The period of the Gupta Empire is marked as the Golden age in India especially in the field of art and sculpture. Among the mountainous, wooded expanses of Madhya Pradesh, a great part of the earliest enduring free-standing shrines can still be found, ideally belonging to the late Gupta period. These rich stone edifices still stand as the logo of the excellence of sculpture during the Gupta period. The creation of all these monumental temples and artistic sculptures during the Gupta period till date remains as architectural wonders. The cave temples of Elephanta and structural temples of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu are the enduring legacy of the Gupta rulers, still standing proudly as if the sigh of history.

Buddhist sculptural work which had flourished during the Gupta period gained a definite dimension amidst the magnificent sculptures during the Gupta period. The artistic excellence of sculpture during Gupta period can be witnessed through the outstanding stone specimens of Deogarh in Jhansi, at Bhitergaon in Kanpur and the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, portraying excellence of Gupta architecture and sculpture. Apart from the brilliance of the stone sculpture even the copper images of Buddha reflects the workmanship of the Gupta period.

Enhancement in sculpture during the Gupta period ushered in a new artistic revolution whilst popularising the Hellenistic sculptural works. This particular form of sculpture during Gupta period continued to maintain its strong hold because of the tremendous visual impact on the beholder. During the 4th and 5th centuries, when much of northern India was under the dominion of the Guptas, Indian sculpture entered what is now called the `classical phase`. Terracotta work, like other mediums, significantly developed. Pretty large and luxuriant plaques were used to adorn brick stupas and Hindu temples from Sind to Bengal. Gupta period was indeed an age of universal accomplishment, a classical age, as described in Goetz`s words, `a perfect, unsurpassable style of life`, which was so very ideally portrayed amidst the sculptures during the Gupta period.

With the introduction of the classical phase in the arena of art and sculpture during the Gupta period an irresistible form of religious art and sculpture slowly emerged. The Ajanta frescos thus beautify a religious establishment. As Buddhism and Jainism continued to prosper, and more intricate images of the Mahayana pantheon made their appearance thus offering the whole facet of the sculpture during Gupta period a novel diction. The earliest existing freestanding temples also date from this time. The sculptures & wall paintings at the Ajanta cave are the marvelous examples of the greatest and most powerful works of Guptas. The themes of sculptures and paintings from the Ajanta dominate the influence of Buddha. Just not the depiction of the various lives of Buddha , these art pieces of this place depict even stands as the best source of studying the daily life of the then India whilst showcasing the intricacies of the sculpture during the Gupta period.

The rich sculpture of the Gupta period witnessed lot of changes while becoming more suave. The petite number of sculptures belonging to the late Gupta period, found in Mandasor, Madhya Pradesh echoes the archetypal Gandhara style, which was common in that period. The architectural settings of an exquisite air of dvarapalas at Sondni, the site of Yasodharman`s pompous inscription of 533-4, also have the distinctive post-Gupta characteristics. The flattening of the relief in the Kilchipura stambha also harbingers the impending sculptural style. On the other hand, the glowing pucker-lines at the top of some of the dhotis, and sometimes even the small turn-over, are trademarks of Gupta fashion which influenced the sculptures during the Gupta period.

With the passage of time the great Gupta Empire declined. However, the creativity, magnificence and majesty of the sculpture during the Gupta period still remain undaunted in the annals of history. The unique style, the matchless classic uniformity of the sculptures during the Gupta period has carved a niche for itself in the rich time line of Indian sculpture.