PERIODS of INDIAN ART

ANCIENT PERIOD
Ajaṇṭā Caves of Maharashtra
- Buddhist rock-cut cave site in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra State,
western India.

- developed in the period between 200 B.C. to 650 A.D.

- inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings –
Harishena being a prominent one

- discovered in 1819 by British Army officers who were hunting tigers in the great
gorge of the Waghora River.

- Caves are numbered thirty in total and are divided into two phases.
Ajaṇṭā Caves of Maharashtra
CLASSICAL PERIOD
SHIVA

- God of Destruction. Master of Poison and Medicine, the Great

Yogi, God of Time, the Cosmic Dancer. Para Brahman, the
Supreme Being (Shaivism) Member of Trimurti.
CLASSICAL PERIOD
Shiva
- one hand holds the fires with
which he destroys

- another holds the drums, which

is the first sound heard in the
world during creation

- third arm points up in reassuring

gesture

- arm points down to the dwarf in

which he dances
ISLAMIC ASCENDANCY OR TRANSITIONAL
PERIOD

- Period of evolution from Vedism into Hinduism or Brahmanism.

- The two great Indian epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana,
emerged in this period.
Two Great Indian Epics

The Mahabharata is an ancient

Indian epic where the main story
revolves around two branches of a
family -
the Pandavas and Kauravas - who,
in the Kurukshetra War, battle for
the throne of Hastinapura.
Two Great Indian Epics

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic

which follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue
his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of
Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys.

It is traditionally attributed to the authorship

of the sage Valmiki and dated to around 500
BCE to 100 BCE.
MOGUL PERIOD
Moguls contributed in the Indian arts thru paintings.

- The most example is Taj Majal in 1632 by Shajan in memory of His

wife.
MOGUL PERIOD
TAJ MAJAL

- An immense mausoleum of white

marble, built in Agra between 1631 and
1648 by order of the Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite
wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of
Muslim art in India and one of the
universally admired masterpieces of the
world's heritage
Diwali - India's biggest and most important
holiday of the year, is a festival of lights that
celebrates the triumph of light over
darkness, good over evil and the human
ability to overcome.
- Diwali has become a national
Indian festival.

Rangoli - Rangoli is an ancient Hindu art

form from India.
- Derived from the Sanskrit word
'Rangavalli', it means rows of colours, and is
drawn in the homes, courtyards and
sometime even on walls, to celebrate
auspicious occasions.