School of Interior Designing History –I

MAURYA & GUPTAPERIOD

Prepared by – Ar. Tulsi Patel

INTRODUCTION • The Maurya Empire (Maurya Samrajya) was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical Power• Founded from approximately 322 to 185 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent.

Capital Patliputra (Now Patna)

Languages SanskritPrakrit (Vernacular)

Religion Hinduism, JainismBuddhism

Historical era EstablishedDisestablished

185 CE322 CE

Area 5,000,000 km2

Currency Panas

Today part of India, Iran, BhutanBangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan

The Maurya Empire at its greatest extent

Had a well-organized government Strong central government Collected taxes Built roads and harbors to increase trade

Asoka’s ruleRejects violenceSets up pillars decorated with the empire’s laws

Influenced by Buddhist teachingBroadminded of other beliefsBuilt Buddhist StupasSent Buddhist missionaries out to spread faith

EffectsIndia was unitedPeace and prosperitySpread of Buddhism

Empire began to decline after the death of Asoka

Empire divided into separate kingdoms

INTRODUCTION • The Gupta Empire (Gupta Samrajya) was an Ancient Indian Empire• Founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta, which existed from approximately 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent.

Capital Patliputra (Now Patna)

Languages SanskritPrakrit (Vernacular)

Religion HinduismBuddhism

Historical era EstablishedDisestablished

320 CE550 CE

Area 3,500,000 km2

Today part of India, PakistanBangladesh, Nepal

The Gupta Empire at its greatest extent

Divided his empire into provinces, then districts for tax

assessments and law enforcement.

He feared murder food tasters, Secret Police, slept in

different rooms, etc.

335 BCE gave up his throne & became a Monk.

Some say he starved himself to death.

Chandragupta

Chandragupta

Kautilya (or Chanakya)

A guide for the king and his ministers:

Supports royal power.

Therefore, a single authority is needed to employ force when necessary!

Chandragupta’s advisor.

Brahmin caste.

Wrote The paper on the

Arthashastra (advice manual).

Kautilya advising Chandragupta

Gupta administration

A Study of the epigraphical records of the Gupta empire shows

that there was hierarchy of administrative division from

top to bottom.

The empire was called by various names such as Rajya,

Rashtra, Desha, Mandala, Prithvi and Avani.

The Gupta Empire collapsed because of the corrupt

governors, little central control, and pressure from

the others.

This period is called The Golden Age of India.

•Inventions and discoveries in Science

•Technology and Engineering

•Medicine Vaccinations against small pox Surgeons set broken bones and performed basic plastic surgery C-sections

•Arts, Literature Kalidas – The greatest of Indian Poets His most famous play was Shakuntala Use of Sanskrit to write stories Buddhist cave paintings at Ajanta

•Architecture Built large Hindu temples Buddhist stupas Influenced construction of pagodas in China

This period is called The Golden Age of India.

•Logic Mathematics Concept of zero The decimal system

•Astronomy Identified planets Earth’s revolution Circumference of the Earth

•Religion

Were spreading their religion

The most famous remaining monuments in a broadly Guptan style,

the Caves at Ajanta, Elephanta and Ellora (respectively

Buddhist, Hindu and mixed including Jain)

The Dashavatara Temple or Vishnu Temple at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh

The Hindu Udayagiri Caves record

connections with the dynasty and

the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh

 is a major temple, one of the earliest

to survive, with important sculpture.

STUPA The Entrance of Cave 19 at

Ajanta

Rock-Cut Temple at Ellora

Stupa or Top

Stambhas or Columns

Chaityas or Caves

Viharas or Monasteries

STUPA OF SANCHI

Location - 68 kilometers north of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.•The 'Great stupa’ at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka, the 3rd century BC. •Stupas are large hemispherical domes, containing a central chamber, in which the Buddha were placed.•The Sanchi Stupa is surrounded by a railing with four carved gateways facing all the four directions.  

Great Stupa, Sanchi (Picture courtesy

Archaeological Survey of India)

 

Outer terrace

Paved terrace

Dome

Stupas typical layout

Torana or Gateway

Stambha or PillarAnda or Egg

Harmika

Chhatravali or Umbrella sticks

Elements of stupas

Stupa at sanchiStupa at myanmar

Stupa at srilanka

Stupa at chedi , chinaStupa at islamabad

Shapes of the stupas goes on changing as each one were having its own way to represent

•The Great Stupa is 120 feet across (36.6 meters) •The railings and gates of the Sanchi Stupa are richly sculptured with different motifs and designs.

•Another interesting characteristic about

the Sanchi Stupa is that Lord Buddha has

been symbolically represented by

footprints, wheels, thrones etc rather than

by his own image.

•The four gateways, are the finest works of art at Sanchi and

are among the finest examples in India.

•The scenes carved into the pillars and their triple

architraves are of episodes in the various lives of the

Buddha.

•The Stupa at Sanchi is one the most wonderful structures of

ancient India. It has been included by the UNESCO as one of the

heritage sites of the world.

AJANTA and Ellora CAVES •The Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO world heritage site.Location - near Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Rock-Cut caves, into the Sahyadri hills over 2,000 years ago by Buddhist monks. 

•There are beautiful murals (paintings done on walls) in the caves, depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha.•The carving and sculptures are considered to be the beginning of classical Indian art.

•The 29 caves were excavated.

•Five of the caves were temples

and 24 were monasteries, that

have been occupied by some 200

monks and artisans.

The main aim behind the construction of the Ajanta Caves was to provide a dwelling

and praying place for the Buddhist monks, who were dedicated towards the

mission of spreading the principles of Buddhism throughout the world.

The Ajanta caves were built during Gupta period of architecture.

These caves are excavated in horse–shoe shaped bend of rock surface

ASHOKA PILLAR•The Sculpture of four "Indian lions" standing back to back. •It was originally placed at the top of Ashoka pillar at Sarnath, now in the state of Uttar Pradesh.•The pillar, sometimes called the Ashoka Column is still in its original location, but now in the Sarnath Museum.•This Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath has been adopted as the National Emblem of India and the wheel "Ashoka Chakra" from its base was placed on the center of the National Flag of India.

“The Wheel of Law”

A lion capital of a monolithic column , showing the symbol of “wheel of the law”

Abacus

Frieze

Mounted on an abacus, with a frieze carrying

sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a

galloping horse, a bull, and a lion,

separated by intervening spoked chariot-

wheels over a lotus.

•Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital was believed to be crowned by a 'Wheel of Dharma' 

CHAITYAS & VIHARAS•It was constructed by King Ashoka during Gupta Period.

•Vihara is the Sanskrit term for a Buddhist monastery.

•The Barabar hills and the Nagarjuni hills caves are fine examples of the

Chaityas which resembled the wooden buildings of the period. 

More sophisticated rock-cut chaityas developed later.

•The final form of rock-cut architecture that can be seen all over India in

Andhra Pradesh, Kathiawar in Gujarat and in Ajanta & Ellora.

They began the work from the top & continued downward.

Best monuments are those found in Ajanta & Ellora (vishwakarma cave- cave No.10). Fine sculptures adorn the walls. Figures of Buddha in various poses were cut out. 

Five Raths of Mahabalipuram

Thank You