Mauryan Architecture and Art

The Mauryan Empire was one of the greatest empires in the history of the Indian subcontinent. It flourished from c. 322 BC to c. 185 BC, and almost all the region of the Indian subcontinent was under the dominance of the Mauryan empire. Chandragupta was the founder of the Mauryan empire. He became the king by defeating the Nanda king, Dhananada. There are two prominent texts, Arthashastra and Indica, which provide details about this mighty empire.

During the Mauryan period several arts and architectures emerged. There were typically two types of Mauryan art; Court art (palaces, pillars, stupas) and Popular art (caves, pottery, sculptures). The court arts were initiatives of state court and popular arts were individual initiative.

Also Read : Arts in India – Introduction and Classification

Architecture During The Harappan Age

Sculptures During Harapan Civilization

Palaces

Wood was the main building material used during this period. The capital at Patliputra and the residences palaces at Kumrahar are the typical example of the Mauryan palaces. The palace of Chandragupta was inspired by the Achaemenid palaces of Iran. Ashoka’s palace at Kumrahar was a massive structure as it had high central pillar and was a three-stored wooden building and it was decorative with sculptures and carvings.

Pillars

The pillars are the most famous architecture of the this age. The pillars of Ashoka were the symbol of the state and erected to commemorate battle victories and later they used for spreading the imperial sermon (Dhamma of Ashoka). Chunar sandstone was used to these pillars which mostly contained capital (lotus shaped or bell shaped) at its top. These pillars were monolithic in nature. Above the capital on base animal figures were placed. For example, Sarnath Pillar, Lauriya-Nandangarh pillar etc.

Stupas

Stupas were the burial mounds in which relics and ashes of dead were kept, a conventional representation of a funeral cumulus. This practice was prevalent form Vedic age. It was the reign of Ashoka, when this art was reached to its as almost 84000 stupas were erected this period. In Buddhism, this art was popularized after the death of Buddha as Stupas were built to keep the remains of Buddha.

The unburnt and burnt bricks were used for the construction of these stupas. Medhi (inside stupa) and Toran (gateway to stupa) were decorated with wooden structures. The Sanchi stupa in Madhya Pradesh is an example of the stupa art.

Caves

During the Mauryan age, caves were mainly used as Viharas (living quarters by Jain and Buddhist monks) and it was a popular local art. Initially the use of caves started by monks of Ajivika sect but later they emerged as the Buddhist Monasteries. With the evolution of time the caves were becoming more decorative and more polished with decorative gateways. For example, Barabar caves, Nagarjuni caves in Bihar etc. are the examples of Mauryan age caves.

Pottery and Sculptures of Mauryan Age

The pottery of Mauryan age generally refers as Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) as they were characterized by black paint and highly lustrous finish. They are considered as the highest level of pottery and used as luxury items. The sculptures during the Mauryan age were mainly used for the decoration of stupas. Yaksha and Yakshini were the most famous sculptures of Mauryan age as they were related to three religions; Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.

Thus, the Mauryan age saw the emergence of several new art which transformed the field of art and architecture.