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VISUAL ARTS ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE SINCE MAURYAN AGE Introduction The earliest remains of Indian architecture have been found in Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Ropar, Kalibangan, Lothal and Rangpur under the Harappan Civilization. In Harappan Civilization, town planning was excellent. Burnt brick was widely used, roads were wide and at right angles to one another, city drains were laid out with great skill and forethought, the corbelled arch and baths were constructed with knowledge and skill. The architechture and sculture though fl ourished in Indus valley and Vedic and Later Vedic era but during this time sculpture and architecture was utilising organic and perishable materials such as mud, mudbrick, bamboo, timber, leaves, straw and thatch, these have not survived the ravages of time. Hence the knowledge about this period is not available. Mauryan Art The monuments before the period of Ashoka were mostly made of wood and therefore perished. In the time of Chandragupta Maurya and his son, brick and stone seem to have been used chiefl y for the foundations and plinths of timber superstructures. Wooden architecture implies the execution of most of the decorative features in material equally perishable. The general use of stone in northern India for building, sculpture, and decoration certainly dates from the reign of Asoka, who was infl uenced by Persian and Greek example. The Architecture of Mauryans included: Pillars: The Mauryan pillars are rock-cut pillars. Stone pillars were erected all over the Mauryan Empire with inscriptions engraved on them. www.10pointer.com 120 DAYS PLANNER IAS 2021 | DAY 27: ART & CULTURE | 1 The top portion of the pillar was carved with capital fi gures like the bull, the lion, the elephant, etc. All the capital fi gures are vigorous and carved standing on a square or circular abacus. Abacuses are decorated with stylised lotuses. Some of the existing pillars with capital fi gures were found at Basarah-Bakhira, Lauriya Nandangarh, Rampurva, Sankisa and Sarnath. x The Mauryan pillar capital found at Sarnath popularly known as the Lion Capital is the finest example of Mauryan sculptural tradition. It is also our national emblem. Stupas: The Buddhist Stupas were built at places where Buddha’s remains were preserved and at the major sites where important events in Buddha’s life took place. Stupas were built of huge mounds of mud, enclosed in carefully burnt small standard bricks. One was built at his birthplace Lumbini; the second at Gaya where he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the third at Sarnath where he gave his fi rst sermon and the fourth at Kushinagar where he passed away attaining Mahaparinirvana at the age of eighty. Originally the stupa was made of bricks and surrounded by a wooden railing. The existing stupa at Sanchi encloses the original stupa and has been enlarged and enclosed within the stone railing or balustrade, when stone was adopted in the place of wood. Rock-cut Architecture: Ashoka’s reign saw the fi rm establishment of the rock-cut architecture for the monks to live in. These caves also served the purpose of assembly halls. They were built by cutting the hard & refractory rocks. It consisted of Chaitya (prayer hall) and Vihara (monastery). The internal walls of the caves were polished so nicely that they looked like mirrors. Sudama and Lomas Rishi caves are the two notable hermitages, each consisting of a circular cell with a hemispherical domed roof attached to a barrel-vaulted anteroom with side entrances. The series of rock-cut sanctuaries in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills, near Gaya in Bihar, contain a number of inscriptions which show that they were donated for the habitation of certain Ajivika ascetics, perhaps followers of the Jain religion. Sculpture Monumental images of Yaksha, Yakhinis and animals formed the part of sculpture in Mauryan Period. Large statues of Yakshas and Yakhinis are found at many places like Patna, Vidisha and Mathura. Yaksha refer to the nature-spirits, usually benevolent also known as fertility spirits. A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male Yaksha. These monumental images are mostly in the standing position. One of the distinguishing elements in all these images is their polished surface. The depiction of faces is in full round with pronounced cheeks and physiognomic detail. 2 120 DAYS PLANNER IAS 2021 | DAY 27: ART & CULTURE | www.10pointer.com Terracotta fi gurines show a very diff erent delineation of the body as compared to the sculptures. Another example of sculpture is the rock cut sculpture of Elephant in Dhauli, near Bhubneshwar in Odisha (represents the fore-part of an elephant carved over the Edicts of Ashoka.) Famous tupas Place Bharhut Stupa Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, Sanchi Stupa Sanchi town of Madhya Pradesh Amravati Stupa Andhra Pradesh Dhamek Stupa (Sarnath) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Shanti Stupa Dhaulagiri Stupa at Nagarjunakonda Andhra Pradesh Mahabodhi Stupa Bodh Gaya Architecture and Sculpture in Post Mauryan Period From the second century BCE onwards, various rulers established their control over the vast Mauryan Empire: the Shungas, Kanvas, Kushanas and Guptas in the north and parts of central India; the Satvahanas, Ikshavakus, Abhiras, Vakataks in southern and Western India. Contribution of Sungas The period saw a fl owering of the visual arts, including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments such as the chaitya hall at Bhaja, the stupa at Bharhut, and the renowned Great Stupa at Sanchi. Under Shunga patronage, the core of the Great Stupa, thought to date from the era of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (r. ca. 273-232 B.C.), was enlarged to its present diameter of 120 feet, covered with a stone casing, topped with a balcony and umbrella, and encircled with a stone railing. Four famous gateways, each about thirty-fi ve feet high, were carved during the fi rst half of the fi rst century A.D. Decorated with images of auspicious fertility spirits, known as yakshas and yakshis, the gateways also feature narratives depicting moments from the past lives and fi nal existence of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Motifs such as wheels, thrones, and footprints are used to symbolize the Buddha, who is not represented in human form until later. Contribution of Satvahanas The Satavahanas patronized Buddhism and Brahmanism. They built chaityas and viharas. They also made grants of villages and lands to Buddhist monks. Vashishtaputra Pulamayi repaired the old Amaravathi stupa. Their architecture in Nagarjunakonda was also notable. Brahmanism was revived by the Satavahanas along with the performance of asvamedha and rajasuya sacrifi ces. Contribution of Kushanas After Alexander’s invasion of India in 326 B.C., the Indo-Greek, Indo Scythian and Kushan kings ruled over its north- western territories and under their patronage emerged a distinct style of sculpture, popularly known as the Greco- Roman, Buddhist or Gandhara art and Mathura Art. www.10pointer.com 120 DAYS PLANNER IAS 2021 | DAY 27: ART & CULTURE | 3 Gandhara Art It was a combination of Hellenistic, West Asiatic and native elements. Greek and Roman techniques, modifi ed according to Indian requirements, were employed in fashioning the Gandhara sculpture which truly represents Indian culture in a Western garb. Its area extended from Takshila in India to the Swat Valley in Pakistan and northwards to areas in Afghanistan. The Gandhara sculptors made images of Lord Buddha in the Greco-Roman style. The images of Buddha resembled Greek God Apollo. It gave more stress to the bodily features and external beauty. In all the Buddha depicted in the Gandhara Art is shown making four types of hand gestures and this is a remarkable feature in this art. The gestures are as follows: Abhayamudra: Don’t fear Dhyanamudra: meditation Dharmachakramudra: a preaching mudra Bhumisparshamudra: Touching the earth. Mathura Art Mathura School of art is purely indigenous style. Mathura art developed during post Maurya peiod (mainly during Shunga period) and reached its peak during the Gupta period (AD 325 to 600). The traditional centre, Mathura, remained the main art production site whereas Sarnath and Kosambi also emerged as important centres of art production. Spotted red sandstone has been used in this school. Themes in the Mathura Art vary from Buddhist to Brahmanical to sometimes secular. More stress was given to the inner beauty and facial emotions rather than bodily gesture. Under the Mathura Art images of Vishnu and Shiva, Buddha, Yakshas, Yakshinis, Shaivite and Vaishnavite deities were found. In these sculptures, Buddha was depicted as Human and the main theme was Buddha and Bodhisattavas. Both sitting and standing posture of Buddha’s statues were carved out in the Mathura school. The art of Mathura also featured sexual imagery. The characteristics of the idol of the Buddha are: Buddha sitting under a Bodhi tree with right hand in Abhaya posture, Dharma Chakra and Triratna chiselled in palms and at the bottom of the feet, and Except for one lock, the entire head is shaven. The Amravati School of Art The Amravati school of Art evolved during Satavahna period. This school of art developed at Amravati, on the banks of the Krishna River in modern Andhra Pradesh. This school of art had great infl uence on art in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia as products from here were carried to those countries. It is completely indigenous in nature. Lord Buddha is depicted in the form of ‘Swastika‘mark. This has been carved out on the cushioned seat over a throne that is situated under the Bodhi tree. They used white sandstone to construct the images. At a later stage the Amaravati School depicted Buddha in the human form. The fi gures of Amaravati have slim blithe features and are represented in diffi cult poses and curves.

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