Though scripting was not a prominent practice in India, many works of importance that were earlier recited were documented and given a final form during the Gupta Age. This includes the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Panchatantra, some of the Puranas, and the Smritis or law books. Sanskrit literature grew richer and reached its peak during the reign of the Guptas.
Kalidasa, who authored Meghaduta, Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Raghuvamsa and many other works was the finest writer of the Gupta age. Other interesting literary figures of the period include Visakhadatta, the author of the celebrated drama Mudra Rakshasa, Bhartrihari who renounced the world to lead a saintly life, Vishnusharma, the author of the famous Panchatantra and Shudraka, the dramatist who wrote Mrichchhakatika.
Another notable contribution of this period is the compilation of Amarakosha by Amarasimha, who was a grammarian and poet in the court of Chandragupta II. Based on the work of Panini and Patanjali, Sanskrit grammar too developed during the Gupta age.
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