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 CONTENT

CHAPTER: 1 - PREHISTORIC ROCK PAINTINGS ................................................................................ 3

CHAPTER 2- ARTS OF THE INDUS VALLEY ......................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER: 3- ARTS OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD ................................................................................ 8

CHAPTER: 4 - POST MAURYAN TRENDS IN INDIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE................... 10

CHAPTER: 5 - LATER MURALS IN INDIA ............................................................................................ 18

CHAPTER: 6 - TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE ......................................................... 22

CHAPTER: 7 - INDIAN BRONZE SCULPTURE .................................................................................... 33

CHAPTER: 8 - SOME ASPECTS OF INDO-ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE ......................................... 35

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CHAPTER: 1 - PREHISTORIC ROCK PAINTINGS
 Prehistoric period- Old Stone Age or the bulls, sambhars, elephants, sheep, gazelles,
Palaeolithic Age. Lower and Middle goats, horses, stylised humans & tridents.
Palaeolithic Periods have not shown any  Richest paintings - Vindhya ranges of MP &
evidence of artworks so far. The Upper their Kaimurean extensions into UP.
Palaeolithic Age shows a lot of artistic  Largest & most spectacular rock-shelter-
activities. Vindhya hills at Bhimbetka, MP.
 Earliest paintings in India are from the Upper
Palaeolithic Age. First discovery of rock
paintings was made in Sohagighat, Mirzapur
District, Uttar Pradesh, India (1867-68) by an
archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle, twelve
years before the discovery of Altamira in
Spain.
 Cockburn, Anderson, Mitra & Ghosh- early
archaeologists. Districts of MP, UP, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand (Kumaon
hills) & Bihar- rock paintings were found.
 Rock shelters- banks of River Suyal at
Lakhudiyar (one lakh caves), about twenty
kilometres on the Almora- Barechina road.
Fig. Cave entrance, Bhimbetka, Madhya
Paintings at Lakhudiyar are of three types-
Pradesh
o Humans - represented in stick-like
 Caves of Bhimbetka- discovered in 1957-58
forms.
by eminent archaeologist V.S. Wakankar.
o Animal motifs - long-snouted animal,
Paintings Themes here- mundane events of
a fox and a multiple legged lizard
daily life to sacred & royal images.
o Geometric designs - wavy lines,
rectangle-filled & groups of dots can  Rock art of Bhimbetka classified into various
also be seen here, hand-linked dancing groups on the bases of style, technique and
human figures. superimposition.
 Two major sites of prehistoric rock/cave
paintings in India: Bhimbetka Caves and
Jogimara Caves (Amarnath, Madhya
Pradesh).
 Bhimbetka- one of the oldest paintings in Www.Upscsummarynotes.Com
India and the world.
 The drawings and paintings can be
catagorised into seven historical periods.
Fig. Hand-linked dancing figures, Lakhudiyar,  Period I, Upper Palaeolithic; Period II,
Uttarakhand Mesolithic; and Period IlI, Chalcolithic.
 Superimposition of paintings: earliest in After Period Ill there are four successive
black; over these- red ochre paintings & last periods.
group- white paintings. Two slabs found
from Kashmir. UPPER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD
 Kupgallu (Telangana), Piklihal & Tekkalkota  The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase
(both in Karnataka), three types of paintings are linear representations, in green and dark
found in white, in red ochre over a white red, of huge animal figures, such as bisons,
background & in red ochre; subjects are elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars besides
stick-like human figures.

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CHAPTER 2- ARTS OF THE INDUS VALLEY
 Indus Valley Civilisation- emerged during sweeping horns and the goat are of artistic
second half of third millennium BCE. merit.
 Forms of art found from various sites of the  Also found are copper dog and bird of Lothal
civilisation include sculptures, eals, pottery, and the bronze figure of a bull from
gold jewellery, terracotta figures, etc. Kalibangan.
 Delineation of human and animal figures.  Late Harappan and Chalcolithic sites-
 Two major sites of the Indus Valley Daimabad in Maharashtra yielded excellent
Civilisation, along the Indus river-the cities examples of metal-cast.
of Harappa (north) & Mohenjodaro (south).

STONE STATUES
 Found at Harappa & Mohenjodaro.

Fig. Mother goddess, terracotta

TERRACOTTA
 Terracotta images are crude. More realistic in
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Gujarat sites and Kalibangan.
Fig. Bust of a bearded priest  Important among them- mother goddess.
 Excellent examples of handling three  Few figurines of bearded males with coiled
dimensional stone are two male figures- one hair, their posture rigidly upright, legs
is a torso in red sandstone and the other is a slightly apart, and arms parallel to the sides
bust of a bearded man in steatite. of the body; terracotta mask of a horned
 Figure of the bearded man interpreted as a deity.
priest, is draped in a shawl coming under the  Toy carts with wheels, whistles, rattles, birds
right arm and covering the left shoulder. and animals, gamesmen and discs.
Shawl is decorated with trefoil patterns. The
eyes are a little elongated, and half-closed as
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in meditative concentration.
 Hair- parted in the middle, and a plain woven
fillet is passed round the head.
 An armlet is worn on the right hand and
holes around neck suggest a necklace.

BRONZE CASTING SEALS (Upscsummarynotes.Com)

 Practised on a wide scale by Harappans  Usually made of steatite, & occasionally of
agate, chert, copper, faience and terracotta.
 Bronze statues were made using the lost wax'
technique.  Had beautiful figures of animals, such as
unicorn bull, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant,
 Human as well as animal figures
bison, goat, buffalo, etc were also used as
 Dancing Girl- animal figures in bronze the
amulets,
buffalo with its uplifted head, back and

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CHAPTER: 3- ARTS OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD
 Sixth century BCE- new religious and social body as compared to the sculptures.
movements in the Gangetic valley.  Rock-cut elephant at Dhauli in Orissa shows
 By third century BCE, a large part of India modelling in round with linear rhythm-
was under Mauryan control. Ashoka emerged Ashokan rock-edict.
as the most powerful king of the Mauryan  Rock-cut cave carved at Barabar hills near
dynasty. Gaya in Bihar is known as the Lomus Rishi
PILLARS, SCRIPTURES AND ROCK CUT cave- semicircular chaitya arch at the
ARCHITECTURES entrance.
 Was patronised by Ashoka for Ajivika sect.
 In this period, apart from stupas
 Lomus Rishi cave- an isolated example of
and viharas, stone pillars, rock-
this period. Stupas were constructed over the
cut caves and a monumental
relics of the Buddha at Rajagraha, Vaishali,
figure sculptures were carved.
Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama,
 Mauryan pillars are rock-cut
Vethadipa, Pava, Kushinagar and Pippalvina.
pillars thus displaying the
 Stupa, vihara and chaitya- part of Buddhist
carver's skills.
and Jaina monastic complexes but the largest
 Achamenian pillars are
number belongs to the Buddhist religion
constructed in pieces by a mason.
 Best examples of the structure of a stupa in
 Stone pillars were erected all
the third century BCE is at Bairat in
over the Mauryan Empire with
Rajasthan- grand stupa having a circular
inscriptions engraved on them.
mound with a circumambulatory path
 Top portion of the pillar was carved with
 Very few inscriptions mentioning the names
capital figures like the bull, the lion, the
of artisans such as Kanha at Pitalkhora and
elephant, etc
his disciple Balaka at Kondane caves.
 Existing pillars with capital figures were
found at Basarah-Bakhira, Lauriya-
Nandangarh, Rampurva, Sankisa and
Sarnath.
 Mauryan pillar capital found at Sarnath, Lion
Capital is the finest example of Mauryan
sculptural tradition- also our national
emblem- this pillar capital symbolising
Dhammachakrapravartana (the first sermon
Fig. Elephant, Dhauli Fig. Lomus Rishi
by the Buddha) has become a standard Www.Upscsummarynotes.Com
cave-entrance
symbol of this great historical event in the
THE LION CAPITAL, SARNATH
life of the Buddha.
 Discovered at Sarnath, near Varanasi-
 Large statues of Yakshas and
Sarnath Lion Capital.
Yakhinis are found in Patna,
 Finest examples of sculpture from the
Vidisha and Mathura- in
Mauryan period. Built in commemoration of
standing position and unlike
the historical event of the first sermon or the
others have a, polished
Dhammachakrapravartana by the Buddha at
surface.
Sarnath, capital was built by Ashoka.
 Example- Yakshi figure
 The capital was adopted as the National
from Didarganj, Patna.
Emblem of India after independence without
 Terracotta figurines- very
the crowning wheel and the lotus base.
different delineation of the
 The four lions are seated back-to-back on a
circular abacus. The figures of the lions are

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CHAPTER: 4 - POST MAURYAN TRENDS IN INDIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE
 After the decline of the Mauryan Empire in carvings and a much naturalised
the second century BC, various rulers representation of human and animal forms.
controlled the regions which were once under  Important sculpture at Bharhut: Queen
the Mauryas, like the Shungas, Kanvas, Mayadevi (the Buddha's mother), dreaming
Kushanas and Guptas in the north and central of an elephant descending towards her
India; and the Satavahanas, Abhiras, womb. Jataka tales are also seen.
Ikshvakus and Vakatakas in the south and
western India.
 In this period there was emergence of
Brahmanical sects- Shaivas & Vaishnavas.
 Examples of fine sculpture- Bharhut &
Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh); Mathura (Uttar
Pradesh); Bodhgaya (Bihar); Jaggayyapeta
(Andhra Pradesh); Bhaja and Pavani
(Maharashtra); and Khandagiri and Udaigiri
Fig. Jataka panel , Bharhut Fig. Queen
(Odisha).
Maya’s dream, Bharhut
BHARHUT  Common characteristic of all male images
after first and second centuries is the knotted
 Sculptures are tall like the Yakshas and
headgear.
Yakshinis of the Mauryan era.
SANCHI STUPA
 Sanchi Stupa is a UNESCO world heritage
site since 1989. Sanchi is in Madhya
Pradesh.
 There are many small stupas here with three
mains ones - stupa 1, stupa 2 and stupa 3.
Stupa 1 is also called the Great Stupa at
Sanchi. It is the most prominent and the
oldest and is believed to have the Buddha's
relics.
 It was built by Ashoka in the 3rd century
BCE. Originally, it was smaller than its
present dimensions. It was expanded in later
periods. Www.Upscsummarynotes.Com

 The original structure was made out of

bricks. Later on, it was covered with stone,
vedica, and the torana (gateway).
 There are four gateways to the stupa with the
southern one being built first. The others
Fig. Yakshini, Bharhut
were later added. The gateways are adorned
 There is an illusion of three-dimensionality. with beautiful sculptures and carvings. Each
Some stories are represented pictorially. torana consists of two vertical pillars and
Space is utilised to the maximum extent. three horizontal bars on top. The bars contain
 Earlier carvings were with flat images, i.e., exquisite carvings on front and back. They
projection of hands and feet were not contain images of shalbhanjikas - lady
possible, but later on they merged with deep holding the branch of a tree. Stories from the
Jataka tales are carved here.

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CHAPTER: 5 - LATER MURALS IN INDIA
EVEN after Ajanta, very few sites with parts of the face to create protruding
paintings have survived which provide structures of the face itself.
valuable evidences to reconstruct the MURALS UNDER THE PALLAVA,
tradition of paintings. PANDAVA AND CHOLA KINGS
 It may also be noted that the sculptures too  Pallavas succeeded the Chalukyas further
were plastered and painted. The tradition of south in Tamil Nadu.
cave excavations continued further at many o Many temples in Panamalai,
places where sculpting and painting were Mandagapattu and Kanchipuram were
done simultaneously. built by Mahendravarma I (7th century).
BADAMI o Inscription at Mandagapattu mentions
 Is a later mural tradition. Badami - capital of Mahendravarma I with several titles
the western Chalukyan dynasty, which ruled such as Vichitrachitta (curious-
the area from 543 CE to 598 CE. minded), Chaityakari (temple-builder)
and Chitrakarapuli (tiger among artists)
- showing his interest in artistic
activities
o Paintings at the temple of Kanchipuram
was patronised by the Pallava king
Rajasimha.
o Painting of Somaskanda here -only
traces remain - large, round face.
o Increased ornamentation in this period
as compared to the previous. But, the
depiction of the torso is much the same
although a bit elongated.

Fig. Queen and attendants, Badami

 Badami caves- patronised by Chalukya king
Mangalesha, the younger son of Pulakesi I
and brother of Kirtivarman I.
 Vishnu Cave/ Cave No. 4 called so because
of the dedication of the image of Vishnu.
Mentions the date 578-579 CE. Www.Upscsummarynotes.Com

 Palace scenes are depicted. One painting Fig. Sittanvasal — early Pandya period, ninth
shows Kirtivarman seated in the palace and century CE
watching a dance scene with his wife and  Pandvas also patronised art.
feudatories. o Tirumalaipuram caves and Jaina caves
 These paintings are an extension of the mural at Sittanvasal are examples.
painting tradition from Ajanta to Badami in o The ceilings of the shrine, in verandas
south India. and on the brackets have paintings.
 Faces of the king and queen are reminiscent o Dancing figures of celestial nymphs are
of the modelling seen in Ajanta, with their seen.
eye-sockets large, eyes half-closed and o Contours- in vermillion red and the
protruding lips. bodies are painted yellow. Dancers
 These artists of the 6th century CE were able have expressions on their faces and
to create volume by contouring different show supple limps. Their eyes are

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CHAPTER: 6 - TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE
EARLY TEMPLES o Amalaka: Stone-like disc seen at the
 While construction of stupas continued, top of the temple. Mostly in north
Brahmanical temples and images of gods Indian temples.
also started getting constructed. Often o Kalasha: topmost part of the temple.
temples were decorated with the images of Mainly seen in north Indian styles.
gods. Myths mentioned in the Puranas o Antarala: a vestibule between
became part of narrative representation of the Garbhagriha & Mandapa.
Brahmanical religion. o Jagati: common in north Indian
 Each temple had a principal image of a god. temples and is a raised platform where
The shrines of the temples were of three devotees can sit and pray.
kinds—(i) sandhara type (without o Vahana: vehicle of the main deity
pradikshinapatha), (ii) nirandhara type (with which along with the standard pillar or
pradakshinapatha), and (iii) sarvatobhadra Dhvaj which are placed axialy
(which can be accessed from all sides).  Basically there are 3 kinds of temple
 Some of the important temple sites of this architecture:
period are Deogarh in Uttar Pradesh, Eran, 1. Nagara Style
Nachna-Kuthara and Udaygiri near Vidisha 2. Dravida Style
in Madhya Pradesh. These temples are 3. Vesara Style
simple structures consisting of a veranda, a SCULPTURE, ICONOGRAPHY AND
hall and a shrine at the rear. ORNAMENTATION
 The study of images of deities falls within a
branch of art history called ‘iconography’,
which consists of identification of images
based on certain symbols and mythologies
associated with them.
 Every region and period produced its own
distinct style of images with its regional
Fig. Shiva temple, Nachna-Kuthara, Madhya variations in iconography.
Pradesh, fifth century  For instance, river goddesses (Ganga and
BASIC FORM OF THE HINDU TEMPLE Yamuna) are usually found at the entrance of
 A Hindu Temple consists of the following a garbhagriha in a Nagara temple, dvarapalas
elements: (doorkeepers) are usually found on the
o Garbhagriha: means womb-house. It gateways or gopurams of Dravida temples, Www.Upscsummarynotes.Com
is cave-like sanctum which houses the similarly, mithunas (erotic images),
main icon of the temple. In earlier navagrahas (the nine auspicious planets) and
times, it was a small cubicle with one yakshas are also placed at entrances to guard
entrance. In later periods, it grew into a them.
larger chamber.
o Mandapa: The entrance to the temple.
It could be a portico or a collonaded
hall where worshippers stand.
o Shikhara/Vimana: Started from 5th
century CE and is like a mountain-like
spire on top. Called Shikhara (curving
in shape) in North India. In south, it is
called Vimana (pyramidal tower).

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