indiheritage.com

Category: Art &literature

  • Buddhism in Indian art

    Buddhist art of Indian subcontinent (c. 150 BCE – c. 500 CE) has imbibed the art of other religions & geographical regions  due to foreign influence overtime. Sanchi, Bharhut and Amaravati are embodiments of Buddhist art forms. Buddhist stupas and sculptures were built during the reign of various dynasties who ruled the subcontinent

    Buddhism in Indian art an overview

        Indian art forms are huge in number and it encompasses painting, sculpture, pottery, and textile arts. When you mention Indian arts it includes the art forms of Indian subcontinent existed since many centuries. Geographically, the art spans a wide area encompassing the current India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and at times eastern Afghanistan.

      The Indian art forms are intricately crosslinked with the religions of the subcontinent.  Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam have been depicted in the art marvellously. 

    Foreign influence on Indian art can be seen in various art forms of Indian subcontinent.  Central Asia, Iran, and Europe had tremendous influence in developing Indian art due to overseas trade relations with this land.

    Sanchi, Bharhut and Amaravati are embodiments of Buddhist art forms with statues and stupas. In these sites stupas are surrounded by ceremonial fences with four profusely carved toranas or ornamental gateways facing the cardinal directions. The Buddhist art monuments are built in stone, though clearly adopting forms developed in wood. Mathura was the most important centre in this development, which applied to Hindu and Jain art as well as Buddhist.

      The caves at Ajanta, Karle, Bhaja etc. contain ancient sculptures. Buddhists gave emphasis on making statues of  Buddha, influenced by Hindu and Jain religious figurative art.

    Greko-Buddhist influence

     The Greko-Buddhist influence on art was evident after the conquests of Alexander the Great. This fusion developed in the far north-west of India, especially Gandhara in modern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    BuddhistArt during reign of Kushana empire

     The Indian Kushan Empire who reigned northern India  had built large statues that were portraits of the royal dynasty

    Kushan Empire (c. 30 CE – c. 375 CE) was a syncretic empire in central and southern Asia, From 127 to 151 CE,[ Gandhara] reached the zenith of its glory under the reign of Kanishka. In this period, Kushan art inherited the Greko-Buddhist art.

     Mahayana Buddhism flourished, and the depictions of Buddha as a human form first appeared in art wearing a monk’s robe and a long length of cloth draped over the left shoulder and around the body.

    The distinctive feature of Gandharan art is its connection to naturalism of Hellenistic art. The naturalistic features seen in Gandharan sculptures include the three-dimensional treatment of the drapery, with unregularized folds that are in realistic patterns of random shape and thickness.

    The physical form of the Buddha and his bodhisattvas are well-defined, solid, and muscular, with swelling chests, arms, and abdomens in these art works.

    Buddhist  Art during Shunga dynasty’s reign

     The Buddhist stupa from the Shunga Dynasty is The Great Stupa at Sanchi, believed to be founded by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka c. 273 BCE – 232 BCE during the Maurya Empire. The Great Stupa 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 during the Shunga Dynasty c. 150 BCE – 50 BCE.

    In addition to architecture, another significant art form of the Shunga Dynasty is the elaborately moulded terracotta plaques. As seen in previous examples from the Mauryan Empire, a style in which surface detail, nudity, and sensuality is continued in the terracotta plaques of the Shunga Dynasty. The most common figural representations seen on these plaques are women, probably goddesses, who are mostly shown as bare-chested and wearing elaborate headdresses.

    Buddhist Art during Shatha vahana dynasty rule

    Satavahana dynasty (c. 1st/3rd century BCE – c. 3rd century CE) built Amaravati Stupa, the Karla Caves, and the first phase of the Ajanta Caves.

    Relief sculptures of Buddhist figures and epigraphs written in Brahmi characters are often found in divine places specific to Buddhism.

     To celebrate the divine, Satavahana people also built stone images as the decoration in Buddhist architectures.

    Furthermore, the Satavahanas coins made primarily in copper, lead and potin depicts arts of the period.

    Gupta art (c. 320 CE – c. 550 CE) of Buddhism

    The Gupta period is the golden era for north Indian art and it is found in the Ajanta Caves; the surviving works are chiefly religious sculptures. The period witnessed the emergence of the iconic carved stone deity in Hindu art, as well as the Buddha-figure and Jain tirthankara figures.

    The prominent centres of sculpture were Mathura Sarnath, and Gandhara, perhaps the last the centre of Greco-Buddhist art.

    Buddhist art in current India

    Most of the Buddhist art forms as sculptures, stupas, paintings still exist in Indian subcontinent although a few are in a dilapidated condition due to adverse climate, invasions and wars.  In current India one can find Buddhist monuments in various states.

    • Bihar: Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya), Nalanda University ruins, Rajgir, Vaishali, Kesaria Stupa.
    • Uttar Pradesh (UP): Sarnath (Dhamek Stupa), Kushinagar (Parinirvana Stupa), Sravasti, Piprahwa.
    • Maharashtra: Ajanta & Ellora Caves, Karla Caves, Deekshabhoomi (Nagpur).
    • Madhya Pradesh (MP): Sanchi Stupa, Bharhut.
    • Odisha: Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Dhauli.
    • Ladakh: Thiksey, Hemis, Alchi Monasteries.
    • Sikkim: Rumtek, Enchey, Pemayangtse Monasteries.
    • Himachal Pradesh: Tabo, Kye Monasteries, Dharamshala.
    • Andhra Pradesh: Amaravati, Nagarjunakonda, Bhattiprolu.
    • Tamil Nadu: Nagapattinam, Kanchi.
    • Karnataka: Bylakuppe (Sera Monastery).
    • Telangana: Nelakondapalli, Phanigiri.
    • Arunachal Pradesh: Tawang Monastery.
    • West Bengal: Bharatpur Buddhist Monastery Complex.

    These monuments of art at various historical destinations may provide any art afficianados or visitors an elaborate account of the emergence and growth of Buddhism in the subcontinent and how its ideologies rooted in this land. The history Buddhism and art is inseparably merged with the geopolitical history of Indian subcontinent and visiting these destinations may enkindle the principles of Ahimsa and nonviolence in the traveller’s mind and soul along with the aesthetic and visual appeal the monumental arts can offer.

  • Rock arts of prehistoric era, Vedic period& ancient India

    Rock arts of prehistoric era-The genesis of art in Indian subcontinent

    The origin of Indian art can be traced back to prehistoric settlements in the 3rd millennium BCE. Indian subcontinent has many rock art forms. The ancient art forms include rock paintings and engravings of prehistoric people . Later with the growth of civilizations terracotta figurines emerged as part of the culture and arts . Archeological studies denote that religious beliefs and daily life activities were portrayed in these art forms.

    Rock arts of prehistoric era

    Rock art of India includes rock relief carvings, engravings and paintings, some from the South Asian Stone Age. It is estimated there are about 1300 rock art sites with over a quarter of a million figures and figurines. The earliest rock carvings in India were discovered by Archibald Carlleyle, although his work only came to light much later via J Cockburn.

    Rock arts commonly depicted scenes of human life , animals, and hunts with stone implements. Although the topics of artistic expression were the same , their artistic style varied with region and age. The prominent feature of these art forms was a red wash made using a powdered mineral called geru, which is a form of iron oxide.

    With the emergence of civilizations the art forms also progressed in style as well as in the materials used .

    Terracotta figurines of Indus valley civilization [3300 BCE – c. 1750 BCE]

    The archeologists have found a large number of  gold, terracotta and stone figurines of girls in dancing poses from relics of Indus valley civilizations. They reveal the presence of some forms of dance prevailed during that period. The terracotta figurines from here also included cows, bears, monkeys, and dogs.

    Seals have been found at Mohenjo-Daro depicting a figure standing on its head, and another, on the Pashupati Seal, sitting cross-legged in a yoga-like pose. Thousands of steatite seals have been recovered, and their physical character is fairly consistent. In size they range from 3⁄4 inch to 11⁄2 inches square. The most famous seal piece is the bronze Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro, which shows remarkably advanced modelling of the human figure of this period.

    It is surprising that after the end of the Indus Valley Civilization, there is an absence of art of any great degree of sophistication until the Buddhist era. It is presumed that this partly reflects the use of perishable organic materials such as wood during this period and those degradable artefacts faded into oblivion overtime.

    Vedic art

     During vedic period , there is sheer absence of anthropomorphical depictions. Anthrapomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. Animal-shaped works of art  represent the earliest known evidence of anthropomorphism.

     Mauryan art (c. 322 BCE – c. 185 BCE)– Ancient Indian art

    Mauryan sculpture and architecture is characterized by a very fine Mauryan polish given to the stone, which is rarely found in later periods. Many small popular terracotta  animal and human figurines of these kinds are recovered by archeologist. The Pillars of Ashoka is another monumental art form of this period, which showed a confident and boldly mature style and craft and first of its kind iron casting without rust until date.