ART AND ARCHITECTURE

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The period 200 Be-AD 300 witnessed a qualitative develop­ment in Indian art and architecture. Temples We have insufficient data on temple structures in this period. However, important temples of this period include the temple at Jhandial, Taxila; the Sankarshana temple at Nagari, Rajasthan; the temple at Besnagar, Madhya Pradesh; and an apsidal temple at Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh.
Stupas Excavations at Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), Bharhut (Madhya Pradesh), Amaravati (Maharashtra), and Taxila have exposed a number of stupas of this period. The Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh) stupa has some important scenes which include (i) gods praying to Boddhisattva to take birth on the earth; (ii) Buddha's entry into the womb in the form of a white elephant; and (ill) birth of the Buddha under a flowering teak tree.
Rock-cut Architecture Chaityas (a shrine cell with a votive stupa placed in the centre) and viharas (cut out of
. rocks for the residence of monks) were built by both the Buddhists and the Jains. Most of the major chaityas and viharas of this period were built in western and eastern regions in India. In the western region, they are located at Bhaja, Karle, Kondane, Nasik, Ajanta, etc., while Udayagiri and Khandagiri in Orissa are important locations of chaityas and viharas in eastern India.

Schools of Art Various schools of art, especially sculp­tural, developed in this period.

(a) Gandhara Art Gandhara art, mainly Buddhist, was greatly influenced by Hellenistic (Greek) art. However, the chief patrons of Gandhara art were the Shakas and Kushans. Jalalabad, Hadda, Bamaran, Begram and Taxila are the main centres where pieces of Gandhara art have been found. In the early Gandhara sculpture, blue-grey schist stone was used to make idols. The Gandhara school gives a realistic representation of the human figure clearly indicating limbs and other organs of the body.

(b) Mathura Art The origin of Mathura art is traced to the second century Be. This school of art produced a variety of sculptures and other pieces of art for the followers of brahmanical, Buddhist and Jaina sects. A significant aspect of Mathura art is that it also produced images of kings and other notables. The Mathura sculptures were carved out of locally available red sandstone.

The Mathura school is credited with making the earliest images of Bodhisattvas and the Buddha. The Mathura images of the Buddha are mainly in two postures: standing and sitting. The right hand is shown raised in abhaya posture. The dress is always tight on the body and the left hand holds the frill.
In due course, the Mathura school contributed consid­erably in the development of the Gupta art.

(c) Amaravati Art During this period, the Amaravati school of art also developed in the lower valleys of the Krishna and the Godavari. Nagarjunakonda, Amaravati, Ghantasala, etc., were the main centres of this art. A group of women enjoying their bath, depiction of the story of King Udayana and his queens, and the taming of an elephant by the Buddha are some of the memorable works of this school.
The general features of Amaravati art include (i) use of white marble, (ii) long legs and slender frames, (ill) human beings as central characters, and (iv) prominence of kings, princes and palaces.

The Amaravati school, patronised by Satavahana rulers and later by Ikshvaku rulers, produced some of the finest art pieces in ancient India.