented several medical instruments, and even performed operations . The Indian numerals which were the first positional base 10 numeral systems in the world originated from Gupta India . The ancient Gupta text Kama Sutra by the Indian scholar Vatsyayana is widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature . Aryabhata, a noted mathematician - astronomer of the Gupta period proposed that the earth is round and rotates about its own axis . He also discovered that the Moon and planets shine by reflected sunlight . Instead of the prevailing cosmogony in which eclipses were caused by pseudo-planetary nodes Rahu and Ketu, he explained eclipses in terms of shadows cast by and falling on Earth . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Part of a series on the </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> History of Bengal </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ancient Geopolitical units (show) <Ul> <Li> Pundravardhana </Li> <Li> Vanga </Li> <Li> Gangaridai </Li> <Li> Samatata </Li> <Li> Anga </Li> <Li> Suhma </Li> <Li> Harikela </Li> <Li> Kamarupa </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ancient and Classical dynasties (show) <Ul> <Li> Nanda dynasty </Li> <Li> Maurya dynasty </Li> <Li> Shunga dynasty </Li> <Li> Gupta dynasty </Li> <Li> Varman dynasty </Li> <Li> Gauda dynasty </Li> <Li> Mallabhum dynasty </Li> <Li> Khadga dynasty </Li> <Li> Pala dynasty </Li> <Li> Chandra dynasty </Li> <Li> Chola dynasty </Li> <Li> Sena dynasty </Li> <Li> Deva dynasty </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Medieval and Early Modern periods (show) <Ul> <Li> Delhi Sultanate </Li> <Li> City states <Ul> <Li> Sonargaon </Li> <Li> Lakhnauti </Li> <Li> Satgaon </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Bengal Sultanate <Ul> <Li> Ilyas Shahi dynasty </Li> <Li> Hussain Shahi dynasty </Li> <Li> Karrani dynasty </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Sur Empire </Li> <Li> Twelve Bhuyan Confederacy </Li> <Li> Kingdom of Mrauk U </Li> <Li> Jaintia Kingdom </Li> <Li> Koch dynasty </Li> <Li> Kingdom of Tripura </Li> <Li> Kingdom of Bhurshut </Li> <Li> Mughal Empire <Ul> <Li> Bengal Subah </Li> <Li> Burdwan Raj </Li> <Li> Rajshahi Raj </Li> <Li> Nadia Raj </Li> <Li> Bettiah Raj </Li> <Li> Nawabs of Bengal </Li> <Li> Zamindars </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Maratha expeditions in Bengal </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> European colonisation (show) <Ul> <Li> Portuguese Chittagong </Li> <Li> Dutch Bengal </Li> <Li> French Bengal </Li> <Li> Danish Bengal </Li> <Li> Austrian Bengal </Li> <Li> British India <Ul> <Li> Company rule </Li> <Li> Bengal Presidency </Li> <Li> Bengal famine of 1770 </Li> <Li> Partition of Bengal (1905) </Li> <Li> Bengal famine of 1943 </Li> <Li> Direct Action Day </Li> <Li> Indian Mutiny of 1857 </Li> <Li> British Raj </Li> <Li> Bengal Renaissance </Li> <Li> Eastern Bengal and Assam </Li> <Li> Anti-colonial struggle </Li> <Li> Partition of Bengal (1947) </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> East Bengal (show) <Ul> <Li> East Bengali refugees </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> East Pakistan (show) <Ul> <Li> 1964 East Pakistan riots </Li> <Li> Language Movement </Li> <Li> Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 </Li> <Li> Liberation War </Li> <Li> 1971 Genocide </Li> <Li> Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bangladesh (show) <Ul> <Li> People's Republic </Li> <Li> Military coups </Li> <Li> Bangladesh famine of 1974 </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Indian Bengal (show) <Ul> <Li> West Bengal </Li> <Li> Tripura merger </Li> <Li> Left Front </Li> <Li> Naxalism </Li> <Li> Barak Valley Language Movement </Li> <Li> Gorkhaland </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Calendar (show) <Ul> <Li> Bengali calendar </Li> <Li> Malla calendar </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Related (show) <Ul> <Li> Bengali literary history </Li> <Li> Architecture of Bengal </Li> <Li> Bangamata </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Part of a series on the </Th> </Tr>

Where was the centre of education during gupta period