MAURYAN ART & ARCHITECTURE

DESCRIBE THE MAURYAN CONTRIBUTION TO ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The Mauryans constituted a notable epoch in the field of art and architecture. The history of art in ancient India virtually begins from the reign of Ashoka. Whatever we find in Indus valley is isolated, its continuity is broken. We find for the first time, buildings and structures of permanent materials like stone, rock and brick during the Mauryan period. During the Vedic and later Vedic period buildings were made of impermanent materials. It was Ashoka who substituted stone for wood the common material for the construction of the buildings. This change from impermanent to permanent material was due to the desire of the emperor under whose patronage the Indian art flourished considerably. From Circa 2500 B.C. to 250 B.C. is a long period of which we have hardly any record in the matter of artistic expression. The architecture of this period was mostly of wood and has perished without leaving a trace behind. The art remains of the Mauryan period have been so overshadowed by their closeness in style to those of the Achaemenid period of Persian history that they tend to be regarded more as ammunition in the battle between those art historians who treat them as products of Persian craftsmen, and the opposing school which regards them as purely indigenous. Art remains of the Ashokan period are found in association with the inscriptions. The inscriptions were placed either in sacred enclosures or else in the vicinity of towns. The most commonly found remains are the animal capitals of the pillars. The archaeological evidence suggests that in the Pre-Mauryan period, Indian architects worked in wood but during the Mauryan period they started experimenting with rock-cut architecture. A tradition in wood or some other perishable medium existed previous to the stone work of the Mauryas. Since wood was used extensively for the building of cities, its use in sculpture and for decorative purposes generally would be normal. Excavations at the Mauryan level at Sisupalgarh have revealed wooden remains. Ashoka was a great builder. The legend which ascribes to Ashoka the erection of eighty four thousand stupas within the space of three years proves the depth of impression made upon the popular imagination by the number, magnitude and magnificence of the great Mauryas architectural achievements. He raised numerous stupas, pillars, monasteries, irrigation work, and cities. The engineer king had taste for innovation, design, decoration. Under his patronage, stone was substituted for wood and brick, decorative arts received touch of elegance and the art of dressing, chiselling, and shaping stone was perfected. Mauryan architecture can be divided into three categories for the sake of convenience: Remains of the places; Remains of the stupas; and Rock-cut caves.

REMAINS OF PALACES
Megasthenes gave a detailed description of the Mauryan palace where the king resided. It was magnificent and famous for its artistic excellence. According to him, the entire palace was made of wood and in splendour and magnificence it was better than the palaces of susa and Elbatana. So imposing was the structure that it was universally believed to have been erected by supernatural agency. Fa-Hien who visited India during the Gupta period, was so much impressed and surprised to see this palace, its skill and work magic that he thought that it was not the work of men, but of spirits. The Royal palace and halls in the midst of the city (Pataliputra), which exist now as of old, were all made by spirits which he employed, and which piled up the stones, reared the walls and gates, and executed the elegant carving and inlaid sculpture work in a way which no human hands of this world could accomplish. Similar residences must have been built for the establishment of Kaushambi and other places and also for the kumaras serving as viceroys. The excavations of Bulandi bagh and Kumrahar near Patna have been carried out and remains of this palace have been actually discovered. Remains of some pillars of very huge size have been found, particularly a hall built of high pillars. Thus the accounts of Megasthenes and Fa-Hien are very well supplemented by the archaeological evidence.

REMAINS OF THE STUPAS

A stupa is a tumulus under which are enshrined the remains of the dead. The relics of the Buddha which according to the legends Ashoka secured from the 8 stupas in which these had been originally enshrined by their first claimants; he got enshrined in several others. In Ashokas age, a stupa was nearly hemispherical mass of a solid masonry, either brick or stone, resting upon a plinth which formed a perambulation path for worshippers, and flattened at the top to carry a square altar-shaped structure, which was surmounted by a series of stone umbrellas one above the other. In order to decorate the Stupas, the artists carved many scenes which they observed in nature along with religious ideas which is an example of Secular art forms. The Sanchi stupa and the Bharhut stupa are the most important stupas during the Mauryan period. Both were made of bricks and have a hemispherical dome placed on a low circular wall which is further crowned by a parasol. The structures are surrounded by a passage of circumambulation fenced off by a railing wall. The stupa of Bharhut has wholly disappeared and its richly sculptures were principally devoted to the illustration of Buddhist Jatakas or Birth stories. The stupa is situated at Bharhut a village in Nagod state of Baghelkhand, about 95 miles south west from Allahabad. Gateways or toranas which are imitations in stone of wooden gateways. Railings spreading out from the gateways. They also are imitation, in stone, of post and rail fence, but the stone railings of Bharhut have, on top, a heavy stone border (coping).Uprights or posts of these railings have carvings of Yakshas, Yakshis and other divinities who come to be associated with Buddhism.

The principal stupa at Sanchi which stands on the top of a hill at a distance of 25 miles from Bhopal is built of red sandstone. The railing too is covered with sculptures depicting either scenes from the life of Buddha or incidents from his legendary past lives. The art is essentially of folk art with an intense feeling of nature. The stupa is one of the important monuments of Ashokan period. The northern gate and the panels depict stories from the Jatakas. Representation of birds and animals are abundant. Lotus and wishing-vines have been prominently and beautifully carved out as ornamentation. Unique representation of forest animals in a manner which looks as if the whole animal world turned out to worship the Buddha.

ROCK-CUT CAVES
The Ashokan age is also note worthy in the history of Indian art from the point of view of cave architecture. There are seven rock-cut caves of the Mauryan age. Four caves are to be found on a hill named Barabar in Gaya district. All these caves were excavated for the residence of the monks of Ajivaka sect and these were places of shelter during the rainy season. The cost of such work must have been enormous and the expenditure of so much treasure on the Ajivakas is an evidence of their influential position and the catholic spirit of Ashoka for the Ajivakas were extreme fatalists having nothing in common with the Buddhists. Three other caves are to be found on Nagarjuni hill. These caves too were dedicated by the grandson of Ashoka Davanamapriya Dasaratha to the monks of Ajivaka sect. These rock cut caves are important because of two reasons; Firstly, they are the first examples of buildings in rock-cut architecture Secondly, these are the exact imitation of former wooden buildings The cost, labour and skill in turning these huge rocks into residential places are remarkable in reality. The interiors of these caves are highly polished. Thus the cave architecture in the age of Ashoka seems to have attained a high standard of workmanship and excellence.

SCULPTURE
The figure sculpture of the Mauryan period is important not only in the history of India but also in the world sculpture due to its workmanship, beauty and artistic magnificence.

PILLARS
Ashoka took special delight in erecting monolithic pillars, inscribed and uninscribed, in great numbers and designed on a magnificent scale. Ashoka raised more than thirty columns of heights varying between 40 50 ft., at numerous places. Hiuen Tsang mentions specifically sixteen of such pillars, four or five of which can be identified with existing monuments more or less convincingly. These pillars have been found in Bakhira, Lauriya-Nandangarh, Rampurva, Sanchi, Sarnath, Kaushambi and Allahabad. These pillars are distributed over a

large area stretching from the northern bank of the Ganges to the Nepal border and were erected at the places connected with Buddhism. A Mauryan pillar consists of a shaft, surmounted by the capital. The shaft, plain and circular has a slight taper upwards is made out of a single block of stone (monolithic). Over the shaft is the capital being another piece of stone and fixed to the top of the shaft by means of a copper-dowel. The capital consists of an inverted lotus design, abacus (platform) and carved animal sculpture in the round. The inverted lotus has the longitudinal petals with gentle curves of rhythmic proportion presenting an effective contrast with the chaste and elegant, plain and smooth, tall and tapering shaft that it crowns. The abacus, either circular or rectangular, is often carved on its sides with elegant floral designs or figures of birds and animals. It supports the crowning figure or figures of animals which are sometimes of the highest workmanship ever known in the animal sculptures anywhere in the world. The surface of both the shaft and the capital has the Mauryan polish. The accuracy in proportions of and carving make it clear that these were manufactured by very mature and sophisticated artists. According to Smith no modern masson knows how to impart to the material the mirror like polish so dazzling and reflecting. The pillars are made of chunar sandstone. The uniformity of style in the pillar capitals suggest that they were all sculpted by craftsmen from the same region. According to Havell, the pillars are designed according to the prescription of the Silpasatra. It has also been suggested that these columns were raised under the West Asian, especially the Iranian inscription. Yet, the differences between the Mauryan and Achaeamenian colums are distinct. The animal capital pillars of Ashokan period are found in very large numbers and are very important from architectural point of view. The capital was divided in 3 parts: the invested lotus; a locus; and the crowning animals. The crowning animals include elephant, lion, and bull. The magnificent capital of the Sarnath pillar has revealed the finest example of the Mauryan art known to exist. The figure of a bull at Rampurva in Bihar has been appreciated for its naturalness and the four lions set back to back on the Sarnath pillar for its execution. These wheels and animals have been carved out in moving position. The pillar represents the high watermark of the evolution of the capital. The Allahabad pillar is decorated with a graceful scroll of alternative lotus and honeysuckle, resting on a beaded astragalus moulding. Marshall notes that the muscles and thews of the beast are vigorously modelled, and though conventionalized in certain particulars, it is endowed with a vitality and strength which ranks it among the finest sculptures of the Mauryan period. The movement of the pillars, from the place of their preparation to the site of their installation speaks highly of the engineering skill of the people. V. Smith has rightly observed that their fabrication, conveyance and erection bear eloquent testimony to the skill and resource of the stone cutters and engineers of the Mauryan period. The symbolism in the Mauryan capital is purely Indian and the lustrous polish is Mauryan speciality.

FIGURE SCULPTURE
A few huge figure sculptures are ascribed to the Mauryan period on the basis of two facts; first they have the Mauryan polish and second they are made of sand stone of chunar. These

figure sculptures are mostly the portraits of Yakshas and Yakshinis. Two such Yakshas have been found at Patna having Mauryan polish. However the ascription of these figures to the Mauryan period is by no means all certain. A fragmentary relief on a piece of stone belonging to Mauryan period is remarkable. It is intensely lyrical and subtle figure of a young surrowing woman.

TERRACOTTA OBJECTS
Terracotta objects of various sizes have been found at Mauryan sites. Terracotta is a material combined of sand and mud. A few male heads from Sarnath and Rajghat are also ascribed to the Mauryan period because they are carved out of the chunar sand stone and have the Mauryan polish. It is very likely that they are parts of portrait figure. Their special feature is their headdress. Rock-cut elephant at Dhauli (Orissa) coming out with fore parts of the body from the natural rock is artistically far superior to many Mauryan Sculptures. The image of the elephant emerging from the rock is a most impressive one, and its purpose was probably draw attention to the inscription nearby. Monolithic railing at Sarnath is made of sand stone of chunar having Mauryan polish. It is artistically excellent and smooth.

CONCLUSION
The Mauryan architecture and sculpture thus symbolises long tradition and history. It brings to the fore the technique and engineering skill of the period. The Mauryan art is, however, essentially official. Its massiveness, superb execution of design and brilliant impressiveness, however, lacks in social appeal. It appears to have been as much distant from the society as do these columns with their crowns stand today, away from the centres of social activity. Yet, the symbolism they bear and the majestic grace they reflect, point so clearly to the proud heritage and history. The art specimens certainly give us a glimpse into the social and economic life of the period. There was gradual development of art forms and thematic representation. For e.g., the earlier creative expressions like rock paintings, terracotta figurines, etc. developed into mature sculptural forms. Stone sculptures, both in relief and in the round, were being produced in large numbers in this period. The symbolic representations ultimately gave way to images and the images of the Buddha are the best examples of this change.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India Upinder Singh Ancient India Vijay Kachroo Ashoka and the decline of the Mauryas Romila Thapar

Indias Ancient Past R. S. Sharma Mauryan India Irfan Habib