NCERT Class 11 Culture Chapter 3: Arts of Mauryan Period YouTube Lecture Handouts

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• 6^th Century BCE – religious and social movements in Gangetic Valley as Buddhism and Jainism - Shraman tradition – opposed jati and varna system
• Magadha became powerful
• 4^th Century BCE – Mauryan established power and most was under Mauryan empire by 3^rd Century BCE
• Workship of Yaksha and Mother Goddess
• Yaksha was popular before Buddhism and after it was assimilated by as Buddhism and Jainism

Structures & Architecture

• Viharas – where monastic order dwells (especially after Mahayana – in rains to protect themselves they stayed in caves) . Chaitya were built inside Viharas
• Stupas - Buddha at Rajagraha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, Pava, Kushinagar and Pippalvina.
• Chaitya - like a prayer hall. It has pillars on side of a passage or a pathway leading to a Stupa generally contain relics of Buddha
• Stone pillars
• Rock cut caves

Mauryan Pillars Versus Achamenian (Persian) Pillars

• Similarities – both use word dipi and lipi; start with 3^rd person and move to 1^st person & polished stones

Differences

Mauryan Pillars

• Top portion – carved with capital figures like bull, lion and elephant
• Square or circular abacus with stylized lotus
• Locations: Basarah-Bakhira, Lauriya-Nandangarh, Rampurva, Sankisa and Sarnath.

At Sarnath – Called Lion Capital (finest) – our national emblem – This pillar capital symbolising Dhammachakrapravartana (the first sermon by the Buddha) has become a standard symbol of this great historical event in the life of the Buddha

Worship of Yaksha (best in Didarganj, Bihar) and Yakhinis – in Patna, Vidisha and Mathura – standing position with full round face and pronounced cheeks

Rock-cut elephant at Dhauli in Orissa shows modelling in round with linear rhythm. It also has Ashokan rock-edict.

Rock Cut cave at Barabar hill snear Gaya, Bihar as Lomus Rishi Cave – has semicircular chaitya arch – hall is rectangular with circular chamber at back; entrance at side of hall. Patronized by Ashoka for Ajivika Sect.

Stupa

• Stupa in the third century BCE is at Bairat in Rajasthan. It is a very grand stupa having a circular mound with a circumambulatory path
• Great stupa at Sanchi was built with bricks during the time of Ashoka
• Patrons range from lay devotees to gahapatis and kings
• Donation by guild was mentioned at several sites
• Inscriptions mentioning the names of artisans such as Kanha at Pitalkhora and his disciple Balaka at Kondane caves
• Additions like the enclosing of the circumambulatory path with railings and sculptural decoration.
• Stupa consists of a cylindrical drum and a circular and with a harmika and chhatra on the top which remain consistent throughout with minor variations and changes in shape and size
• Initially Buddha depicted symbolically by footprints, lotus throne and chakra
• Later by life of Buddha as Jataka stories (synoptic narrative, continuous narrative and episodic narrative) , railing and toran of stupas
• Jataka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerns with previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.
• Events depicted – birth, renunciation, enlightment, Dhammachakrapravartana and mahaparinibbana (death)
• Famous Jataka stories - Chhadanta Jataka, Vidurpundita Jataka, Ruru Jataka, Sibi Jataka, Vessantara Jataka and Shama Jataka.

Lion Capital

5 component parts:

• Shaft (which is broken in many parts now)
• Lotus bell base
• Drum on the bell base with four animals proceeding clockwise
• Figures of four majestic lions
• Crowning element, Dharamchakra, a large wheel

The capital without the crowning wheel and the lotus base has been adopted as the National Emblem of Independent India.

4 lions shown back to back with strong facial musculature, inversed lines of lips, lines of mane are sharp – polished

Abacus has the depiction of a chakra (wheel) having twenty-four spokes in all the four directions and a bull, a horse, an elephant and a lion between every chakra is finely carved.

Abacus is supported by inverted lotus capital – each petal is sculptured keeping in mind the density

Yakshini@DidarGanj, Bihar

• Tall, well-proportioned, free-standing sculpture in round made in sandstone with a polished surface.
• Chauri is held in the right hand whereas the left hand is broken
• Face has round, fleshy cheeks, while the neck is relatively small in proportion; the eyes, nose and lips are sharp
• Necklace beads are full round
• Holds a chauri (flywhisk)

✍ Manishika