Architecture

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Content

Table of Contents
Mauryan period 4
Post Mauryan 5
Gupta Period 6
Post Gupta Period 7
Delhi Sultanate 9
Mughal Period 10


Architecture
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Mauryan Period
Mauryan period has two art styles ; royal and common art.
What is royal art ?
The art and style we find in the mautyan pillars.
What is common or popular art ?
The art and stye we find in the sculptures of yakshas and yakshinis of perkham and besanagar
what were the characteristics of Mauryan royal architecture ?
The mautyan art as reflected in the pillars was a highly developed art.The pillars had a very smooth
finish so much so that they looked like as if they were polished.The pillars were mounted by capitals
such as the bull capital at rampurava ,lion capital at sarnath etc.These animal capitals were highly
stylized as we can se in the whiskers of Lions of sarnath capital.The elephant figure of Dhauli is also
notable.
Do you believe that the mauryan royal art had Persian origin ?
We do believe that the mauryan art had Persian influences.But the argument that mauryan art was
based on Persian art is highly misplaced.Firstly the mauryan polish that is so much a characteristic of
the mauryan art is missing in Iranian figures.Seconly,the animal capitals of thge mauryan pillars are
stylistically different from the Persian capitals.Thirdy,the Persian motifs like the acanthus leaves
though adopted in the mauryan art are highly Indianized in the form of Nag pushp before being
deployed.
Give details about the mauryan popular art :
The mauryan popular art is visible in the figures of yakshas and yakshinis of perlkham and
besanagar.The yakshas and yakshinis were folk deities and were worshipped for fertility and general
well being.These figures which are carved out of red sand stone gives the Indian artists idea of
feminine beauty.The figure of yakshini from besanagar with its full breasts,deep set navel ,broad hips
and heavy undergarment gives an idea of the mastery Indian artists achieved during the mauryan
period
Give details about the cave architecture during the mauryan period-
The caves in the barabar hills excavated during the reign of asoka and his grandson dasrath and gifted
to the Ajivaka sect are the most famous ones.The most famous among these is the Lomas Rishi
caves.It is famous for its painted Gavaka entrance ,polished interior and honeycomb like carving on
the roof.
*Gavaka is the sculptured wooden entrance normally in busshist architrecture


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Post Mauryan Period
This is a period of the stupas and the development of Pan Indian style of art in the form of stupas
What is the basic structure of stupa ?
The stupa consists of a square platform knows as medhi.On medhi there is a hemispherical structure
which encloses a casket.The medhi is surrounded by vedika(boundary wall).Between the medhi and
the vedika was pradakshina path or the circum-ambulatory.On the stupa there was harmika followed
by one ore more chatris which signified axis mundi or axis of the world.
What were different kinds of stupas ?
1. Sharirik the casket enclosed the mortal remains of various Buddhist figures such as the
sariputra and maudgalayan stupa at sanchi
2. Paribhogika the casket enclosed the various objects and utensils used by the various
Buddhist figures during their lifetime
3. Uddeshik mainly used for pooja and aradhana

What are the major differences between the North Indian and South Indian Stupas ?

Sr
No
Northern Southern
1 Presence of toran dwara No torana dwara
2 Circular stupa Non circular stupa
3 No decorations on hemispheres Decorations present on hemisphere
4 Buddha depicted by symbols Buddha depicted by symbols as well as in
anthropomorphic formss

What are major differences between Mathura and Gandhara art ?
Sr
No
Mathura Art Gandhara art
1 Indian in form and character Indian in character but Indo Greek in form
2 Buddhist as well as brahmanical figures Only Buddhist figures
3 Emphasis on greek features like transparent
drapery ,masculine body and Apollo face
Emphasis on facial expressions,bhavas and
mudras
4 Bhddha is shown with curly hairs Buddha is normally shown bald


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Gupta Period
This period is famous for two things
1. Start of the brahmanical temple development
2. Ajanta caves
The temple no 17 at sanchi is one of the earliest evidence of temple in the subcontinent.The tample is
flat roofed and without any gargoyles.This temple is further experimented with decorated gateways at
nachna kathura and bhumrah.This culminates into the panchayatan temple style at deograh
*panchayatan temple style is the one in which five temples,one at centre and four in each corner,are
constructed on the same medhi (platform)
During this period the notable changes in the sculture which toke place were firstly the depiction of
Vishnu in a combination of anthropomorphic and theriomorphic forms and the personification of his
articles like the shankha and chakra is his various scultures as ayudha purushas.Secondly depiction of
shiva in a combination of linga and anthropomorphic forms and thirdly the ornamentation of the halo
around the Buddha figures and the increasing attention given to the plasticity of the body.The Vishnu
figure of the deogarh temple,the standing Buddha of Mathura,the terracottas of shiva and parvati and
that of ganga and Yamuna from acchitra are quite famous.
Ajanta Caves
There are total 28 caves in the Ajanta complex overlooking the waghora river.out of these 5 were
excavated during the satavahana period and the remaining 23 were excavated during the vakataka
period.Out of all these caves ,19 and 26 are chaityas and the rest are viharas.the chaityas are
characterised by a rectangular hall with a rear apse .the hall is devided into a central porion and two
aisles by a line of carved pillars going around the vertical shrine.The Shrine consists of Budhhas in
high relief.The caves are studded with sculptures from Mahayana pantheon.the characteristic feature
of the Ajanta viharas is the presence of a personal shrine.the Ajanta paintings are covered by beautiful
murals as covered in the earlier portion of this document.







Post Gupta Period (700-1200AD)
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The post gupta period is a period of extraordinary architectural activity,both rock cut and structural,
all over .
The temples during this phase can be devided into Nagara , Dravida and Vesara.
What are nagara , dravida and vesara temple style ?
Nagara style is a north Indian temple style which has a curvilinear shikhara , which is capped by
amalaka or the cogged wheel followed by beej-purak.
The Dravidian style developed in south India and it has a pyramidal shikhara which is referred as
vimana and it is capped by a domical capstone or a turret
The literal meaning of vesara in Sanskrit is mule which is a cross between a horse and a donkey.The
vesara temple style has features both of the nagara and dravida temple styles.The temples at Badami
and Patadakkal betray strong vesara features
What are the important feautures of the temple of Orissa ?
These temples have sharp nagara characteristics.They have a ticpical shikhara which is called as rekha
deul as seen in the lingaraja temple or a turreted roof as seen in the Lakshman Deul temple.These
structures are build over the garbha griha.They are preceeded by a jagmohana which is a precursor to
the pagodas of India and S E Asia.
Give Details about the temple architectute of Pallavas-
The pallava architecture was a purely Dravidian style.It began with the rockcut temples of
mahabalipuram.Some of these temples had turreted roof called as gaja-pristhaka (elephant back)
While the others had a typical Dravidian vimana.The true Dravidian style flwered in the form of
Shore temple which is in panchayatan style and has all the dravida features
What are the characteristic features of the Khajuraho temple complex ?
Here we should mention the following two main features
1. The erotic sculptures
2. The architectural proportions
3. Repetition of the anga manjaris over the mula manjari or the mula shikhara

What do you consider the most prominent features of the Dilwara jain temple complex of mount
abu ?
1. Beautiful use of marble
2. Multi cusped arches
3. Intricately carved pillars so much so that carvings on no two pillars are similar
What are the characteristic features of hoysaleshwar temple at halebid ?
1. Intricately carved temple surface
2. Artists signature present on temple stone blocks
3. Temple complexes rendered in mirror image style
What are the characteristic features of Ellora caves ?
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1. The ellora as the name suggests are not exactly caves but structures carved into solid
rocks mainly during the rule od rashtrakuta kings
2. There are 12 buddhist,17 hindu and 5 jaina i.e a total of 34 caves
3. The jewel among all these is the kailashnath temple which took around 100 years to be
carved from a single peace of rock.The temple is entirely surrounded by pillared
corridos.Two carved pillars and two carved elephants stand guard at the temple
gateway.The walls of the temple are carved with various avatars of shiva ;some
meditating and some slaying daemons
4. Next to the kailashnath temple is the Buddhist caves the most famous amoung them being
the carpentars cave with a seated Buddha at the end
5. The jaina caves are about a kilometre away .they are smaller in size bu with very detailed
carvings
















Architecture During Delhi Sultanate
Architecture
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With the establishment of Delhi sultanate came Islam in north India and with Islam the Islamic
architecture.
What were the prominent features of Islamic Architecture during delhi sultanate period ?
1. The architecture followed arcuate model
2. There was use of domes and arches
3. There was use of squenches and pedentives
Write a note on quwwatul islam mosque
1. It is probably the first mosque of north india
2. It as contructed over the remains of a jaina temple
3. It introduced the arcuate style in india
Similarly during this period the other important mosque that was constructed was dhai din ka jhompra
in Ajmer
The reign of Alauddin khalji is known for saracenic or Persian influences in the architecture like the
once seen in alai darwaza
In the tuqluq period the architecture was heavy and devoid of ornamentation ,the tuglaqabad fort
being the case in point.
During the Lodi period great various grand mausoleums were made specially in between verdant
garden settings like the one in lodi gardens.These maousoleums were built on huge platforms to give a
beetr view and a beautiful skyline.During this time ,the domb of Sikandar lodi is the first example of
double dome in India
Why was double dome used in architecture ?
1. To give proper height o the building (outer dome)
2. To cover the dark space inside (inner dome)

If we look at the period between sultanate and the Mughal the important palces are Narnaul and
sasaram
Narnaul in Haryana houses toms of the ancestors of shershah.Sasaram in Bihar contains the tomb of
shershah and it is the most beautiful example of the architecture of the pre Mughal and post sultanate
period






Mughal Architecture
Architecture
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The frist important monument during the mughal period is Humayuns tomb at delhi.
What were the most prominent features of Humayuns tomb ?
1. It was located between the char bagh central asian pattern
2. It was located on a high platform
3. It had a watermelon kind of dome with an inverted lotus on top of it
4. The pinnacle of the dome was of Indian origin
5. The octagonal structure made of red stone and the dome made of white marble had a
bichromic effect which was one of the first experiment of its kind
What were the most important features of fatehpur sikri ?
1. It was one of the most ambitious project of akbar
2. It was a mixture of various architectural styles
3. The birbal and jodha mahals had rajasthani influence
4. The buland darwaza had Persian influence
5. The tomb of sheikh salim chishti had very beautiful serpentine brackets carved out of marble
What are the most important features for which Akbars tomb is known for ?
1. Deriving its influence from the Buddhist viharas
2. Using of multi coloured tiles and multi coloured stones
What is pietra dura work ?
1. It is the work of inlaying precious stones in white marble
2. This technique was first employed in the tomb of itimad-ud-daula during the reign of Jahangir
3. This technique is said to be originated in Italy
4. This technique achieved its climax in the beautiful inlay work done in Taj Mahal
What were the new architectural features introduced during the reign of shah jahan ?
The most important features introduced in the shah jahan period were
1. Ghatpallo type of pillars
2. Bulbous dome (pyazi gummad)
3. Foliated arches (dantedar mehraben)
Mughal architecture during the period of Aunrangzeb:
1. Moti ki masjid and bibi ka makbara
2. They had earlier influences but were not as symbolic as the earlier buildings like Tajmahal
and Jama masjid


By
Saleman Qazi
.On the site forumias.com few aspirants formed a community , we distributed some topic among
ourselves and shared with the members.You need not worry.It was a private thread of 15 members
and was a personal affair.And These articles were written by me.I have shared no material written by
any other members(they would not have mind it).Be relaxed , it was just few members writing articles
for other members for Mains 2013.No blogs.No Sites.just a few members sharing a common thread
and a Google drive....
Architecture
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Bibliography
Books
Upinder Singh : Ancient India
Patha Mitter : Indian Architecture (Oxford History Series)
Internet
http://www.ccrtindia.gov.in
edusat lectures