Buildings

Introduction 

India is known for its architecture, and the buildings in the style of stone cut and rock carving hold great importance. Most of the historical buildings were built by the Guptas or the Mauryas, but are not limited to only these kingdoms. 

The Hindu temples are dedicated to the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu Religion, whereas the stupas are structures of historical significance.

The ancient and mediaeval buildings, sculptures, and metallurgy together depict the fine architectural masterpieces of India. Ancient India showed significant progress in terms of fine arts and architectural excellence. Some of these masterpieces such as temples, stupas, and iron pillars were built across India by the flourishing kingdoms of those times. 

The Gupta Dynasty built several pillars and stupas. The buildings and architecture built by the Maurya dynasty reflect the Golden Age of India. The ancient caves and their paintings reflect the cultural perspectives of ancient India.

Iron Pillars of India 

Iron pillars are known for their excellent craftsmanship. The combination of various metals in the construction of the iron pillars and their inscriptions depicts the skills possessed by the artisans under the rule of Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty. 

The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli located in Delhi is the perfect example of metallurgical excellence. Some of its features are as follows:

• The pillar is completely made from iron with a height of 7.2 m and weighs over 3 tonnes.
• It has an inscription showing that the pillar is almost 1500 years old and was built by Chandragupta II.
• Even though the pillar is made from iron, it has not shown signs despite  adverse weather conditions. 

Buildings Made of Stone and Brick

Every kingdom built various buildings that represented the cultural and ancient architecture of the period. The following are some of the most famous buildings that were constructed in ancient times.

Stupas 

The stupas of India illustrate some of the finest craftsmanship from ancient India. They are hemispherical structures with Buddhist relics.

Stupas are burial mounds and were erected on the instructions of the Buddha to commemorate kings, heroes, and sages. They are associated with Buddhism and the preaching of the Buddha. They consist of Buddhist relics. The centre of the stupas consists of a small box that has bodily remains such as teeth, ashes, bone of the Buddha or the disciples. It is called a relic casket.

Most of the stupas have inscriptions and stone carvings as old as 2000 years. The devotees move around it clockwise as a symbol of devotion. There are names of people inscribed on the pillars.

Some stupas in India are: 

• The Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, built by Emperor Ashoka
• The Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath, built by Mauryan King Ashoka
• The Chaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath, built by the Gupta Dynasty
• The Amaravati Stupa in Andhra Pradesh, whose foundation was laid by the Mahadeva-Bikshu emissary of Emperor Ashoka
• The Bharhut Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, first built by the Mauryan King Ashoka
• The Bavikonda Stupa in Andhra Pradesh.

Temples

Many temples were built as dedications to Gods and deities such as Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and Goddess Durga. The ancient temples are made of stones with many engravings and are tall architectural structures.

Rituals and ceremonies are performed by priests inside the Hindu temples. The Garbhagriha is the most important part of the temple since it is where the idol of the chief deity is placed. Shikhara is a predominant feature that lies above the Garbhagriha, indicating that it is a sacred place of worship. Mandapa is another prominent characteristic of temples, which consists of pillars with open spaces between them. The Mandapa is a space where people gather for religious purposes and practises.

Some famous temples in India are:

• The Mundeshwari Devi Temple in Bihar
• The group of temples at Aihole and Mahabalipuram
• The ancient stone temples in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
• The Kailasa Temple in Ellora in Maharashtra, which is the largest monolithic stone-carved temple
• The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha
• The Dilwara Temples in Mount Abu.

Caves

The ancient caves were built by hollowing rocks. These caves are decorated from the inside with beautiful paintings, sculptures, and hand stone carving.

Caves like Ajanta and Ellora are Buddhist caves mounted, carved, and cut from rocks. They are also called rock-cut monasteries and are Buddhist architectures. 

The Ajanta Caves consist of thirty rock-cut cave monuments with mural paintings. They are the most popular ancient caves in India and are located in Maharashtra. Ellora Caves is the largest monolithic excavation.

The construction of stupas and temples takes place in multiple stages. It is done layer by layer, and the first step is finding good-quality stones. The stones are carried to the place where the building is to be built. The next step is shaping and carving the stones for the construction of pillars, walls, floors, and ceilings. A slab of stones is erected and placed along for the architectural construction. The buildings are then decorated with inscriptions and stone carvings on the outside walls.

Paintings on Historical Buildings

Historical buildings give an insight into ancient paintings, which were made with the help of natural colours extracted from stones and plants. Ancient caves like the Ajanta and Ellora are famous for having beautiful wall paintings. The colours used for the paintings were all naturally made from minerals and plants, and they have maintained their vibrancy even after thousands of years.

Conclusion 

The temples, caves, stupas, and iron pillars are an example of the excellent craftsmanship of the ruling kingdoms and dynasties in ancient India. The iron pillars reflect metallurgical excellence, while the temples, stupas, and caves are perfect examples of well-constructed stone buildings.