Maurya Empire

Upon the death of Gautama Buddha in 400 BC, Buddhism divided into two sects: Mahayana and Hinayana

The Mahayana sect, which means ‘Great Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, believed in the divinity of the Buddha. The sect
encouraged idol worship in Buddhism

The Hinayana sect today known as Theravada, meaning ‘Small Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, did not believe in the divinity
of the Buddha. It stressed on individual salvation through self-discipline and mediation.

Hinayana Buddhist consider Gautama Buddha as an ordinary human being who attained Nirvana

Mahayana Buddhism consider Gautama Buddha to be a divine being who will help his followers to attain nirvana

Followers of Mahayana Buddhism can be found in China, (South) Korea, Japan and Tibet. Scriptures of
Mahayana Buddhism were written Sanskrit

Hinayana Buddhism is followed in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. ;xx;Scriptures of Hinayana
Buddhism were written in Pali

Hinayana - Maurya, Sungas, Satavahanas

Mahayan - Gupta, Kushan

Hinayana - aniconic forms - Elephant or lotus , umbrella, horse, foot print, tree ( Bodhi) , chakra or the wheel of
law
Ashoka Pillar at Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of the Buddha
The Buddha (Enlightened One) was born around 563 BCE as Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the eldest
son of the king of the Shakya clan in the present-day regions of Nepal and northern India.
He was also called Sakyasimha, the Lion of the Sakyas’ and Sakyamuni, ‘the Sage of the Sakyas’ as
he was born in the Kshatriya clan of the Sakyas, of which his father Suddhodana was the chief.
The Buddha (Enlightened One) was born in the present-day regions of Nepal and northern India.
Before his birth, his mother Mahamaya or Maya had a dream in which she dreamt of a white elephant
entering her womb.
The prophecy foretold he would grow up to be either a world conqueror or a great religious leader.
On the eve of her confinement, Mayadevi proceeded to her native place, Devahrada, but on her way
she delivered a son in the grove of Lumbini (Rummindei, District Bhairhwa, Nepalese Terai).
Tradition has it that the child was delivered by the deity Indra with Brahma. There is no agreement
about the date of his birth, the generally accepted date being 566 to 563 B.C.E.
Mayadevi died seven days after Buddha’s birth and he was reared by the affectionate Mahaprajapati
Gautami, who was both his maternal aunt and step-mother.
Hoping for a ruler like himself, Siddhartha’s father Śuddhodana tried to surround his son with
pleasure and shield him from pain.
Yet the prince was eventually exposed to the sufferings of old age, sickness, and death the inevitable fate of all
mortal beings.
Deeply troubled by the human condition, Siddhartha at age 29 left the palace, his family, his wife yashodhara and
son Rahula, and his inheritance to live as an ascetic in the wilderness
After six years of meditation, while meditating beneath a pipal tree (the Bodhi tree) he attained complete
enlightenment at Bodh Gaya (place of enlightenment) in eastern India. So Buddha means Enlightened One
Following his enlightenment, the Buddha ( Enlightened One ) gave his first teaching in the Deer Park at Sarnath.
Here he expounded the Four Noble Truths that are the foundation of Buddhism: They are the truth of suffering, the
truth of the cause of suffering , the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of
suffering
After the Buddha’s death at age 80, his many disciples developed his teachings and established the world's oldest
monastic institutions.
Upon the death of Gautama Buddha in 400 BC, Buddhism divided into two sects: Mahayana and Hinayana

The Mahayana sect, which means ‘Great Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, believed in the divinity of the Buddha. The sect
encouraged idol worship in Buddhism.

The Hinayana sect today known as Theravada, meaning ‘Small Vehicle’ in Sanskrit, did not believe in the divinity
of the Buddha. It stressed on individual salvation through self-discipline and mediation.

Mahayana Buddhism consider Gautama Buddha to be a divine being who will help his followers to attain nirvana

Followers of Mahayana Buddhism can be found in China, (South) Korea, Japan and Tibet. Scriptures of
Mahayana Buddhism were written Sanskrit

Hinayana Buddhist consider Gautama Buddha as an ordinary human being who attained Nirvana

Hinayana Buddhism is followed in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Scriptures of Hinayana
Buddhism were written in Pali

Hinayana - Maurya, Sungas, Satavahanas

Mahayan - Gupta, Kushan

Hinayana - aniconic forms - Elephant or lotus , umbrella, horse, foot print, tree ( Bodhi) , chakra or the wheel of
law

Mahayana - Iconic forms - Portrait of Buddha

Ashokan pillar, c. 279 B.C.E. – 232 B.C.E, Vaishali, India (where Buddha preached his last sermon)
Greek inscription by king Ashoka, discovered in Kandahar
 Didarganj Yakshi, 3rd century
B.C.E., polished sandstone,
Didarganj Kadam Basul, Eastern
Patna, India, c. 162 cm high
Sanchi stupa, Madhya Pradesh
The chief purpose of the stupa was to enshrine Sarika ( body relics, usually in the form of small
pieces of calcined bone) of the Buddha or Buddhist teachers or their personal belonging
(paribhogika)

The stupas of solid domes were constructed of brick or stone with different sizes
Two lotuses from the vedika, Bharhut Stupa, Madhya Pradesh, c. 1st century B.C.E., Sunga
period, sandstone (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Reconstruction of the east gateway (torana) and railings (vedika) from Bharhut Stupa, Madhya
Pradesh, c. 125 B.C.E.–c. 73 B.C.E., Sunga period, sandstone (Indian Museum, Kolkata; photo:
Great Stupa at Sanchi, 3rd century–1st century B.C.E.,
Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
 Detail, Enlightenment face of
Prasenajit pillar, from Bharhut,
Madhya Pradesh, India, Sunga
period, c. 100-80 B.C.E. reddish
brown sandstone (Indian Museum,
Kolkata) (photo: Anandajoti
Bhikkhu, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Mahakapi Jataka, Stupa 1 (the Great Stupa) at Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), on a pillar of
west gateway /torana, dated ca. 1st century B.C.E. – 1st century C.E.
Section of the vedika with the Mahakapi Jataka, from the Bharhut Stupa, Madhya Pradesh, c.
100 B.C.E., Sunga period, sandstone
The Sungas

In 185 B.C the last Mauryan emperor, Brihadratha, was killed by one of his Brahman generals, Pushyamitra
Sunga

He then became the ruler and gave the name of Shunga to the new dynasty.

The capital of the Sungas was Pataliputra.

After Ashoka’s tryst with Dharma and Buddhism, the Sungas are known for having reverted to Brahmanical
orthodoxy

The period saw the flowering of visual arts including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures and
architectural monuments like the chaitya hall at Bhaja, the stupa at Bharhut and the Great Stupa at Sanchi.

The stupa was built by Ashoka, but it was further extended during the Shunga period.

The gates and railings of the Bharhut stupa and the fine gateway railings which surround the Sanchi stupa
are said to have been built during the Sunga period
The ruined Bharhut Stupa; seen behind it is the Lal Pahadi (Red Mountain)
Reconstruction of the east gateway (torana) and railings (vedika) from Bharhut Stupa, Madhya
Pradesh, c. 125 B.C.E.–c. 73 B.C.E., Sunga period, sandstone (Indian Museum, Kolkata; photo:
Dream of Maya. Bharhut, c. 100
BC. Indian Museum, Calcutta
Ruru Jataka. Bharhut, c. 100 BC.
Indian Museum, Calcutta
Buddhist Architectural structural plans
The idea of Buddhist architecture deeply implanted in the buddha's teaching
Maurya emperor Ashoka was the earliest propagator of the Buddhist religion.
Major features of Buddhist architectural style are
● Stupa
● Stambhas
● Chaityas ( congregation and worship )
● Viharas ( dwelling purposes )
It was built during the Ashokan period
of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd
century BCn

The facade of the Lomas Rishi cave

displays one of the earliest known
representations of the “chaitya-arch”
or chandrashala — an ornamented
ogee shaped arch that replicated
wooden construction in stone and
became a commonly used feature in
Buddhist rock-cut architecture in
India.

Entrance to the Lomas Rishi cave, Barabar, 3rd century B.C.E.

Bhaji cave 12
Satavahana dynasty

The Sunga dynasty came to an end around 73 BCE when their ruler Devabhuti was killed by Vasudeva Kanva.

The Kanva dynasty then ruled over Magadha for about 45 years.

Around this time, another powerful dynasty, the Satavahanas came to power in the Deccan area.

The Satavahana kingdom majorly comprised present Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana. At times,
their rule also included parts of Gujarat, Karnataka as well as Madhya Pradesh.

The Satavahanas belonged to the Hindu religion and the Brahmanical caste. But, the interesting fact is their
generosity towards other castes and religions which is evident from the donations made by them towards
Buddhist monasteries.

Many Buddhist monasteries were constructed during the rule of the Satavahana dynasty.
The Great Chaitya in the Karla
Caves, Maharashtra
The Karle Caves AT Maharashtra, the Karle chaitya is the most famous in western Deccan.

Nasik Caves also known as Pandav Leni Caves

The most important stupas of this period are Amravati and Nagarjunakonda.

The Amaravati stupa is full of sculptures that depict the various scenes from the life of the Buddha.

Amravati ( the ancient capital of the later Andhra Kingdom) had the largest of the big stupas and the finest
example of a Buddhist stupa in South India

Numerous pieces were sent to the British Museum in London and a few to the Indian Museum in Calcutta
but the chief collection of the remains now is at the Madras Museum

The other important remains of South Indian stupas are those at Nagarjunakonda , Andhra Pradesh
Limestone drum slab depicting the
birth of Prince Siddhartha,
Amaravati
Limestone relief panel depicting the
Great Departure of Prince
Siddhartha, Amaravati
The Great Chaitya in the Karla
Caves, Maharashtra
Pillars of the Great Chaitya
Buddha, Mathura, India Buddhist Art 2nd
century CE.
Seated Buddha with Two
Attendants, c. 132 C.E., Kushan
period, from Mathura, red
sandstone
Vrikshadevi, Kushana period, Jaina
stupa railing, Kankali Tila
(Government Museum, Lucknow
Fasting Buddha Shakyamuni
Pakistan (ancient region of
Gandhara)

3rd–5th century
Gandhara Buddha. 1st-2nd century
AD.Pakistan: Standing Buddha
Standing Buddha, Gupta dynasty,
320-485, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh,
India, sandstone - Freer Gallery of
Art
Standing Buddha Offering
Protection, late 5th century, Gupta
period, India, red sandstone, 33
11/16 inches high (The Metropolitan
Museum of Art)
5th century Buddha statue found at
Mathura site
A statue of the Buddha from
Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, circa
475 CE. The Buddha is depicted
teaching in the lotus position, while
making the Dharmacakra mudrā.
Mathura
Gandhara
Yaksha influence
Greco Roman influence
Elements of imitation of nature
Stylized
Natural wavy hair
Hair a plain ( Ushnisha)
Halo plain disc
Halo plain disc with scalopeed
Presne of urna
eges
Material - Grey schist
Presence of urna
Eyes - half closed
Red sandstone
No smile
Eyes opened alo=mond shape
Sangathi on both shoulders
Presence of smile
Body is muscular
Sagathi on one shoulder,
transparent
Body is fleshy and not
muscular
Gandhara

Mathura Sarnath

Head if covered with small less decorated

snail curl motif stringfold drapery
Purely Indian style
Stylized form
Halo is large and
completely decorated
No urna is present
Red sandstone
Halfclosed eyes
Slight smile presence
Sangathi on both
Satavahana Dynasty (2nd c. BCE - 1st c BCE)

Hinayana Buddhism, cave 10,9,12,13,15A

Vakataka dynasty (5th c. CE)

two branches

● Nandivardhana
● Vatsagulma

Mahayana Buddhism, Caves 1,2,3,4,5, lower6, upper 6, 7,8,11,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28 and

29
Purpose of Caves

Some of them are intended as residence for Buddhist Monastics

Congregation purpose

Some are Buddhist temples

Not only for Buddhist monastics but also for devotees

Chaityas
Cave 10
Kondivita caves
Kondivita cave 9
Pitalkhora cave 3
Kondona cave 1
Cave 1
Ajanta, 1868
From Footfalls of Indian History by Sister Nivedita, 1915
Ratan Parimoo (Ed.), The art of Ajanta, New Perspectives, Books and Books,
1977

Madanjeet Singh, The cave paintings of Ajanta, Thames and Hudson, 1965

Yazdani, Ajanta, 1977p

Studies in the Ajanta Paintings, Dieter Schlingloff, The University of Michigan,1987

Ajanta Cave paintings
Manjushri- Represents Buddha's wisdom
Avalokiteshvara- Represents Buddha's compassion
Vajrapani
Mahajanaka Jataka
Temptation of Mara
Dying princess
Beautiful Apsara
Bodhisattva Padmapani
Bodhisattva Vajrapani
Buddha visiting his wife and prince rahula
Ruru Jataka
Sibi Jataka
Miracle of Sravasti
Dream of Queen Mahamaya
Syama Jataka
Chaddanta Jataka
Vessantara Jataka