Building, Painting and Books

*   Indian Architecture
    Harappan civilisation show excellent town planning. The most spectacular  buildings are the Great Bath and the Great Granary.

*   Progress made in the field of architecture sculpture and paintings

Find Arts and Architecture : Ancient India had achieved wonderful heights in the fields of fine arts, viz. architecture, sculpture, painting, jewellery, metallurgy, stone and metal polishing, and engineering. In the field of architecture the Public Bath of Mohen-jo-Daro, Buddhist temples at Gaya, the Stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut, the Gupta temples at Deograh and Bhitrigaon, the Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar, the Tejpal Temple at Mount Abu, the Mahadeva Temple at Khajuraho, Vishnu Temple at Badami and the Shiva Temple at Tanjore deserve special mention. The Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandela Rajput rulers.

The Cholas were also great builders. They built many beautiful temples. Their best known temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjore (in Tamil Nadu), dedicated to Lord Shiva.

This is the biggest and most perfectly built temple of South India. It is known for its spacious courtyard and massive tower. Its tower rises to a height of 57 metres (190 feet) like a pyramid in 13 successive storeys. This temple, especially its tower, is the finest example of the Dravidian art. The tower-like structure is called Vimana. The idea of constructing a Copuram or a fine gateway to the enclosed walls of the temple was first conceived by the Chola kings.

In the field of sculpture and stone-carving, we have the Indus seals and toys, the Ashokan pillars at Sanchi, Sarnath, Lauria Nandangarh, Rampura, etc., stone-images made during the Gupta and the Rajput periods, several other pieces of sculpture made in the Gandhara style and the images carved in stone at the Ajanta and the Ellora caves.

*   Ajanta  and Ellora Caves

    The Ajanta Caves situated in Maharashtra are among the most famous Buddhist caves in India. They are a World Heritage Site⁴. They date back to the 2nd century BCE. There are 29 caves in all of which only a few are chaitya grihas  (stupa monument         halls). The others are viharas (monasteries) where Buddhist monk lived. All these rock-cut caves exhibit excellent architectural skills and are exquisitely carved. The caves also have paintings and sculptures which are masterpieces of art made by skilled         craftsmen. They depict scenes from the Buddha's life, his previous births and the Jataka tales. 

    Beautiful paintings called murals adorn the walls ceilings and pillars of the Ajanta Caves. The technique of painting is known as frescoes. A thick layer of mud mixed with vegetable material was applied on the rock surface. This was covered by a thick layer     of plaster. This formed the base surface of the painting. The painting was done with the help of pigments mixed with a gum. Brushes were made of animal hair. These frescoes also depict many scenes from the everyday life in cities and villages.

   Of the Buddhist caves, the Carpenter's hut or Vishwakarma Cave is the most famous. It has a 15 ft statue of the Buddha sitting in a preaching posture.

   Rock-cut caves are also found in Odisha near Bhubaneswar. These are the Khandagiri Caves built in the 1st century BC. There are 33 caves of which 18 are in Udayagiri and 15 are in Khandagiri. These  awesome caves were built during the reign of King     Charvela. 

  Of the Udayagiri Caves, Rani Gumpha is the most famous. The wall carvings depict scenes from the royal courts. The Hathi Gumpha Cave is important because it has a 17 line inscription in Brahmi script which is a valuable source of information about king    Kharvela.

  Apart from these rock-cut temples many stone temples were also built in India. An outstanding example is the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram. It was constructed in the 7th century BE during the rule of King Narasirnhavam II. It is a five-storeyed structure   made of blocks of granite. It is not carved out of rock unlike the temples we have read about earlier. It is an excellent example of Pallava architecture. The spire of the temple is not rounded. It has pyramidical tiered spires. It is dedicated to both  Lord Shiva   and Lord Vishnu.

 The ratha (chariot) temples at Mahabalipuram are monolithic temples carved out of granite rocks. These five temples have multi-pillared halls and sculptured walls.

 The Vishnu temple at Deogarh was built during 'the Gupta period in the 5th century BC. It is one of the earliest examples of stone temples in India. There are many sculptured panels showing the myths and tales related to Lord Vishnu.

 The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli
 This iron pillar is about 22 ft high and weighs 6 tons. It is said to have been built at the time of Chandragupta Vikramaditya. It has not rusted even after 1,600 years. The pillar has a Sanskrit inscription in  Brahmi script and gives information about a King  Chandra who has been identified as Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

*    Literary Works
    The great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana were both written in Sanskrit by Ved Vyasa and Valmiki respectively. They have timeless moral teachings. 
    The Ramayana was passed down by oral tradition before it was written down. The exact time of its writing is not known. It is the story of King Rama and his queen Sita.

    The Mahabharata is a collection of more than 74,000 verses divided into 18 books. It tells us the story of the Pandavas and their victory over their evil cousins, the Kauravas. It also contains  the Bhagavad Gita which is a conversation between Lord                Krishna and Arjuna on the battle field. This epic unfold some great moral truths.

*   The Puranas
     There are 18 Puranas. They contain myths and stories of gods and goddesses, cosmology and spiritual philosophy. Initially, they were passed on as oral tradition and written down much later. Some of the important ones are the Vishnu Purana and the           Shiv  Purana. The Puranas serve as guide books for life. They have many interesting stories

*    Works of Kalidasa
     Kalidasa wrote many poems in Sanskrit. Two of his lyric poems are Meghaduta and Ritusamhara. Meghaduta is one of the finest works of Kalidasa. Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava are epic poems. He also wrote plays like Malavikagnimitra and               Shakuntalam. The play Shakuntalam has been translated in many languages and is considered a masterpiece. These are a few lines translated from this play.

*    Jataka Tales
    These are collections of short stories written in the 3rd century BC. They teach values and morals in an interesting manner. These stores have been passed down many generation. They are about the previous lives of the Buddha and each stories teaches      some important lesson of life. They inspire honesty, truthfulness, kindness and self-respect. These were  originally written in Pali but they have been translated. Scenes from the Jataka tales have been carved on stupas and painted on the walls of the               Ajanta Caves.

*   Panchatantra (five treatises)
    These are also a collection of short stories each of which teaches a moral. The stories are presented and narrated by a sage called Vishnu Shanna. He wrote these stories to teach values of life to a king's sons. Most of the stories are amusing and                  animals  play an important role in them. One famous short story is The lion and the hare.

*   Tamil Literature
    Tamil literature dates back almost 2,000 years. The history of Tamil literature is closely related to the history of Tamil Nadu. Jain and Buddhist monks also contributed to Tamil literature. The five great Tamil epics are Silappatikaram, Manimegalai, Civaka         Cintamani, Kundalakesi and Valayapathi.

    Silappatikaram was written by Ilango Adigal, a Buddhist monk. It dates back to 5th century BC and involves three ancient Tamil kingdoms – Chera, Chola, and Pandya. The epic also vividly describes the Tamil society of the period, its cities, the people's          religious and folk traditions and their gods.

*    Natya Shastra
    This is regarded as the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world. It consists of 6,000 verse stanzas and the whole text is written in Sanskrit. It is also known as the fifth Veda owing to its huge importance. The text tells us that the Natya Shastra was          passed on from Brahma to a sage named Bharata. It also tells that natya or drama was created to give pleasure to tired minds. It deals with all aspects of dramatic performances like acting, speech, expressions etc. It also discusses plots of plays,                   dialogues and characters. It gives details about the music and instruments of that period. Thus Natya Shastra can be considered as the foundation of the fine arts.

*    Science and Mathematics
    The earliest known historical astronomer is Aryabhata. He described in his writings that the planets moved around the Sun in circular epicycles. He explained why eclipses were caused. He was the first to discover that the earth rotates on its axis daily. He     also worked out the correct equation for calculating the orbit of a planet and knew the length of a year. He also described the properties of a circle and gave an accurate value for pi . He also described the decimal system and how to calculate square root       and cube root. He is regarded as the 'Father of Algebra'.

   Varahamihira was an astronomer and mathematician of the 6th century. He wrote the Britatsamhita which tells how to ascertain the value of metals and stones, to distinguish good breeds of animals and to make trees bear fruit out of season. It also gives      explanation of seasons and the relation between clouds, rain and wind. Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita are the earliest texts on medicine.

 The Charaka Samhita is dated to around 2nd century BC. It is the work of several authors and is a comprehensive text on Ayurveda. It is divided into 120 chapters dealing with food, certain diseases and their treatment and phannacology, pathology, nutrition   and the diagnosis of diseases. It even gives details of how a hospital should be equipped.

  The Sushruta Samhita deals with doctor's training, surgery, the treatment of wounds, symptoms of diseases children's care and anatomy.

*   Key Words
1.    India's rich cultural heritage is the crowning glory of the Indian civilisation.

2.    The Mauryas contributed greatly to Indian art and architecture. Ashoka used stone extensively and  constructed many palaces, rock-cut caves, monasteries, stupas and pillars.

3.     The Ajanta Caves exhibit excellent architectural skill and are exquisitely carved.

4.    The Ellora Caves are 34 rock-cut caves of which a few are Buddhist caves and the rest are Jain and Hindu caves.

5.    Beside the rock-cut temples, many stone temples were also built in India. An outstanding, example is the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram.

6.    Our heritage includes many great literary works which serve as important sources of study of ancient India. The Mahabharat and the Ramayana and some examples.

7.    Panchatantra and Jataka tales are collections of short stories with moral lessons from everyday life.

8.    Jain and Buddhist monks also contributed to Tamil literature. There are five great Tamil epics.

9.    The earliest known historical astronomer is Aryabhata. He was also a mathematician and is called the 'Father of Algebra'.

10.    Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita are ancient texts on medicine.

Monarchy       :    Where the head of the government is .a hereditary king.
Republic        :    Where the head of the government is not hereditary but an elected one.
Vegetarian     :    A person who does not eat meat or fish.
Joint family    :    A family where a person lives together with his parents, brothers and children.
Metallurgy     :    The science of metals.