Art and Culture 1.7 Gupta Age Architecture (Caves Stupas and Sculptures) BY CIVIL JOINT
Gupta Age Emergence of the Gupta Empire in 4th century A.D. Golden period of the Indian Architecture Earlier Gupta: Buddhist. Hence, Buddhist architecture continued Later Gupta phase: Hindu ruler. Hence, temple architecture came into fore front Temple architecture reached its climax during this period Jain and Buddhist art also reached its peak during the Gupta age Gupta ruler especially the later phase, were Bhahmanical rulers. But Tolerant to all religions. Three principle deities were worshiped: Vishnu: Northern and central part of India Shiva: southern part Shakti: Eastern part, Malabar coast and south-west part of India
Architecture 1) Caves Development of caves remain constant New feature: Mural paintings on the walls Fine example of mural painting in caves of Ajanta and Ellora Ajanta Caves Note: A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surface. Ajanta caves Series of rock-cut caves near Aurangabad in Maharashtra Total 29 caves; 25 used as Viharas or residential caves and 4 were used as Chaitya or prayer halls Between 200 B.C. to 650 A.D. Inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings- Harishena being prominent one.
Technique of painting was Fresco, a three-step painting technique First: A layer of clay, mixed with cow dung and rice husk was applied on the surface of the rock. Second: coating of lime plaster was then applied on the top of it. Third: colours and pigments were applied on the moist surface ( pigment can seep in easily on moist surface and it create a lasting surface on the rock surface. Naturalism in paintings Colours: local vegetation and minerals Outline of the painting were done in red colour and then inside was painted Absence of Blue colour in paintings Paintings theme : Generally Buddhism- the life of Buddha and Jataka stories 5 caves belonged to Hinayana phase and 24 caves belonged to Mahayana phase of Buddhism Fa hien and Hieun Tsang account has reference of ajanta caves Important paintings: Dying princess, Flying apsara etc. Dying princess Flying Apsara
Ellora Caves: Near Aurangabad in Maharashtra and locally known as 'Verul Leni' Group of 32 caves- 16 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 4 Jain. Built between 5th and 11th centuries A.D. (by guilds from Vidharbha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) Diversity in themes and architectural style ( because influence of all three religions) Prominent caves in Ellora are: Cave no. 10: a Chaitya cave dedicated to Vishwakarma Cave no. 14: is themed Raavan Ki Khai Cave no. 15: Dhashavatar caves (famous 15 foot statue of Buddha in preaching pose) Raavan Ki Khai Cave no. 16: Kailash temple, it s a monolith (developed under the patronage of Rashtrakuta) Two famous Jain caves: Indra sabha and Jagannath sabha 15 foot statue of Buddha Kailash Temple
Difference between Ellora and Ajanta Slope of the montain: Ajanta caves are on the stiff slope and Ellora caves is on the slant slope. Ellora has Courtyard, which is absent in Ajanta. Bagh Caves: Bank of the bagh river in Madhya Pradesh 9 Buddhist caves 6th century A.D Very similar to the Ajanta caves Bagh Caves
Junagarh Caves: Gujarat Unique feature: a 30-35 ft high citadel known as Upar Kot in front of the prayer hall. Nasik Caves: 23 Buddhist caves Also known as Pandav Leni Developed during 1st century A.D. Belong to the Hinayana period. So, no images of Buddha Use of motifs and symbol like throne and footprints Junagarh Caves Nasik Caves
Mandapeshwar Caves In Maharashtra also known as Montperir caves dedicated to Shiva Developed in 8th century A.D. as a Brahmanical cave Later, converted into a Christian cave 2) Stupas: Gupta age saw the decline in the development of stupas. However, Dhamekh stupa (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) is a fine example. Mandapeshwar Caves
3) Sculptures A new school of sculpture developed around sarnath. Features: Use of cream coloured sandstone Use of metal Completely dressed and lacked any form of nakedness. Halo was intricately decorated Sultanganj Buddha
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