ARTS OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD

lion capital

Arts of The Mauryan period may be categorized into Sculptures(Pillars and statues), Rock-cut Architecture, Stupas.

ARTS OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD
Sculptures Rock-cut ArchitectureStupas
Pillars-Lion Capital pillar
Lomus Rishi cave at Barabar hills, Gaya, Bihar.

Sanchi stupa

Statues-Yakshi figure from Didarganj
Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli

Sculptures(मूर्तियां)

Sculptures of pillars and statues are the most important art form of the Mauryan period.

Sculptures are highly Polished.

Pillars

The top portion of Mauryan pillars is carved with capital figures of Bull, The Lion, The elephant, etc.

The shaft of the Pillars is Polished.

How Mauryan Pillar different from Achamenian Pillar?

Mauryan pillars are rock-cut pillars(
चट्टानों को काटकर ) however Achamenian pillars were constructed in pieces by a mason(मकान बनाने वाला). Lion capital is one of the most remarkable Mauryan Pillar.

lion capital
Lion capital
lion capital

Also read:- ARTS OF INDUS VALLEY

Statues

Statues of Yakshas and Yakhinis from the Mauryan period are found in Places like Patna, Vidisha, Mathura, etc.

These are Large, Polished and in standing position.

Statues have the full round face, Pronounced( स्पष्ट ) cheek. Sculpture Artists has Physiognomic( मुख देख कर चरित्र जान लेने की विद्या ) skills. Physiognomic details are captured in statues.

Brahmanical gods represented in sculpture form.

Rock-cut Architecture

Many rock-cut caves carved during the Mauryan period. Caves served the purpose of viharas, Chaityas, etc.

Lomus Rishi cave, Gaya, Bihar is one such example. The Cave decorated with semicircular Chaitya.

The rock-cut technique used for carving Sculptures. Dhauli rock-cut elephant is one such example.

By Kumar shakti – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21719322

Stupas

The popularity of Buddhism led to the construction of many Stupas during the Mauryan period. The architecture of Stupas was initially simpler however it became complex in later centuries. The stupa consists of a Cylindrical drum, circular Anda, Harmika, Chhatra.

Buddha’s life events like birth, Renunciation, Enlightenment, Dhammachakra-pravartana, Mahaparinibbana(liberation from the cycle of birth) and The jataka stories like Chhadanta jataka, Vidurpandita jataka, Ruru jataka, Sibi jataka, Vessantara jataka, Shama jataka, etc are depicted on railings and torans of the Stupas.

3 thoughts on “ARTS OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD”

  1. Crave Freebies

    My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome web log!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *