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The Art of India
Chapter 10.1
The Art of India
 For centuries Hinduism and Buddhism have influenced all aspects of
Indian life.
 Both have their own unique style of artwork but sometimes they blend
together, resulting in artworks that are both Hindu and Buddhist in
style.
The Indus Valley
Civilization
 The modern nations of India,
Pakistan, and Bangladesh trace
their cultural beginnings to the
early Indian civilizations.
 Historians now recognize that an
ancient civilization once
flourished on the banks of the
Indus River in what is now
northwest India.
The Harappans
 The Harappans or the people of the Indus River Valley, gradually
developed a way of life as far advanced as that of Egypt.
 They used bronze and copper technology and erected multistoried
buildings made of fired bricks along streets as wide as 40 feet.
 Also developed at efficient drainage system and developed a
written language based on pictograms, or picture symbols.
 Most Harappans raised grain and vegetables but others made
livings by trading pottery, bronze and stone figures, and cotton
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
 Harappa = Discovered in
1856
 Mohenjo-Daro = Discovered
in 1922
 Excavation reveal that about
4,500 years ago a civilization
rose along the 400 mile route
separating the two cities.
 More than 70 cities, towns,
and villages have been
discovered; believed to be part
of an organized central
government.
Mohenjo – Daro, India c.2500BC
Harappan Art
 Many Harappan clay works have been found,
most of which were apparently made for
trading services.
 Only a few bronze and stone sculptures
from Mohenjo-Daro have survived to the
present day.
 Artworks found hint at a fully developed
artistic style and provide insight on religious
beliefs of the mysterious civilization.
 Artworks indicate they worshipped a great
many spirits who, they believed, were found
in water, trees, animals, and humans.
Decline of Harappan Civilization
 By about 2000 B.C. the Harappan civilization began
to decline, and by 1500BC it vanished completely.
 Most historians believe that invaders from the
northwest, known as the Aryans, were largely
responsible for bringing and end to the Indus Valley
civilization
The Ganges Civilization and the Rise of
the Hindu Religion
 The Aryans controlled India during the thousand year period
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commonly known as the Ganges civilization.
They were warrior–sheppards that relied on their cattle and
sheep to live.
There is no evidence that suggests the Aryans were as well
organized as the Harappans were.
They had no central government and were loosely organized in to
tribes.
Over time the beliefs of the Harappans and the Aryan religion
blended together to create the national religion of India, known as
Hinduism.
Hinduism
 Was not founded on the teachings of a single person
 Developed over a period of time from a blend of several
different beliefs and practices.
 Hindu’s believe there are 3 primary processes in life and in
the universe:
 Creation
 Preservation
 Destruction
 The 3 main Hindu gods reflect this belief. They are:
 The Creator = Brahama
 The Preserver = Vishnu
 The Destroyer = Shiva
Hindu Gods
Hinduism
 In addition to these great gods, Hindus recognize
and worship a multitude of other gods that include
good and evil spirits, heavenly bodies like the sun,
and birds and other animals
 To a devout Hindu, there is no distinction between
humans and animals.
 Both have souls, or spirits, that pass from one to
the other through reincarnation, or birth.
Hinduism & Reincarnation
 Reincarnation is a purification process in which the soul
lives in many bodies over many lifetimes.
 To move to a higher, purer state, a person must follow a ser
of rules governing moral conduct.
 The ultimate hope of the Hindu is escape the cycle of
reincarnation. When that happens, the soul becomes one
with Brahma, the great soul or Force of the World.
 A Buddhist
The Birth of Buddhism
 By 500BC northern India was little more
than an on again, off again battlefield for
a number of feuding kingdoms.
 During this trouble period, another
important religion – Buddhismemerged.
 The founder of this religion was a prince,
Siddhartha Gautama, whose holiness and
love for all creatures earned him
widespread fame throughout India.
 In time he was called the Buddha, which
means “the enlightened one.”
The Beliefs of Buddhism
 Buddha did not claim to be of
divine origin, nor did he claim to
receive inspiration from the gods.
 He practiced meditation, the act
of focusing thoughts on a single
object or idea.
 He did not pray to a higher being.
 After his death in 483 B.C., temples
were built in his honor.
 His beliefs spread throughout Asia.
Buddhism
 Fundamental to Buddhist belief is reincarnation.
 Like Hinduism, Buddhism holds that after death, a soul returns to
life in another form.
 The two religions differ on the rules that one must follow to
complete the cycle of reincarnation successfully.
 Buddhist believe that when completion is achieved, the spirit
experiences nirvana, a blissful state free of all desires.
Buddhist Architecture
 The importance attached to
meditation moved many of
Buddha’s followers to withdraw
from society and live in
monasteries, viharas.
 At first these monasteries were
simple wooden structures or
natural caves.
 Later more elaborate chambers
and meeting halls were carved
out of the rock in hillsides and
cliffs.
Vihara at Paharpu
Lomas Rishi Cave
 One of these chambers was
the Lomas Rishi Cave in
northeastern India.
 An early Buddhist Temple
 The exterior of the cave is
carved to look like the
wooden constructions of
that time.
 This practice continued in
monasteries for a thousand
years.
The Great Stupa
 Stupa – a small round burial
shrine erected over a grave
site to hold relics of the
Buddha.
 The Great Stupa in Sanchi,
India is the most impressive.
 Shrines such as these offered
opportunities for the faithful
to engage in private
meditation, an important
element in the Buddhist
religion.
The Great Stupa
 Showed devotion by walking the pathway around the base of the
dome. Symbolized the the path of life that circled the world.
 While slowly walking they contemplated the holy relic within the
shrine, believers were transported from the real world and its
distractions to the comfort of the spiritual world.
 In this way they approached the enlightened state sought as a
means of moving ever closer to nirvana.
Symbolism in Buddhist Art
 The complex carvings and sculptures that adorned
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the shrines were intended to remind worshipers of
Buddha’s teaching and aid them in meditation.
The figure of Buddha never appears in the shrines.
His presence is implied by such symbols as an
empty throne, a tree under which he meditated,
and his footprints.
A person who had reached nirvana could not be
represented by any type of illustration, so symbols
were used to inspire meditation and teachings.
The wheel is a reoccurring symbol that stands for
the circle of life, maturity, and death associated
with each reincarnation, all leading to nirvana
Chaitya Hall at Karli
 The Stupa at Sanchi is
recognized as the greatest of the
early Buddhist shrines, where as
the cave at Karli is thought to be
the finest of cave temples.
 An elaborate exterior was
carved to look exactly like a
wooden structure.
 Inside a hall nearly 45 ft. high
and 125 ft. along was carved in
to the stone cliff.
Chaitya Hall at Karli
 A large window above the main entrance allows light in to the space.
 Buddhists would meditate while walking the pathway created by the
columns around the stupa at the far end.
 Walking toward the sunlit stupa worshippers would experience the
sensation of moving away from earthly troubles and closer and closer
to enlightenment.
Buddhist Sculpture
 Early Buddhist sculptures depict various
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events in the life of the Buddha.
This artwork found in a stupa shows the
Buddha being visited by the king.
Buddha is only represented by a symbol,
in this case the wheel placed on an empty
throne.
The wheel symbolizes the circle of life,
maturity, and death associated with each
reincarnation, all leading to Nirvana.
After a number of reforms in Buddhist
religion, as a consequence artists began
representing Buddha in human form.
The Revival of Hinduism
 Although Buddhism was for
many centuries the leading
religion in India, Hinduism was
never completely forgotten.
 Hinduism experienced a revival
around fifth century AD.
 This revival may have been due
to the fact that Hinduism offered
more varied avenues to spiritual
perfection.
Vishnu Temple in Deogarh
 Like all Hindu temples, this
building was never intended to
hold a large number of people.
 Primary purpose was to serve as
a residence for the God Vishnu.
 The sanctuary was lined with
thick walls and heavy ceiling that
protected a statue or relic.
 Meant to be appreciated from
the outside.
Symbolism in Hindu Sculpture
 The multiple arms serve a dual purpose.
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They not only emphasize the god’s
graceful movements but also permit him
to hold several symbolic objects.
In his hand he grasps a drum symbolizing
creation
In other hand he holds a flame which
symbolizes destruction
He raises a hand to protect the faithful
One hand points to his upraised left foot
which symbolizes escape from ignorance
represented by the figure beneath his right
foot.
Performing a dance that symbolizes the
destruction of the universe, which is then The Hindu God, Shiva Nataraja
reborn
Quiz Review & Vocab
 Meditation –the act of focusing thoughts on a single object or
idea.
 Stupa -a small round burial shrine erected over a grave site to
hold relics of the Buddha.