Sentence:  Music and dance, in ancient times, were mainly <WSD>patronized</WSD> by religion, in the same way as art was <WSD>patronized</WSD> in the west by the church. Right from [the] epic period, through [the] Gupta and Mughal period, art including music has been <WSD>patronized</WSD> by kings, princes and nobles. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To act as a patron of; to defend, protect, or support.