Unit 3 Hobe

Chitkara School of Planning & Architecture
Chitkara University, Punjab
HISTORY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT - I

Course Code: AR L2124
Course Credit: 02
B.Arch.
2nd Sem.
UNIT-3
Date – 10.05.2022
Talk By: Ar. Shaffali Joshi Pathak

SYLLABUS
VEDIC ERA AND BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA
Unit III
• Introduction to Vedic era, society & Culture; The Vedic Village , Building Typology &
Construction
• Buddhist settlements in India. Socio-political factors in selection of sites of Buddhist

Architecture. University Towns in northern plains and monastic establishments on Western
Ghats.
• Building typology – Stupas, Chaityas and Viharas. Suitable examples from each geographical
context to illustrate differences in form, construction methods and ornamentation.
Vedic Civilization - Introduction
VEDIC CIVILIZATION BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA

Vedic Civilization – Time Line Chart
Western Context
• Ancient period
• Civilizations
• Greek civilization
• Roman civilization
• …..
• …..
Indian Context
• Indus valley civilization

• Aryans-Vedic period
• Buddhist architecture
• Hindu architecture
The Indus Valley Civilization, weakened from generations of fighting the river floods, constantly
rebuilding their cities .
The nomads that came in from the
Northwest towards the middle of the
second millennium B.C. attached by IVC
people.
• IVC collapsed due to attack by

Aryans in 1500 B.C.
• Captured and killed unarmed

people of Indus valley with their
superior military power.
• The Aryans did not settle into the

well –planned cities of the
Harappan culture , and instead
proffered to clear forest around the
riverbank of the Gangetic plain and
settle in small villages.
So 1500 B.C. marks the beginning of Aryan culture in India and named as Vedic Civilization .
2
The Aryans destroyed and looted the civilization of the Indus valley and built a new
Indian civilization which reflects the following characteristic:
Nomadic warriors
Built no cities and left no Felt superior to the people

statues they conquered
Polytheistic
Religious teachings from the People born into castes, or social

Vedas groups, which they could not change
Vedic Civilization – Important Features of Vedic Civilization – Vedic Literature
• There are four vedas -Rigveda, Yajurveda ,

Samaveda and Atharvaveda.
• The Vedas are considered to be our earliest literature
• These Vedas were composed by many Sages or
rishis
• Vedic Litrature is in Sanskriti.
• And it is very rich and diverse.
Vedic Civilization – Important Features of Vedic Civilization – Arts
• Singing playing musical instruments , dance ,

board games , chariot- race and hunting were
the means of recreation.
• Their main musical instrument were Veena,
Shattantu etc.
• Percussion instruments like damru and
mridanga were also used.
Vedic Civilization – Important Features of Vedic Civilization – Economic Life
• Agriculture was the main occupation during the Vedic period .
• Many oxes were yoked together to plough the fields.
• Farmers usually raised one or two crops .
• They include barley, wheat , cotton and mustard.
• Agriculture production increased , trade too developed.
• Animals like horses , cows and dogs had special importance.

Vedic Civilization – Important Features of Vedic Civilization – Occupation
• Use of iron increased during this period.
• Many iron tools and weapons came to be used leading to an increase in agriculture and other production.
• Artisans like chariot makers, carpenters , potters were the backbone of the economic as social life of India.
• It as a about this time that skilled artisans belonging to each occupation came together to for their guides.
The horse drawn and spoked

wheel chariots of the Vedic
period were swift and speedy
Vedic Civilization – Important Features of Vedic Civilization – Caste System
Vedic Civilization - – Architectural Elements – Town Planning
• The houses during the Vedic period were earthen

or wattle and daub constructions .
• Wattle means woven lattice of wooden strips which
is dared with clay mixed with cow dung.
• A house was called ‘griha’ or ‘shala’
Vedic Civilization – Architectural Elements – Vedic Village
• Towards the middle of first millennium BC,

the social system expanded such town
arose at certain important centers and were
reproduced at larger scale and more
substantial form.
• Strongly fortified Timer and bamboo gateway installed along the villages
boundary wall the form of which was later transformed into
• Surrounded by rampart and wooden palisades
the famous stone toranas of the Buddhists.
• Buildings almost always of wood
• Era of timber construction
• This fence was made of upright posts of bamboo with horizontal members threaded into holes in
posts. At one point, the fence was extended forward to for a sort of gate.
Palisade (fence) encircling the villages

entrances were of particular kind.
• In course of time these peculiar
railing become emblem of protection,
used not only to enclose the village ,
but paling around fields.
• In another form it still survives as
Gopurams (cow-gate) and Buddhist
archways like Toranas.
Vedic Civilization – The Stages of Vedic Houses
Barrel Huts Two sided enclosure Four sided enclosure Single sided enclosure
Vedic Civilization – Village Planning
Vedic Civilization – City States
• With the conversion of the early Vedic people into agriculturalists, there was a
growing rivalry for precious fertile land .
• Groups of small villages banded together, and small 'cities' began to take shape.
• A palisade wall protected these and the buildings within were also made almost
entirely of wood.
• The Vedic carpenters developed a high standard skill in timber construction
therefore, that in later ages timber construction techniques were employed even
though the material of construction became- stone.
Vedic Civilization – City States
The cities of the Vedic period:

• Rectangular in plan
• Divided into four quarters by two main
Thoroughfares intersecting at right angles, each
leading to a city gate.
• One quarter had citadel & another housed royal
apartment.
•A third quarter was reserved for the merchants , the
last for tradesmen who couldn’t display their wares.
Vedic Civilization
• About, 450 BC the three kingdoms of Kashi, Koshala and Magadh were maneuvered and unlike
Indus civilization over the course of history most of the cities of Ganges river plains of these
kingdoms have been continuously inhabited and rebuilt.
• Important town were: Saraswati, Champa, Rajagriha, Ayodhya, Kaushambi and Kashi.
BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA
Buddhism
• The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha

Gautama, was born 563 BCE into a wealthy
family.
• Gautama rejected his life of riches and embraced a

lifestyle of asceticism, or extreme self-discipline.
• After 49 consecutive days of meditation, Gautama

became the Buddha, or “enlightened one”.
• He made this announcement in public at about

528 BCE and gained a group of disciples who
became Buddhist monks and traveled throughout
northern India spreading his teachings.
Buddhism
https://www.slideshare.net/roopachikkalgi/buddhist-architecture-73527008
• The evolution of the Aryans nomadic ways to urbane ways of life gave birth to a new elite class of
merchants ,artists ,guilds and bureaucrats.
• After that many kingdoms rose high and ultimately collapsed.
• After the Vedic period a short kingdom rose (321B.C. -185 B.C.)
EARLY MAURYAN DYNASTY
•This kingdom, Magadha ,with its capital city at

Pataliputra spread in N-E part of India.
•Chandragupta Maurya was one of the powerful
rulers of this dynasty.
• Emperor Ashoka ,grandson of Chandragupta extended the empire.

• He strengthened the city Pataliputra and provide many civic amenities like rest –houses, wells
hospitals etc.
• His conquest of Kalinga (Orissa ) was a turning point in his life.
• After the war he filled with sorrow because so many peoples were died in the war.
• This event caused him to undergo a spiritual transformation that would be
instrumental in the spread of Buddhism.
• Indian emperor Ashoka, not only established Buddhism as the state religion of his large
Magadha empire, but also opted for the architectural monuments to spread Buddhism in
different places.
• The development of various symbols representing aspects of the Buddha's life ( 563 - 483
BCE) was the beginning of Buddhist architecture.
Buddhism was the first Indian religion which require large communal and monastic spaces
ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS TO SPREAD BUDDHISM
Stupas- a significant object in Buddhist art and architecture. On a very basic level it is a
burial mound for the Buddha. The original stupas contained the Buddha's ashes. By the
time the Buddhist monasteries gained importance, the stupas were empty of these relics
and simply became symbols of the Buddha and the Buddhist ideology.
Stambhas - These are sturdy, finely proportional and properly

balanced religious sign posts
Buddhism was the first Indian religion which require large communal and monastic spaces
ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS TO SPREAD BUDDHISM
• Chaitya Halls - an assembly hall that contained

a stupa (though one empty of relics). This became an important
feature for the monasteries that were cut into cliffs in central India.
• Viharas- a Buddhist monastery that also contained a residence

hall for the monks.
BUILDING TYPOLOGY – STUPAS, PILLARS, CHAITYAS AND VIHARAS.
STUPAS
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of
worship. These stupas are the circular tumuli built of earth, covered with stone or brick, the plan, elevation, section and the
total form of which were all derived from circle.
Stupa become a cosmic symbol in response to a major

Ashok Maurya who laid the foundation of this group of monuments is said to have human condition: death. With the enlightenment of the
Buddha, stupa became a particularly Buddhist symbol.
built 84,000 stupas.
STUPAS
Structural Elements Of A Stupa
Medhi
Sopana
GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP

Sanchi is a small village in Raisin District of India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya
Pradesh
https://www.slideshare.net/abhishinde/buddhist-architecture-70098448


•The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi is the oldest structure in India and was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd
century BCE.
• Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha.
•It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolizing high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics.
•It has four profusely carved ornamental gateways and a balustrade encircling the whole structure.

•DOME- is a solid brick-work 32.32m in diameter and 12.8m high.
•The dome has a slight ‘crushed’ profile at top and was surmounted by HARMIKA with a central triple UMBRELLA.
•The facing of the dome consists of dry masonry composed of hammer dressed stones laid in even courses.
•The terrace 4.87m high from ground was added thus creating a separate and upper AMBULATORY( VEDICA) passage 1.8m
wide,3.35m high ,access to which was provided by a double staircase(SOPANA) with high BALUSTRADE, on the south side
There are four gateways known as ‘TORANAS’ at the cardinal points to the compass and are slightly staggered from the railing
enclosing stupa.
•Outside the railing there once stood the famous ashoka pillar.
GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP - TORANA GATEWAY

Toranas, the entrance to the ambulatory were accepted as the traditional type of
ceremonial potals and excel the array of architectural
embellishment.
•Torana consists of two square up rite columns with capital of lion or
elephant heads denoting strength.
•These columns support three separate horizontal panels between each of which
is a row of ornamental balusters.
•These panels are supported by various figures, a group of lions and elephant.
•The total height of this erection is somewhat 10.36m with a width of 3m
GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP- VEDICA RAILING

•The vedica or railing consists of upright octagonal plan 45cm in
diameter spaced at 60 to 90cm from each other and connected by
three lens shaped horizontals called ‘suchi’ or needles 60cm deep
being threaded through the holes of the upright.
•The top horizontal bar is provided with coping to drain out rain
water.
STUPAS AT AMRAVATI,AP
Amravati, lies on the bank of river Krishna at a distance of 65 KM rom Vijayawada in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
One of the major attraction of Amravati consists of the remains of a 2000 year old Buddhist settlement, along with the great Buddhist
Stupa.
STUPAS AT AMARAVATI,AP
• Dome (Upper): The main part of the Amaravati Stupa was a solid great dome which most likely stood about 18 meters high and that was
probably decorated with plaster garlands.
• By the end of the 1700s all that could be seen of the structure was a mound of rubble and some pieces of sculpture on the ground.
Experts estimate the stupa, at around 35 m in height and diameter, to have exceeded the Sanchi Stupa in size.
• There are four gateways in the railing around

the Stupa, each one of the gateway marked the
one of the our directions.
• Each gateway into the Amaravati stupa was a
group of five pillers. These pillers were
mounted on special platform.
• Around the outer limits of stupa was a tall railing
made of limestone .
• Lion sculptures were placed at the gateways.
OTHER STUPAS
BARHUT
BODH GAYA
OTHER STUPAS
After many years of teaching Buddha
died at the age of 80. His body was
cremated and ashes were divided into
several stupas.
MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)

Stambhas were the religious symbols which were set up at regular intervals along road leading to places of Buddhist
pilgrimage.
Broadly divided into 2 parts:
Shaft- is a circular piece of stone tapering towards upper side

Capital- placed on the top of tapering shaft
Capital
Capital further divided into 3 parts:
1. Inverted lotus or bell
Shaft
2. Base pedestal
3. Capital design symmetrical from all 4
direction
MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)

Columns , some 40 feet in length , weighting s much as 50 tones , were carved out from single block of sandstone .
These massive pillars were carried , unbroken and intact to sites over hundreds of miles away.
For this operation , specially designed huge bullock drawn timber carts were designed.
The tapering shaft of the column, once it had reached its destination, as
polished to give it a unique and unbelievable mirror like lustre.
MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)- SARNATH
•The pillar at sarnath more than 15m high has a

group of four addoresed lions with flowing
manes, surmounting the capital.
•These lions originally supported a massive metal
wheel with 24 spokes called ‘wheels of the
law’.
•The capital more than 2m high resembles the
shape of a inverted bell or lotus bub with series of
fluted petals.
•Above the capital is the abacus which is circular,
having broad edge carves with ornamental borders,
containing four figure of animals alternate with the four
small wheels
The wheel symbolizes first summon of Buddha , which is also adopted

as a national emblem of India .
CHAITYA HALLS vaulted hall
Chaityas or ‘sacred spots’ are the assembly halls created out of the
particular demands of buddhist religion. These became necessary to
accommodate those who congregated to pay their homage.
These have a small rectangular doorway which opens to a

vaulted hall, with apsidal end and divided longitudinally by two
colonnades forming a broad nave in the centre and two side
aisles.
•At end is a stupa also carved in natural rock with enough space
around it for circumambulation
•The roof is usually semi-circular. colonnades
stupa
aisles.
small rectangular doorway nave apsidal end

aisles.
CHAITYA HALLS
Architecturally, chaityas show similarities to Roman

Design concepts of columns and arch.
The monks built many structures which were carved out
of a single massive rock, done with hammer and chisel,
bare hands.
The chaityas were almost 40 meters long, 15 meters
wide and 15 meters high.
Chaitya hall at Bhaja Chaitya hall at Kondane Chaitya hall at Karli

VIHARAS
These are the residential places of the Buddhist priests. They consist of a main-
hall entered by a door-way. They also contain the assembly hall, dining chambers.
•From the halls deep into the rocks, cells are provided for meditation. The shrines
contains beautiful figures of Buddha and the walls of the antechamber depict the stories
based on Buddha's life and fine frescoes .
•Some great structural viharas were about 60m high covered with glazed tiles.
Pillars were richly chiseled in the form of dragons. Beams were painted in red and rafter
with all colors of rainbow.
•Some of the important Buddhist viharas are those at Ajanta, Ellora. Nasik, Karle, Kanheri,
Bagh and Badami.
MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS (CAVES) ON WESTERN GHATS
WHY WESTERN GHATS
http://esatjournals.net/ijret/2016v05/i09/IJRET20160509035.pdf
• Until the arrival of the Buddhists, there had been little building activity on Western Ghats.
• During their very first season in the hill, living in thatched huts , the monks must have had to face the fury of rains,
that could wash away the entire village.
• With their great desire to make a good law of the Buddha , the Buddhist monks decided to carve their great
sanctuaries out off the living rocks of immovable mountains.
• The earliest known of these is at Bhaja. In carving out their halls of worship at Bhaja the Buddhist monks
reproduced as far as possible exact structural copies of existing Chaitya halls, but on a much grander scale.
Rock cut techniques- Excavation of the basaltic

mountain could have been done by cutting a tunnel
section on the roof level, which later got continued
downwards. After the basic vertical profile was
achieved, the further inwards scooping could have
been adopted
The earliest rock-cut Buddhist monastic centers include the Bhaja Caves, the Karle Caves and the Ajanta Caves.
http://esatjournals.net/ijret/2016v05/i09/IJRET20160509035.pdf
The rock-cut caves were established in the 3rd century B.C.E. in the western Deccan Plateau, which makes up most of the southern
portion of India. The earliest rock-cut monastic centers include the Bhaja Caves, the Karle Caves and the Ajanta Caves.
MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS (CAVES) ON WESTERN GHATS- BHAJA CAVES
BHAJA CAVES, MAHARASHTRA

• The caves found at Bhaja are approximately 22 in number and have been dedicated to Lord
Buddha.
• In accordance with Buddhist monastic tradition, the caves were used both for communal worship
(chaityas) and as monks' residences comprising individual cells arranged around an open area
for group teaching and instruction (viharas).
•
At Bhaja there are no representations of the Buddha other than the stupa since Bhaja was an active monastery
during the earliest phase of Buddhism, Hinayana (lesser vehicle), when no images of the Buddha were created.
BHAJA CAVES, MAHARASHTRA ( CHAITYA HALL)
• The caves at Bhaja feature the first example of an apsidal chaitya (a

long hall with a semi-circular end).
• In imitation of the traditional wooden construction of early Buddhist
buildings, the stone ceiling was carved to resemble wooden timbers.
• It has a vaulted
ceiling flanked by
rows of pillars.
• A stupa is located at
the back of the hall with
enough space around it
Apsidal end
to allow ritual
circumambulation
(pradakshina).
BHAJA CAVES,PUNE, MAHARASHTRA ( CHAITYA HALL)
• The façade of the chaitya is finely decorated with carved architectural features (recalling wooden prototypes)
together with figures and animals.
Source : https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/beginners-guide-asian-culture/buddhist-art-culture/a/buddhist-monasteries
MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS (CAVES) ON WESTERN GHATS- KARLE CAVES
KARLE CAVES, LONAVALA, MAHARASHTRA
The entrance of the chaitya is very grand and consists of The chaitya hall is 38.5m long and 13m wide with a
three doorways set underneath a gallery. vaulted roof rising to a height of 13.7m.
The roof is supplemented by a Each column is 1.22m in
KARLE CAVES, LONAVALA, MAHARASHTRA series of wooden ribs which diameter and 7.32m high,
are closely spaced. with bell shapes capital
which supports a pair of
kneeling elephants carrying
A beautiful ‘lat’ male and female riders and
surmounting with those of horses and tigers in
four adorned lions the rear.
is erected at the
entrance of the
At the end is a
chaitya.
stupa, caved in
natural rock,
with railing and
The hall is inverted stepped
divided by two pyramid or tee at
rows of columns the top.
forming a broad
nave in the
centre.
The shaft is octagonal in shape and has a vase-shapes base.
KARLE CAVES, LONAVALA, MAHARASHTRA
A beautiful ‘lat’ surmounting with four

adorned lions is erected at the entrance of
the chaitya.
Interior view
One of the richly sculptured wall near entrance

MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS (CAVES) ON WESTERN GHATS- AJANTA CAVES
AJANTA CAVES AURANGABAD,

MAHARASHTRA
At Ajanta, the earliest phase of construction also belongs to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism (in which no human image of the
Buddha was created). The caves are very similar to those at Bhaja. During the second phase(AD 450) of construction, Buddhism was
in the Mahayana phase and images of the Buddha, predominantly drawn from the jataka stories—the life stories of the Buddha—were
painted throughout. The paintings at Ajanta provide some of the earliest and finest examples of Buddhist painting from the period.

MAHARASHTRA
These are about 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which

date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE.
5 caves are Chaitya halls & rest are Viharas (monasteries)
These historical man made caves comprises of beautiful

paintings on the walls and ceilings that depict the lie of Buddha.

MAHARASHTRA

MAHARASHTRA

MAHARASHTRA
Cave 9

MAHARASHTRA
Cave 10
MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS – TAKHT-I-BAHAI
TAKHT-I-BAHAI, PAKISTAN
The Buddhist monastic complex of Takhat-i- Bahai (Thrones of origins) was founded in the early 1st century. Owning to its location on the
crest of a high hill , it escaped successive invasions and is still exceptionally well preserved.
The name Takht-i-Bahai derived from the spring on the hilltop and literly translated as ‘Spring Thrones’
MONASTIC ESTABLISHMENTS– TAKHT-I-BAHAI
Additional structures on the site may have served as residences or
meeting halls, or for secular purposes.
There are four main areas of the Takht Bahi complex:
The monastic
chambers, consisting
A temple complex, consisting of
of individual cells
stupas and similar to the Stupa
arranged around a
Court, but of later construction.
courtyard, assembly
halls, and a dining
area.
The Stupa Court, a cluster
of stupas located in a central
courtyard.
All of the buildings on the site are constructed from local stone, and are mortared with lime and mud.
The temple complex

courtyard is an open
quadrangle measuring
45’X5’
In the center , on a
platform of 20’ side and 8’
high , rose the tall tapering
stupa, which with its six
tiered umbrella , reached a
total height of 50’.
UNIVERSITY TOWNS IN NORTHERN PLAINS
During the period of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, Kautilya and Chankya was the chief minister who wrote the famous ‘Arthashastra’ a
treatise of Town Planning , Features stated in it were:
• Regulation of zoning depending on communities

• Highway to be parallel to the main cardinal direction
• Roads were aligned in grid –iron form.
• Highway to be not less than 30’ or nearly 3 lanes of traffic
The excavation carried out at Patliputra , capial of Magadha (now in Bihar) ,shows evidence of advance
knowledge of planning.
Nalanda consists of three main essentials – stupas, temples and monasteries or the monks. It had 300 halls for
accommodating 10,000 peoples and libraries were nine storied high.
Taxila is a vast complex of ruins. It was an important cultural centre and it is said that the Mahabharata was first
recited at Taxila.
NALANDA UNIVERSITY , BIHAR
The world famous university of Nalanda was first residential University, Situated near Patna the capital of state Bihar of India.
The university of Nalanda followed Buddhist principles and many teachers followed Buddhism.
• The most prominent feature of Nalanda was

the massive stupa.
• When complete it was more than
100’square platform.
• It was approached by broad imposing
flights of steps rising up to the central
avenue.
• The walls of the base of the stupa were
divided with cornices into horizontal friezes,
further partitioned into pilastered niches
containing either the sun window emblem or
image of Budha .
• At the corner of the main platform were
buttresses in the from of turrets crowned by
mini stupas.
NALANDA UNIVERSITY , BIHAR

• Rows of the magnificent stupas placed side by side formed the central monumental axis of Nalanda Complex.
• Parallel to and on both sides of this axis were what may be called’ avenues of the monasteries’
• These monasteries or viharas were planes in the usual manner around a central open courtyard. They functioned both as units of
residences as well as learning.
• The lower stories contained the areas of instructions and communal worship , while the upper floors built in timber was a cell for
resident students.
• A number of such monasteries were built close to each other like so many colleges in the university campus.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
VIDEO LINKS :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YjdNOLWlaU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmVrU-dADwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf2QJ_MRQfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TzLdg4Lgqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xftMYOT_NA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlvgxsq6iU8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsIanDAyro4
Thank you for listening
Any questions
Shaffali.joshi@chitkara.edu.in
+91-75083-82030

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Chitkara School of Planning & Architecture

Chitkara University, Punjab

HISTORY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT - I

Talk By: Ar. Shaffali Joshi Pathak

VEDIC ERA AND BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA

• Buddhist settlements in India. Socio-political factors in selection of sites of Buddhist

VEDIC CIVILIZATION BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA

• Indus valley civilization

• IVC collapsed due to attack by

• Captured and killed unarmed

• The Aryans did not settle into the

Built no cities and left no Felt superior to the people

Religious teachings from the People born into castes, or social

• There are four vedas -Rigveda, Yajurveda ,

• Singing playing musical instruments , dance ,

• Agriculture was the main occupation during the Vedic period .

• Many oxes were yoked together to plough the fields.

• Farmers usually raised one or two crops .

• They include barley, wheat , cotton and mustard.

• Agriculture production increased , trade too developed.

• Animals like horses , cows and dogs had special importance.

The horse drawn and spoked

• The houses during the Vedic period were earthen

• Towards the middle of first millennium BC,

Palisade (fence) encircling the villages

The cities of the Vedic period:

• The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha

• Gautama rejected his life of riches and embraced a

• After 49 consecutive days of meditation, Gautama

• He made this announcement in public at about

EARLY MAURYAN DYNASTY

•This kingdom, Magadha ,with its capital city at

• Emperor Ashoka ,grandson of Chandragupta extended the empire.

Stambhas - These are sturdy, finely proportional and properly

• Chaitya Halls - an assembly hall that contained

• Viharas- a Buddhist monastery that also contained a residence

Stupa become a cosmic symbol in response to a major

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP - TORANA GATEWAY

GREAT STUPAS AT SANCHI, MP- VEDICA RAILING

• There are four gateways in the railing around

MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)

Broadly divided into 2 parts:

Shaft- is a circular piece of stone tapering towards upper side

MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)

MONOLITHIC PILLARS (STAMBHAS)- SARNATH

•The pillar at sarnath more than 15m high has a

The wheel symbolizes first summon of Buddha , which is also adopted

CHAITYA HALLS vaulted hall

These have a small rectangular doorway which opens to a

small rectangular doorway nave apsidal end

Architecturally, chaityas show similarities to Roman

Chaitya hall at Bhaja Chaitya hall at Kondane Chaitya hall at Karli

WHY WESTERN GHATS