“Art and architectural remains of the ancient and medieval Indian times are religious in nature”, Discuss in detail with suitable examples.

Model Answer

Hint:

Indian art and architecture is inspired by religion and centre around sacred themes. However, there is nothing ascetic or self-denying about it. The eternal diversity of life and nature and the human element are all reflected in Indian art forms. The art of architecture and sculpture was well developed during the Indus valley period. From at least 3000 B.C. to the present day, many civilizations have flourished on the subcontinent of India (which includes today’s countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). Each has made valuable contributions to India’s rich artistic heritage. Several of the world’s major religions (including Buddhism and Jainism, Hinduism, and Islam) either began in India or flourished there. India has also been home to small communities of Jews, Christians, and Parsis. (Parsis are Iranian fire-worshipers who moved to India in the early A.D. 700’s). Much Indian art, therefore, has a religious content.

Indus valley Sculpture: 

• The earliest examples of Indian art come from the Indus Valley, an area in present-day Pakistan. The Indus Valley, or Harappan, civilization flourished from about 3200 to 2000 B.C.
• Many small sculptures of metal and clay survive from this period. They usually represent human or animal figures.
• Other objects include soapstone seals engraved with writing and animal forms.
• The seals may have been used to stamp trade goods or as a means of personal identification.
• Four larger bronze statues of a buffalo, rhinoceros, elephant, and bull with chariot driver have also been found near Bombay. They are thought to date from about 1300 B.C.

Buddhist Sculpture: 

• Indian sculpture flourished during the Mauryan dynasty (about 321-184 B.C.). Much of the surviving art of this age is Buddhist.
• Among the most important monuments of the Mauryan period are large stone pillars that stood at crossroads and important sites.
• A pillar often had a lotus-shaped top bearing the figure of a lion. The lion was a symbol of imperial rule borrowed from Iranian art. Many pillars also featured important Indian symbols. These included the elephant, the bull, and the lotus itself.
• Asoka (Ashoka) was the most famous Mauryan ruler. He made Buddhism the state religion. But he tolerated the worship of such traditional village gods as yakshas and yakshis.
• These were male and female nature spirits. Many larger-than-life stone images of these spirits were made during Asoka’s reign. Smaller versions began to be placed on Buddhist monuments.

Hindu Sculpture: 

• Small images of Hindu gods were also carved of stone. Although made in human form, the images were also meant to show the many different forms taken by Hindu gods. Some gods were given many arms or heads. They were always shown carrying certain emblems.
• In northern India during the Gupta dynasty, images of Hindu gods were carved into the rock in man-made caves or housed in temples. Such temples appeared across India after A.D. 400. Elaborate relief carvings were made on the temple walls. These represented a variety of gods and their attendants. 
• In southern India after 800, bronze figures of Hindu gods were made. It was believed that the spirit of a temple god could be transferred to the statue. The statue was then carried in a religious procession. Outstanding bronzes were made in the Chola period (800-1200).
• During the period from 900 to 1500, Hindu sculpture in the north tended to emphasize rich decoration. Much of this sculpture was used to ornament religious buildings. Sculpture of figures decreased after 1200 when northern India was ruled by Islamic leaders. Islam forbade the use of human images for worship. Figural sculpture was produced for Hindu rulers, however.
• Traditional sculpture continues to be made in modern India, mainly for an international tourist market. Other sculptors have experimented with modern styles and techniques.

Cave Architecture:

• The design of Buddhist cave-halls carved into the mountainsides near Bombay was based on the free-standing structures built in towns.
• Cave architecture continued at least into the 800’s at such sites as Ajanta and Ellora. They were created by Hindus and Jains as well as Buddhists.
• In some cases, whole temples were carved out of the rock. The most famous rock-cut temple at Ellora is called the Kailasa temple. It was named after the mountain on which the Hindu god Shiva was said to have his palace.

Temples:

• Large free-standing temples were built in India from the 500’s onward, mainly by Hindus and Jains. In the north, these temples had curving towers.
• The architecture of the temple was used to symbolize many things. These included an altar, a residence for a god or a shelter for the worshiper seeking enlightenment.
• Many such temples were built in northern India. Outstanding examples are also found at Khajuraho in central India, Bhubaneswar on the eastern coast, and Somnath in the west.
• In southern India, temples were more like palaces. Great walls with tall gateways were built to include much of the surrounding city within the temple grounds
• Islamic rulers gained political control over northern India in the 1190’s. Long before this period, Islamic merchants along the coasts of India had hired local craftsmen to build structures for their use.
• One common type of Islamic building is the mosque. A mosque is where the faithful gather for prayer. Most mosques have an open courtyard surrounded by a covered hallway and are oriented toward the sacred city of Mecca. (In India, this would be to the west-southwest.)
• Under the patronage of sultans and emperors, a variety of Indo-Islamic architectural styles developed. Some were based on local styles.
• Others borrowed from Islamic traditions. Mosques, tombs, and palaces all survive from this era, known as the Sultanate period. They also survive from the period of Mogul rule that followed it.

Conclusion:

Temple architecture evolved over the centuries and despite some regional variation it arrived at a standard arrangement which involved a huge walled complex with massive decorative gateways giving entrance to a sacred space of lesser shrines dominated by the main temple and its monumental series of towers.