Ancient India Architecture :: Bits

Harappan

·       Drainage system

·       Rectangular intersecting roads

·       Sanitary system

Mauryan

·       Monolithic Pillars

·       Finely carved capitols – Bull capitol and Sarnath capitol

·       Stupas start during this period – 4 gateways

o   Surface built with bricks

·       Viharas and Chaityas

o   Barabar Caves

Shunga – Satvahanas

·       Early classic architecture

·       Carved railings and gateways around Buddhist shrines

Kushan

·       Sculpture developed

·       The emperor himself was a divine authority

·       Buddha was first time given a human form during this time

Gupta period

·       Beginning of Hindu temples – temple at Deoghar, Udaigiri caves in Orissa

·       Vaishnavite temple in Vidisha

Pallavas

·       Mandaps, Rathas and finely carved panels and pillars

·       Shore temple at Mahabs is a structural temple

·       Ratha temple is a rock cut temple

·       Kanchipuram also has temples

o   Panels depict shiva as Natraja

o   History of Pallavas

Cholas

·       Tanjaur Temple: 65 m tall vimana

·       Pillared halls and sculptures depicting Bharata’s natyashastra

·       Fine paintings

Pandyas

·       Built high outerwalls and gopuram

·       Their gopurams can be seen from long distances

Hoysalas

·       Belur and Halebeed temples

·       Profusion of manifold pillars with rich and intricate carvings

·       Panels depict gods and goddesses

Orissa Temples

·       Lingraja temple

o   40 m high

·       Sun Temple

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Nagara, Dravida and Visara

	Nagara	Dravida	Visara
	Temples called PRASADA		Combination of Dravida and Nagara (Chalukyas).
	Shikhara is curvilinear	Shikhara pyramidal
	No role of pillar	Pillar important
	No tank	Tank may be there
	No enclosure	Enclosure and gopuram
		Vimana
	Mahadeva Temple	Brihadeshwara	Eg Some in Khajuraho, Sirpur etc

 

Cave architecture

Progressed in three phases

·       Buddhist Jain Ajivika caves (3^rd BC to 2^nd AD)

o   Kaneri, Nashik, Udaigiri

·       Ajanta Ellora Cave (5^th to 7^th AD)

·       Elephanta Ellora and Mahabs (7^th to 10^th)

Sculpture

Two major schools

·       Gandhara

o   Greco-Roman Style

o   North West India

o   Stone and stucco

·       Mathura

o   Indigenous style

o   UP Bihar

o   White spotted red sandstone used

o   Forms of Brahmanical deities crystallised for the first time in this art form

Themes of Buddha and Bodhisatvas in Both