APPSC GROUP-1, GROUP-2/UPSC

ANCIENT HISTORY
ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Ancient Art and Architecture -

• Indus Valley civilisation
• Maurya
• Post Maurya
• Gupta

Indus Valley civilisation

Seal
• Seals used for trade, education and religion.

• Geometrical shape objects triangle rectangle, square, material used were steatite
and occasionally of agate, chert, copper, faience gold, ivory, and terracotta.
• Animal gures like unicorn, Bulls, rhinoceros, tigers, elephants, bisons, goat and
Bu alo.
• To facilitate trade - consignment send it to other region as a mark of Indus, valley
authority.

• Symbols like pie on sale indicate may be used as educational tool

• Use of shamanic practises(tabeez) Seals are used as object like amulets.

Pasupathi seal

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 Pottery
• IVC pottery consist chie y of very ne. Wheel made wares, very few being
handmade.

• Pottery made from clay baked on re.

• Uses - as storage - grains and water, cooking - utensils.

• There were di erent types of pottery in IVC

• Miniature vessels - long, elongated pottery, meant for decoration

• Faience pottery - this material is found in Dholavira and Lothal used for creating
utensils and beautiful pottery.
• Perforated vessel - It has a large hole at the bottom and small holes all over the walls.
Use it for straining liquor.

Terracotta sculptures
• It is an arti cial piece of imagination, made from a single material, the limits of
measurements or not observed while creating its culture, but it is created with the
aspect of aesthetic beauty.

• More realistic motives were found in Kalibangan and Gujarat sites.

• Important terracotta motives includes - mother goddess, bearded males with coiled
hair, wheels, whistles birds, animals, gamesmen and discs.

Stone sculpture -

• made from steatite (soft Riverstone)

For example - Bearded priest

Bearded priest Mother goddess

(not stone)

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 Bronze sculpture
• It is an alloy of copper and tin, copper was easily available in IVC, Tin from
Afghanistan because of which less number of bronze sculptures found from IVC

• Bronze statues were made using lost wax technique

• For example - dancing girl, Bu alo, goat.

• Copper dog and bird of Lothal and bronze gurine of bull from Kalibangan
• Copper tablets with an animal or human on one side and inscription on other side have
also been found.

• Dhokra scriptures still follow lost wax technique and it has GI tag.

Dancing girl

Script
• Script style of IVC is Boustrophedon, which means written from right to left in the
rst line and left to right in the second line.
• Script was right to left manner, pictures and symbols on sale, drawn from right to left.

• Dholavira, UNESCO rst IVC site

• Mohenjodaro, Ganeriwala, Harappa in Pakistan

• Rakhigarhi in Haryana

• Dholavira in Gujarat

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Jewellery

• Necklaces, llets, armlets, nger rings, earrings, anklets were made in gold and copper.

• Beads made of cornelian, amethyst, jasper, Crystal, quartz, steatite, turquoise and
lapis lazuli.
• Beads making industry at chanhudaro and Lothal.
Town planning of IVC
• The pattern of houses-many of cities were divided into two or more parts the citadel
and the lower town.

• Citadel was forti ed settlement comprised of chief structures like great bath and
warehouse, only six citadels have been found, showing that priest or higher class used
to live there.

• Lower town consisted of houses and workshops.

• The pattern of streets and roads - they were straight and cutting each other at right
angle, the roads were built using burnt bricks.

• Drainage system - it connected all houses to the street drains, which were covered by
stone, slabs or bricks.

• Burial sites - in harrapa dead were laid in pits Some graves contain pottery, ornaments,
indicating a belief that these could be used in afterlife.

MAURYA ART AND ARCHITECTURE

• In the rear end of later vedic period Shramana tradition movement started by
progressive section of Indian society. It was against discriminatory practices of vedic
period.

• Advocacy of adherents of Shramana moment paved way for Rise of religious

movements in India in the form of Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika.

• During Maurya period, all branches of Shramana patronised, which led to many
architectural beginnings in Maurya period.
• The principle building material used during Mauryan Empire is wood.
Mauryan Cave
• First man-made cave, in Indian subcontinent.

• Caves were created as shelter for Ajivika Monk only

• Majority of the caves created by Ashoka and his grandson Dashrath.

• Artistic gateways in semi circular shape were created at entrance of cave. On the
margins indicate designs and top of entrance reticular panel attached.

• From inside caves were highly polished.

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 • The seven caves (Satgarva) in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district, Bihar,
were created by Mauryan emperor Ashoka for the Ajivika Sect.

• Barabar Caves (4 caves): Karna Chaupar, Sudama Cave, Lamarshi (Lomas Rishi) Cave
Vishwamitra (Vishva Zopri) Cave

• Nagaragunja Caves (3 caves): In Bihar were formed during the time of Dasharath,
period, Gopi Cave, Bahayak Cave and Vedantika Cave.

• Dhauli cave in Odisha.

Mauryan pillars
• They Are Monoliths(single rock)
• Purpose of pillar is before Kalinga War to elaborate
victory, to serve imperial ceremonies and orders. after
Kalinga War celebrate important life, events of
Buddha and to propagate Dhamma.
• Languages used Pali and prakriti, few in greek or
Aramaic language.

• Pillars mainly comprises of four parts

• Shaft - formed the base, Monolith.

• Capital - on top of shaft, which was either lotus shaped

or bell shaped.

• Abacus - above capital, circular, or rectangular base

known as Abacus.

• Capital gure - animals like bull, lion, elephant card,

standing on a square or rectangle abacus.

Achemanian pillar Mauryan pillar

Average height - 15-20 ft Average height - 90 ft

Created in pieces and Monoliths

joined later

Erected inside building Always erected in open

Inferior compare to Craftsman skill was

mauryan superior

• both were highly polished

Pillar Edicts and inscriptions

• Ashoka’s 7 pillar edicts: These were found at Topra (Delhi), Meerut, Kausambhi,
Rampurva, Champaran, Mehrauli

- Pillar Edict I: Asoka’s principle of protection to people.

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- Pillar Edict II: De nes Dhamma as the minimum of sins, many virtues, compassion,
liberality, truthfulness, and purity.

- Pillar Edict III: Abolishes sins of harshness, cruelty, anger, pride, etc.

- Pillar Edict IV: Deals with duties of Rajukas.

- Pillar Edict V: List of animals and birds which should not be killed on some days and
another list of animals which have not to be killed at all.

- Pillar Edict VI: Dhamma policy

- Pillar Edict VII: Works done by Asoka for Dhamma policy.

Minor Pillar Inscriptions

• Rummindei Pillar Inscription: Asokha’s visit to Lumbini & exemption of Lumbini from
tax.

• Nigalisagar Pillar Inscription, Nepal: It mentions that Asoka increased the height of
stupa of Buddha Konakamana to its double size.

Major Pillar Inscriptions

• Sarnath Lion Capital: Near Varanasi was built by Ashoka in commemoration of
Dhammachakrapravartana or the rst sermon of Buddha.

• Vaishali Pillar - Bihar, single lion, with no inscription.

• Sankissa Pillar, Uttar Pradesh

• Lauriya-Nandangarth, Champaran, Bihar.

• Lauriya-Araraj, Champaran, Bihar

• Allahabad pillar, Uttar Pradesh.

Stupa
• Heap of sand
• Origin trace it to vedic period. Knowledgeable saints cremated in stupa formation.

• After Mahaparinirvana of Buddha, his disciples created biggest stupa on his

remains.

• When Ashoka accepted Buddhism, he created nine big stupas on relics of Buddha.
• Alakappa, Ramgram,Vedhadipa, Pipalvina, Pava, Vaishali, Rajgirh, Kapilvastu,
Kushinagar.
• Ashoka also created 84000 stupas As per textual tradition. It is said to popularise
Buddhism.

• Vedhika - a boundary wall of Stupa with full of illustrations, Jataka Katha or folk
narratives were encraved on Vedika.
• Pradakshina path - pathway meant for performance of ritual worships.
• Anda and methi - is a close its structure inside which relics of Buddha kept.
• Harmika - is in line with relics of Buddha, square railing on top of mound.
• Harmika, yasthi, chatri called as three jewels of Buddha.
• Overall, Stupa is considered as micro cosm of Buddha, Buddhism, life, and
universe.

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• Material used - core of stupa made of unburnt bricks, while the outer surface was
made of burnt bricks, which were covered with thick layer of plaster and medhi
and toran were decorated with wooden sculptures.

• Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the most famous of the Ashokan stupas.
• Piprahwa Stupa in Uttar Pradesh is the oldest one.
• Stupas built after the death of Buddha: Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa,
Ramagrama, Vethapida, Pava, Kushinagar and Pippalivana.
• Stupa at Bairat, Rajasthan: Grand stupa with a circular mound and a circumambulatory
path.

Mauryan sculpture
• At this point of time, worship of God and goddess Yaksha and yakshini all over
India, and all religions.
• Yaksha worship in Mahabharat, most popular puja in Hinduism - Sapta Matrika Pooja.
• Yakshini considered very aspicious in Buddhism. Both yaksha and yakshini
depicted on gateways of Stupa.
• Jainism contains concept of 24 yakshini.
• Salbanjika yakshini, Didarganj yakshini
• Yakshini worship also mentioned in Tamil epic silapadikaram.

Pottery
• Mauryan pottery generally referred as Northern black polished ware NBPW.
• It is climax of pottery. They used nd fertile soil which facilitated nely and high
even pottery.
• Kosambi and Pataliputra were centres of NBPW pottery.

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