The term ‘Aryan’ means ‘noble’. It was used as a self designation by Indo-Iranian people. It was used in vedic period i India as an ethnic label for themselves as well as to refer noble class.
The finest examples of the art during the Gupta period are Ajanta caves. Out of the 31 rock-cut cave monuments at Ajanta, five are Chaitya Grihas. The five chaitya grihas are cave numbers 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29.
During the Medieval period, Saivism attained a dominant position in India. A large number of royal families adhered to this faith and built richly endowed temples dedicated to shiva. The Pratihara kings, Vatsaraja and Mahendrapala, were worshippers of Siva.