Varahamihira, one of the Navratnas of Chandragupta II, wrote the Brihat Samhita and Pancha-Siddhantika.

Ravikirti was the court poet of Pulakeshin II. The Aihole inscription describes the achievements of Pulakeshin II.

Dhana Nanda was the last Nanda ruler, who was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Chanakya.

Ashvaghosha was a poet and philosopher in the court of Kanishka. He wrote Buddhacharita, an epic on the life of Buddha.

Ashoka the Great renounced violence and adopted Buddhism after witnessing the slaughter at the Battle of Kalinga (c. 261 BCE).

Nagarjuna, a Mahayana Buddhist philosopher, formulated the doctrine of Sunyata (Emptiness) and is often compared to Einstein for his theory of relativity in a philosophical context.

Shudraka wrote Mrichchhakatika, a Sanskrit play that gives a realistic picture of urban society in ancient India.

The Junagadh Rock Inscription details the restoration of the Sudarshan Lake by the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I. It is the first long inscription in pure Sanskrit.

Bhadrabahu was the spiritual teacher of Chandragupta Maurya. They traveled to Shravanabelagola where the king performed Sallekhana (death by fasting).

Charaka, the author of Charaka Samhita (a text on Ayurveda), was a contemporary of the Kushana king Kanishka.