Mauryan Art and Architecture

The reign of the Mauryans is a significant period in our historical context. Art and architecture were at their pinnacle during the Ashoka period and fell under the genre of court art. Following Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism, massive Buddhist missionary operations spurred the creation of distinctive sculptural and architectural styles. 

The Mauryan Empire was not just known for its illustrious emperors. It was also known for its exceptional expansion in the fields of art, architecture, and literature, among other things. During this time, Indian art underwent a significant transformation from wood to stone. Pottery was also refined during this time period.

Mauryan art refers to art created between 322 and 185 BCE under the Mauryan Empire that was the first empire to control much of the Indian subcontinent. It was a royal art that was supported by Mauryan rulers. The most notable sculptures include pillars, stupas, and caverns.

Mauryan Empire Arts

During the Mauryan Empire, art took numerous forms. The lion capital of Sarnath, the bull capital of Rampurva, and the lion capital of Lauriya Nandangarh are examples of sculptures from this time. The national emblem of Republic India is Ashoka’s Lion-Capital at Sarnath, Madhya Pradesh.

Most significantly, Pataliputra is home to a vast collection of ancient Mauryan art. The city, being the capital, had palace walls, magnificent towers, and pavilions. The majority of them were made of brick or baked clay.

The speciality of the art and architecture of the Mauryan empire isn’t ‘workmanship’ or craftsmanship (with which we are recognizable today), yet the craftsmanship is connected to a political belief system and religious practice. This is apparent both in the structure and support of creative activities: 

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• Court craftsmanship: The enduring remaining parts of workmanship and engineering were the immediate consequence of the support of the Mauryan rulers, mainly Ashoka
• Well known forms of art: One associated with the lives, creativity, and in support of conventional individuals. Eg: stone sculptured models and terracotta earthenware puppets, ring stones, and disc-shaped stones

Examples

• Kumrahar 80 pillar hall: 72 plus 8 more pillars were arranged in a chessboard pattern and patterns of brick structures were discovered in the area
• Rock sculpture of an elephant at Dahui was found. It portrays it as naturalistic and powerful of an animal and its effect is seen as it is walking out of the rock

•  The caves of Barabar and Nagarjuni hills to the north of Bodh Gaya were inhabited by ascetics in ancient times  
• Three caves in the Barabar hills are dedicated to inscriptions of Ashoka
• Three caves in the Nagarjuni hills have inscriptions of his son Dasharatha
• The caves are simple but have highly polished interiors
• The only sculptural ornamentation is the doorway of a cave known as the Lomash Rishi cave in Barabar hills

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Stupa: During the Mauryan period, particularly during the reign of Ashoka, numerous stupas were built and spread around the nation. The stupas of substantial domes were made of various sizes of brick or stone. The Ashoka stupas were built to commemorate Gautama Buddha’s achievements. The Great Stupa at Sanchi, like the stupa at Bairat in Rajasthan in the third century B.C., was made of bricks and underwent various alterations. The stupa’s inner wall was made of either terracotta bricks or sun-burned bricks. 

At Sarnath, there is an Ashokan pillar. Sanchi: An important Stupa site dates to Ashoka’s time. Various large stone sculptures (mainly like human figures) have been found at various sites in and around Patna, Mathura, and other places. These presents mainly yakshas and yakshinis, deities whose worship was part of the culture.

Terracotta Figurines:

Terracotta is a highly malleable material to work with when it comes to sculpture. Archaeologists discovered terracotta female figures during excavations at Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan.

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Ashokan Edicts:

• Ashokan edicts were sculptured on rocks and pillars
• Inscriptions were in Prakrit and Brahmi scripts. In the North western region, Prakrit language and Kharosthi and Aramaic scripts were prevalent
• In Afghanistan, Aramaic script and Greek language were seen
•  At Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra, the script is Kharoshti
• At Kandhar, bilingual edicts were found.
•  Rummindei pillar edict grants to monasteries and tax concessions to them
• In Maski and Gurjara inscriptions, the real name of Ashoka is revealed

Conclusion

Mauryan art was developed under the Mauryan Empire, which was the first empire to rule most of the Indian subcontinent, during the 4th and 2nd centuries BC. Mauryan monarchs, notably Ashoka, embraced it as a regal art form. The art and architecture of the Mauryans had a significant influence in the development of Ancient India’s history. Because the Mauryan kingdom spanned such a large territory, its art reached great distances and gained widespread acclaim.