Court and Folk art of �Mauryan Dynasty

Submitted By:

Dr. Neeru Bharti Sharma

Assistant Professor,

Fine Arts Dept.

Mauryan Dynasty�( c. 321-185 BC)

• In 321 BC, a new ruler came to power in a kingdom in India. Within 35 years, the tiny kingdom grew into the Maurya Empire.
• The ruler’s name was Chandragupta.
• Before the Maurya Empire, India was divided into several warring states. After Chandragupta took over, his army conquered most of northern and central India.

Buddhist Ruler

• Asoka practiced and preached Buddhism. He didn’t allow sacrifices of animals and gave up hunting.
• He built hospitals and built wells every mile along the roads for thirsty travelers.
• Asoka issued various writings on moral advice. Some urged people to honor their parents, and some urged tolerance – freedom from prejudice. His advice was carved on stone pillars.

Ashoka’s Legacy

• Mauryan Pillars: The most striking monuments of Mauryan art are the celebrated Pillars of Dharma. These pillars were free standing columns and were not used as supports to any structure. They had two main parts, the shaft and the capital. The shaft is monolith column made of one piece of stone with exquisite polish. The art of polishing was so marvelous that many people felt that it was made of metal.
• Some of the Pillars mark the stages of Asoka’s pilgrimage to various centers of Buddhism.

Court art of Mauryan Period

Lauria Nandangarh 

Time period : C. 242 BC – 241 BC

Material : Chunar Sand Stone

Height : 32ft

Collection : Bihar near Nepal

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It is free standing pillar. On the capital of the pillar the sculpture of lion is shown seated. The shaft of the pillar is shown plain. The abacus is round in shape. The inverted lotus is shown in the abacus . The lion is shown roaring as it shown opened its mouth. The naturalism is shown in the figure of the lion. The pillar is shown with polished way.the width of the pillar from the base is 89cm in width and on the upper portion of the pillar is 56cm in width.

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Lion Capital from Sarnath

Time period : C. 250 BC

Material : Chunar Sand Stone

Height : 7 ft.

Collection : Archeological Museum Sarnath.

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• It has a Flat divisoion between 4 animals-
• Lions, Horse, Bull, Elephant
• In the middle of these animals there is Ashokan pillar.
• The whole sits upon a bell-shaped lotus.
• The capital was originally probably crowned by a 'Wheel of DHARMA dharmachakra  popularly known in India as the “Ashok Chakra"), with 24 spokes, of which a few fragments were found on the site

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• The lion is frequently used as a symbol of the Buddha, as at Sanchi, and the animals on the abacus below also have symbolic meaning in Buddhism.
•  The capital is clearly Buddhist  and Mauryan  in origin and thus probably symbolizes the spread of dharma and perhaps the extent of the Maurya Empire in all directions, or four parts of the empire.
• Alternatively, the group of four lions and bell jointly symbolize preaching of 'the Four Noble Truths' of Buddhism to all; those that emphasize the Middle Path. The symbol U with a vertical line placed symmetrically inside it symbolizes 'The Middle Path'.
• The Middle Path is the fundamental philosophy of Buddhism, the Buddhist Dharma.

Bull capital from Rampurva

Time period : 3^rd Century BC

Material : Sand Stone

Height : 6 ft. with pillar 34 ft.

Collection : National Museum of India,

New Delhi

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• The 8’9" Rampurva Bull capital comes from one of a pair of pillars found at the same site on the Gandak river, about half way from Pataliputra, the Maurya capital and Lumbini the Buddha’s birth place.
• It is carved in the light-coffee-coloured sandstone of Chunar and likely carried from there.
• Its design is divided into the lotus bell base a narrow abacus of floral forms and the great bull zebu above.

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• It was once finished in a fine polish, but years of weathering and possibly the time lying in bog where it eventually fell has worn off most.
• The lotus bell is a highly refined shape we find in a good number of other capitals and destined to become a stable of later Indian design.
• It is a full round shape bulging gently but firmly above to produce a double-curving silhouette. Its outer surface is finished in a set of ridges that alternate abstractly between angled ribs surrounded by rounded ones.

Lion capital pillar from Baarah Bakhim

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Time period : C. 243BC

Medium : Chunar sand stone

This pillar is the earliest example of these series of pillars. This pillar is also known as ancient Vaishali pillar. There is same basic pattern which is followed. The workmanship is crude and rough. The form is in primitive style. The shaft is shorter. As compare to other pillars, this pillar is not smooth and beautiful. This is not even polished. The shaft of this pillar is not tapered in shape. Even the abacus in the pillar is square in shape. The shaft also look as it is made of different joint

pieces. It doesn't look like a single piece. The lion on the abacus is short in height and unattractive. It lacks proportions. Thereislack of vigour quality of lion as he is seated. It does not look active.

Stylistic Features

• Looking at the sculptural details and techniques of the capital, one can see a strong evidence of Persian or more exactly Achaemenid influence.
• The very fact that the school of art, fully mature and creating monuments in stone, suddenly appeared and changed the quality and direction of sculptures in India proves that it was an alien importation.

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Folk art of Mauryan Period

• Mauryan art was basically the court art.
• In court art, there was an interest of Emperor in making of art. He dictated a lot.
• The artists were commissioned and work was done under the instructions of emperor.
• But after some time, the artist did not want to work under the court art.

• They refused to do work under court art. They wanted to do work as their own wish. So they start doing work with their own wish and this style of work is called folk art.
• The tradition of folk art recognised in a group of free standing sculpture, which we found in many places in North India Bihar and Orissa.
• They are mostly figures of yaksha and yakshi.

• The yaksha and yakshi figures are basically the male and female attendant of earthly deities.
• They are classed as earliest huge free standing sculptures of Indian art. They are carved out in round, impressive volume, powerful built.
• They are polished.

Sculptures under Folk Art

Yakshi from Didarganj

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Time period : C. 200BC

Material : chunar sand stone

Height : 5' 4"

Collection : Patna Museum

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It is sculpture of a female or Yakshi. It is made in chunar sand stone. The stone is heavy with certain lightness. This quality is hightened by smooth glossy surface contrasted with minute carved details of jewels. The face is round and glossy. In the right hand, she holds chauri. The hairs are tied at the behind the head. There is a realistic approach in deption of stomach. She is wear bangles which covers most of the area of her arm. On the neck she wears the double stringed necklace.

A fine stringed girdle on her waist. She is wearing transparent drapery on the upper part of her body. In the lower part the garment shows with incised lines. She has narrow waist rounded hips and rounded breast. It is not smooth or proper carved out from back. The reason for that, it might be made for corner of wall.

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Yaksha from Parkham�

• Time period :C.200 BC-50 BC
• Material: Gray Stone
• Height : 2.6 meters
• Collection: Mathura Museum, Mathura

• The statue is 2.6 meters tall, including its base of about 30 centimeters. The badly corroded inscription in early Brahmi script on the top side of the base reads:
• Parkham Yaksha inscription with transliteration, paleographically dated to mid-2nd century BCE. "The image of the Holy One was caused to be made by eight brothers, members of the Manibhada congregation. It has been made by Gomitaka, the pupil of Kunika.
• This inscription thus indicates that the statue represents the Yaksa Manibhadra, and the title "Bhagavat" ("Lord" or "Holy One") suggests that the statue represents a divinity in its own right, which was the subject of worship, independently of Buddhism or Jainism with which it was later associated.

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Style�

• The analysis of the statue has suggested that the Parkham Yaksha probably held his left arm akimbo, while holding a bag filled with square coins, as seen in the Manibhadra statue of Pawaya. According to John Boardman, the hem of the dress is derived from Greek art. Describing a similar statue, John Boardman writes: "It has no local antecedents and looks most like a Greek Late Archaic mannerism". Similar folds can be seen in the Bharhut Yavana.
• The Parkham Yaksha is one of four known occurrences of the Yaksha Manibhadra in inscriptions: one in Parkham near Mathura, one in Pawaya near Gwalior, one in Masharfa and one in Bhītā near Kausambi. It appears Manibhadra was considered as a protector of itinerant merchants, a provider of wealth, and a protector against smallpox.

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Caves under Mauryan Art

• The main exterior entrance of this cave was wooden. There were two wooden posts inclined slightly inwards supporting a curved roof fixed on rafters. The main entrance to these caves has gable arch. There is a very famous art feature in this arch and that is a semicircular panel at the crown of the arch. This depicts two rows of elephants walking towards Stupa. The panel is neither lifted after carving nor is inspired by woodcarvings.

• This is carving on stone by some very skilled stone carvers. The sizes of these elephants are very small still proportions of elephants are very realistic. There is repetition of elephants creating a rhythmic movement towards the Stupa. This is a unique combination of Stupa as symbol of Buddhist architecture and elephants as a sacred symbol of Hindu architecture.