Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings

Indian culture is a rich and diverse one. From individuals to sculptures, each aspect of India seems to hold value beyond appearance. Thinkers such as Mahavira, The Buddha, and Chanakya contribute to the world through their ideas and philosophy about life. Each of their teachings and beliefs has some reasoning. Along with this, buildings, too, are important to Indian culture. These provide evidence for the cultural practices in India. Since ancient times, Indian architecture has taken inspiration from life during a particular period. From the Taj Mahal to the Sanchi stupa, each building tells a story. 

A Glimpse of Sanchi

• The nineteenth-century Europeans were curious about the stupa at Sanchi. Both the French and therefore the Britishers wanted to take away the eastern gateway of Sanchi stupa
• Leaders of Bhopal, Shahjehan Begum and her replacement Sultan Jahan Begum, gave cash to security of the conventional site
• Shahjehan Begum subsidized a guesthouse for John Williams and furthermore the distribution of the volumes composed by him
• It was among the preeminent Buddhist habitats, the revelation of Sanchi has unfathomably changed the comprehension of early Buddhism

The Background: Sacrifices and Debates

The Sacrificial Tradition

• The Rigveda consists of a sect of hymns in praise of a variety of deities, especially Agni, Indra and Soma
• Hymns were chanted when sacrifices were performed, where people prayed for cattle, sons, healthiness, long life, etc
• At first, sacrifices were performed as a community. Later on between the period of(1000 BCE-500 BCE onwards) some were performed by the heads of households for the betterment of the domestic unit 
• Talk about sacrifices, like the Rajasuya and Ashvamedha, were performed by chiefs and kings who trusted Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual

New Questions

• Many ways found within the Upanishads show that the folk were interested in the meaning of life, the possibility of life after death and rebirth
• People also began to analyse the significance of the sacrificial tradition

Debates and discussions

• Buddhist monks need to travel from place to place, trying to convince one another as well as laypersons, about the validity of their philosophy
• Many different sorts of debates happened within the kutagarashala; if a philosopher succeeded in convincing ones among  his rivals, the followers of the latter also became his disciples
• Many thinkers, including Mahavira and the Buddha, questioned the authority of the Vedas
• In this they also started elaborating on individual demand, where an individual could strive to attain liberation from tribulations of worldly existence

Beyond Worldly Pleasures: The Message of Mahavira

• The basic philosophy of the Jainas was already alive in north India before the birth of Vardhamana (Mahavira),within the sixth century BCE 
• In Jainism, Mahavira was preceded by 23 other teachers or tirthankaras
• The most important way in Jainism is that the whole world is superficial: even stones, rocks and water have life

• Free from danger to living beings, mainly humans, animals, plants and insects, is central to Jaina philosophy
• Principle of ahimsa emphasised within Jainism is a crucial theme
• According to them the cycle of birth and rebirth is formed through karma
• Self- discipline and atonement are required to free oneself from the cycle of karma
• Monkhood existence may be  a necessary condition of salvation

• In this process of becoming the Jaina priests and nuns took five promises: To go without killing, Stealing, Lying, to notice abstinence, and to swear off having property

The Spread of Jainism

• Jaina scholars also wrote a wealth of literature in a variety of languages like Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil 
• For ages, manuscripts of these texts were carefully preserved in libraries attached to temples
• Some of the oldest stone sculptures associated with religious traditions were produced by devotees of the Jaina tirthankaras

Conclusion

Indian thinkers have been influential throughout the country, and in the case of some such as the Buddha, throughout the world. These thinkers introduced certain ideas and beliefs that are largely followed by their believers. Mahavira, who advocated that the world’s luxuries must be left behind in order to attain salvation, or moksha, has continued to influence people all over the country. Along with thinkers, India also has a variety of architecture that provides information about its culture. Buildings, such as the stupa at Sanchi have been of interest to people all over the world, including Europeans who desired to take it away from the country. The stupa at Sanchi was known to be a Buddhist habitat. However, attaining such a great level of importance did not come easy to these thinkers, and there were several sacrifices and discussions that led them to earn followers. The study of Indian culture, thus, must also involve the study of these thinkers as well as Indian architecture.