Philosophy & Religion in Daily
Life in India
Art of India & Southeast Asia
Interconnected architecture, painting,
sculpture, culture, and philosophies of
Hinduism and Buddhism
• http://kaladarshan.arts.ohiostate.edu/Exhibitions/meetgod/indx.htm
• Interconnectiveness of all Indian arts
• Folk art traditions of painting, symbolism
• Temples and religious festivals (Hindu and
Buddhist) major events
India: Historical Background
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Fertile Indus & Ganges Valley
Invasion & assimilations
18 official languages in India
Arts play critical role in Indian life
Uniformity of style in Indian monuments
Buddhism & Hinduism major religions
(also Jain, Christianity, Islam, etc.)
Ashokan Pillar (note
capital) 265 BCE
Ashokan legend:
Lion Capital, from Sarmath
Expanding dynasty,
WAR conquered
much of India.
Archaeological Museum, Sarnath
Looked at battlefield
horror; 1000s of
dead and dying, …
saw Buddhist monk
slowly walking
through praying &
comforting dying.
Vowed to spread the
teachings of
Buddhism.. Built
many shrines,
sculptures, etc as
major patron of the
arts.
C 250 BCE, sandstone
flashcard
•Seven foot capital from a column along pilgrimage route
to see Buddhist holy sites
•Bell shaped bottom of capital is inverted lotus blossum
•Frieze of 4 wheels and 4 animals: lion, horse, elephant,
bull; wheels symbolize Buddha’s Law
•Four lions - PERSIAN INFLUENCE (Persepolis)
•Repetitive, eatern style patterns of manes
Columns represented Axis Mundi, axis of the world
that joins earth with heaven
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Lion Capital, from Sarmath
C 250 BCE, sandstone
See Lion Capital from Persepolis below….
This was on top of a column like the one below from
Ashoka.
Vedic Period .. 2000 BCE
• Aryan nomads entered India from
Asia/Russian steps - Sanskrit language
• Rigid class structure; fire sacrifices to Gods
• Material world is illusion; Brahman (soul)
is real and eternal
• Roots of Buddhism, Jain, and Hinduism
from this period.. Vedic religion became
Hinduism eventually
Buddha & Buddhism
Student presentation on life of
Buddha
Class takes notes
• Buddha lived around 500 BCE
• “The Enlightened One” (not a deity)
• Achieved nirvana = enlightenment;
liberation from material world
• Cyclical nature of existence
• Rejected class structures of Vedic
society
Yakshi Holding a Fly-Whisk, 250 BCE (Mauyra period)
Buddhist Religion
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Shakyamuni Buddha from Nepal
Siddartha, child prince, shielded from
pain & suffering
Left palace at age 29, travelled,
meditated,
Samsara: cycle of birth, death, rebirth
Nirvana: ultimate enlightenment
Compassion and learning are KEYs.
Different buddhas are recognized
Bodhisattvas - help others reach
enlightenment
Flashcard
•One of oldest & best known Yakshi sculpture, typical of these
pieces; shows very feminine fertility, bounty
•Yakshas and Yakshis are nature spirits in Indian popular
religion (Vedic traditions)
•Yakshis incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon in India.
•MAUYRA period: dynasty known as Age of Heroes
•Dharma - divinely ordered law to keep universe from chaos
Dalai Lama, leader of
Tibetan Buddhism and
Nobel Peace prize winner
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Standing Buddha, Kushan Period, 2nd
century CE
Standing Buddha from
Gupta period
Flashcard
474 CE
•Hellenistic style drapery
Gupta period - flourishing
arts & literature
•Artistic conventions - top knot (ushnisha),
patterned hair curls, impression of wheel
(chakra) on hands and feet,
Buddhism at peak in India
(later surpassed by
Hinduism)
•Long arms, serene face
Halo/nimbus (broken) shows
spirtual purity fused with
simplified physical purity
Introspective face
Great Stupa at Sanchi, India - 3rd Century BCE (flshcard)
Mudras = hand gestures (student presentation
here)
Have a meaning in religious practices, prayers,
etc. as well as seen in Buddhist artwork
Used in yoga poses outside Buddhism as well
Dhyana mudra = meditation and balance
Buddhist shrine, mound shape, faced with dressed stone, replication of the dome of heaven
•3 umbrellas at top represent Buddha, Buddha’s Law, Monks
•Railing at crest surrounds “sacred tree” umbrellas
•Walkway around drum for circumambulation (cosmic circle)
•4 toranas grace entrances… richly carved scenes, Buddha shown as empty throne with high relief sculptures
•Plan based on sacred mandala design
Close up of a torana at Sanchi
Richly carved scenes
High relief sculptures known as
horror vacui
Originally painted white.
Buddha not shown in this early
temple, empty chair/throne.
Yakshi personified water…
Stupas were built with a dome or shikhara/vimana tower with a central axis, axis mundi
Mound shaped shrine, often no interior; holds a relic… idea is worshippers get close to
what’s inside. Original stupas (8 by Emperor Ashoka) held Buddha’s remains
Umbrellas represent the 3 jewels of Buddhism - Buddha, Law, Community of Monks
Four toranas at compass pts. Gateway to structure--walk around in a circle
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Flashcard
•Indian carved caves into mts.
•Womb of the mountain,
symbolizing rebirth in cycle of
life
•Bell shaped capitals
•Stupa at end with ambulatory
to walk around
•Basilican form with long nave
and colonnade
•Built during period of
Mahayna Buddhism, during
which Buddha began to be
shown in Buddhist art
Cave temples common in early Indian architecture… sacred spaces with
hipostyle hall.
Chaitya Hall at Karla Cave Temple, India,
100 CE
Bodhisattva from Ajanta
Caves
475 CE (flashcard)
Gupta period.
Bodhisattvas are spiritual
beings who help others reach
nirvana.
Student presentation on
Hinduism and Hindu Art
Princely garments, not
monk’s robes like Buddha
Outline drawing, softly
graded tones in painting give
some 3-dimensionality
Class takes notes
Synthesis of divine and
human.
Shiva as Nataraja,
Chola Dynasty, 12th cent ce
Hinduism and Hindu Temples
flashcard
•Representative of Hinduism
•Dance of Shiva - graceful, multiple
aspects of deity
•Universe cycle of death and rebirth
•4 arms
•Circle of fire shows destruction of
samsara and our ego centered
perceptions
•Drum = rhythm of creation, birth,
death
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Began during post Gupta period
Many gods and goddesses; local shrines in villages
Hindu temples built on mandala design
Womb chambers
Belief that deity is present in image (statue)
Individual devotion, not group worship
•Synthesis of divine and human
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Eternal Shiva from Cave
Temple of Shiva at Elephanta
Lingam is phallic
symbol of Shiva
Short cushion capitals
Shiva has many
aspects in Hinduism
3 faces show 3 different sides
Benign and wild…
Feminine protector
Spiritual, strong leader
Fierce fighter with snakes
around neck
11 feet high, set in recessed
niche
Shiva often shown with
multiple heads, arms, etc to
show multiple sides of a deity
Cave Temple of Shiva at Elephanta (HINDU temple), post Gupta period, 6th
century BCE
Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 12th century CE flashcard
Example of Hindu temple in south India, Chola dynasty, 1000 CE
Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu;
Sculptural reliefs, sculpture in rhythmic dance poses
Rajarajeshvara Temple to Shiva
Built by Suryavaran II, capital of medieval Cambodia,
Each niche holds a statue of Shiva
Vimana is 4 sided hollow pyramid rising 13 stories
Corbelled gallery roofs; beehive
Battle Scene, relief
sculpture
Taj Mahal, Agra,
India flashcard
17th century CE
From Angkor Vat temple
“Crown Palace”
built to
serve as Mumtaz
Mahal’s tomb; she died
while having her 14th
child with Shah Jahan
12th century Cambodia
•Onion shape dome
•Funerary gardens
•Minarets act like picture
frame
•Symmetrical design - typical Islamic large arch with 2 smaller arches
•Intricate inlays- floral & geometric designs, subtle design
•Square plan with chamfered corners
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Student presentations on
Rangoli ‘folk” painting &
Rajput school painting
Class takes notes
Rangoli and Alapana Painting - traditions carried on by women
Entire houses, doorways, or verandahs painted in geometric
designs in paint, rice powder, or even flowers (mandalas)
Indian Watercolor Painting
• Strong tradition of opaque watercolors on
paper
• Outlining, but subtly modeled sahdes
• Hindu gods such as Krishna often subjects
(he is usually blue)
• Mughal school fostered painting traditions
Mughal school of minatures - developed during middle ages
Hamza’s Spies Scale the Fortress,
Mughal Period (16th century)
Gouache on cotton (opaque w.c.)
3- d setting, yet undercut by flat
geometric patterns
Robust naturalistic style (not so linear)
Rocks, monkeys, birds, and more
FLASHCARD
Fusion of Indian and Persia styles
Also painting on paper… burnished on
stones to make it gleam, details added
last with thick white paint
Krishna and the Gopis,
from the Gita Govinda (epic poem about Krishna and Radha) Mughal
Period, Rajput India. 16th century, gouche on paper (flashcard)
Radha is jealous of Krishna and the Gopis (cowherds) .. Emotional tension.. Plump faces in profile
with oversized frontal eyes…line & pattern in the dramatic scene.
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Buddhist Mandala Tradition
• Buddhist monks traditionally make
mandalas out of sand.
• Mystical Arts of Tibet
Mandalas & Cultural/Religious
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Used for healing
Used to promote peace
Symbols reflect Buddhist traditions
This type of mandala is temporary (like
beauty)
Check out this video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9piFA7
MCmbQ
Mandalas in many cultures
• Navajo
Aztec
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