IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D - Art and Architecture

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D

Art and Architecture

Structure

26.0 Objectives
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Background
26.3 Architecnrre
26.3.1 Residential Architecture
26.3.2 Temples and Towers
26.3.3 Stupas
26.3.4 Rock-cut Architecture
26.4 Sculptural Art
26.4.1 Gandhara School
26.4.2 Mathura Art
26.4.3 Amaravati Art
26.5 Let Us Sum Up
26.6 Key Words
26.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

26.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this unit you will be able to :

familiarise yourself with important trends of art and architectural activities between 200 B.C. to 300 A.D.
learn about the techniques and styles adopted in the fields of architecture and sculpture,
distinguish between the major characteristics and forms of the Gandhara, Mathura and Amravati schools of art, and
learn about the impact of religious and social conditions on art and architecture of the period.

26.1 INTRODUCTION

In some of the earlier Units (Nos. 3, 10, 11) we have seen how artistic forms had started
emerging and to what extent they reflected the culture of a period. Works of art which were
related to work processes of daily life and were not exclusively produced for a previleged
group of society were many. They are found in the forms of rock paintings, terracotta
figurines, toys, etc. Gradually works of art, manufactured by specialist craftsmen, came to be
produced for exclusive purposes. The Mauryan period witnessed production of splendid
specimens of art by the state. With the emergence of social groups who could extend substal
patronage for production of specimens of art, new trends in art activities came about. In the
post-Mauryan period, patronage by different social groups was the main reason behind the
phenomenon that art activities became so widespread all over India and beyond; it was no
longer high art exclusively patronized by the state. There was also, from the Mauryan period
onward, a shift toward using non-perishable material i.e. stone as a medium of
creative expression. There was also constant interaction in this period with those art
forms that flourished beyond the frontiers of the Indian sub-continent. There emerged various
schools of art. In this unit we shall discuss the main characteristics of Gandhara and
Mathura art forms along with those of Sarnath and Amaravati. Most of the art forms
were inspired by Buddhism and ~ainism and very few Brahmanical monuments are to be
found. This unit also takes into account the architectural and sculptural aspects of various
Stupas, viharas and caves etc.