Courtly Culture and Political Life in Early Medieval IndiaRepresenting the first full length study of courtly culture in classical India, this book explores the growth of royal households and the development of a courtly worldview in the Gupta period (c. 350 750) and its aftermath. Using both literary sources and inscriptions up to 1200, the book establishes the organization, personnel and protocol of the royal household as the background for a sustained examination of courtly ethics, notions of beauty, and