Southeast Asia
Chapter 6
Karlee Labrador, Yewon Park, Yujin Park, & Paige Peterson
Artwork #1
Artwork #1
Name: Lion Capital of the Column
Date: ca. 250 BCE
Where: Sarnath, India
Period/Style: Maurya Period
Artist/Architect: Ashoka
Material/Technique: Polished Sandstone. 7’ high.
Function: The lions on the capital once supported the Bhuddha’s Wheel of the Law.
Details: Lots of detail, High Relief, Subtractive carving, & highly symbolic.
Context: The “Greatest Maurya ruler,” Ashoka, converted to Buddhism in r. 272-231 BCE. He imprinted his name in history
by spreading the teachings of Buddha all over India and beyond. Ashoka composed a legal code based on the Buddha’s
dharma and inscribed his laws on monolithic columns. These one-pieced stones were all over the kingdom. Ashoka’s pillars
were 30 to 40 feet high and the first monumental stone artworks in the history of India. The pillars were placed on the
ground and formed an “axis of the universe.” The columns stood along pilgrimage routes to sites associated with Buddha
and on the roads leading up to Pataliputra. On top of the pillars is a seven-foot lion capital, It is two pairs of back-to-back
lions standing on a round abacus decorated with four wheels and animals symbolizing the four quarters of the world. The
open mouth signify the announcement of Buddha’s message that face to the four quarters of the world.
Artwork #2
Artwork #2
Name: Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro
Date: ca 2600-1900 BCE
Where: Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan
Period/Style: Indus Civilization
Artist/Architect: Builders from Indus Civilization
Material/Technique: Bitumen~ an asphalt like material used in Mesopotamia. The builders used this to make the pool
watertight.
Function: A ritual bathing place.
Details: Is not a scaled system, rigid compacted, and watertight.
Context: The Great Bath is one of the first water supply and sewage systems created from the Indus cities. Their
sophisticated systems were composed with hundreds of fresh-water wells. Along with the wells, sewage systems were
becoming advanced, producing some of the first private bathrooms. The heart of this Great Bath is a sunken brick pool.
The rooms centered around the pool were 39 feet long, 23 feet wide and 8 feet deep. The bricks were sealed with bitumen,
and made the pool watertight. The pool was not built as a recreational facility but was made for ritual bathing .
Artwork #3
Artwork #3
Name: Dancing Shiva
Date: Late Sixth Century
Where: Badami, India
Period/Style: The Gupta and Post-Gupta Periods
Artist/Architect: Chalukya Sculptors
Material/Technique: A cave in Badami, India with the technique of subtractive carving.
Function: Portrayal of the Hindu God’s Divinity
Details: Rock-Cut relief, highly symbolic, subtractive carving, proportional.
Context: Chalukya kings ruled from their capitals at Badami. Sculptors used these reliefs in walls of halls that cut into cliffs above the city. The
Dancing Shiva is a cosmic dance. He has 18 arms swinging rhythmically in a form of an arc, with his hands holding objects while others form
prescribed mudras. Mudras are positioning of the body, in this case the hands, that reflect on the person’s energy or mood. A symbolic
elephant headed Ganesha mimics Shiva while Nandi, the bull mount, stands at the left. In the Bandamo relief, figures are represented with
multiple body parts. With the multiple limbs and composite forms, the subjects are not ordinary humans , nut superhuman gods with
supernatural powers.
Key Ideas
Key Idea #1
The Indus river cities had the first sophisticated and
complicated water and sewage systems. In the area of
Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, wells were spread around the area
to provide fresh water. This was one of the first times water
was accessible at private homes. In the middle of Mohenjodaro, there is the Great Bath, a large sunken-in brick pool,
used for ritual bathing. The building and structure of this bath
highly influenced the way of using/providing fresh water to the
public. This influenced the way we know public pools, sewage
systems, and water supply.
Key Idea #2
The Gupta and post-Gupta periods were in the times of ca. 320- 647 BCE. The Gupta period
was defined by creativity, flourishing arts and remarkable literature are just a few of the many
things that marked this period. Significance from the Gupta period was that the Gupta
sculptors established the Buddha’s image in the fifth century. The paintings of the Gupta
period are found on the walls of the Ajanta Caves, and these caves are the best surviving
examples of early mural paintings in India that illustrate the diverse lives of the Buddha. Like
Buddhist art, Ajanta murals had a large impact on teaching. The Gupta artists also used
Hinduism and Hindu Iconography. Hinduism can be traced back to the Vedic period and was
present in the Indus civilization. The oldest monument dates back to the fifth of sixth century
of rock -cut reliefs of Udayagiri, Badami and many more. The religion of Hindu includes many
diverse gods but the three most important deities are the gods Shiva and Vishnu, and the
goddess Devi whom are depicted in stone. The goal was to please the deities and become
one with the universal spirits.
Key Idea #3
Alexander the Great abandoned his dream of conquering India in 326 BCE. He had reached the Indus River
and his troops refused to continue forward. Alexander’s death three years later resulted in his generals
dividing his empire among themselves. When Selecus Nicator invaded India, Chandragupta Maurya fought
and defeated him in 305 BCE and united most of present-day India. Chandragupta's capital was Pataliputra,
also known today as Patna. It is located northeastern India, far from the center of Indus Civilization. An
ambassador for Seleucus described Pataliputra as “large and wealthy city enclosed within mighty wooden
walls so extensive that the circuit had 64 gates and 570 towers” (Chapter 6 South and Southeast Asia before
1200).
Ashoka was a Maurya ruler who converted to Buddhism and spread the Buddha’s teachings in India and
beyond. Ashoka composed of a legal code that was based on the Buddha’s dharma and inscribed on
monolithic columns. (More information on Artwork #1) Ashoka’s pillars are the first monumental stone works in
India. Not only credited for his capitals but Ashoka also The Great Stupa, a dome that stands 50 feet high with
tall stone fences and four gates. It has 600+ inscriptions showing the donations of hundreds of individuals. The
stupa was a monument house in dedication of relics of the Buddha. Above the dome is the harmika, a square
are symbolizing the sacred domain of the gods. The center corresponds to the axis of the universe, a motif
presented in Ashoka’s pillars.
Key Idea #4
The Medieval Period of Western Europe was in the 7th dynasties ruled South Asia for many
years, such as the Tang and Song dynasties. These dynasties also ruled important kingdoms
in India. The kingdoms were the Palas, Chandellas, Pallavas, and Cholas. In medieval India,
shrines were made to the Hindu gods instead of Buddha. Along with the new religion, came
the Hindu religious architecture. The Hindu temple is the home of the gods. The temples were
sacred. Worshipping the deity meant taking care of him. Worshippers bathed, clothed and took
the images on outings. The image also received gifts such as songs, oil lamps, incense, and
beautiful flowers. The Northern and Southern temple are different. Northern temples are built
with many small towers leading to a tall beehive shaped tower, called shikara. An example of a
Northern temple is the Vishvanatha Temple at Khajuraho. Southern temples, on the other
hand, Southern temples have mandapas, which are flat-roofed pillared halls. The halls lead to
a pyramid-shaped tower. Art in Medieval Southeast Asia reflect both Indian prototypes and
local styles2 Distinctive momunents of the period are Borobudur on Java and the Buddhist
temple complexes of Khmer kings at Angkor in Cambodia. The art and architecture praise
deities of the Medieval period.
Key Idea #5
The Shunga dynasty ruled after the Maurya dynasty came to an abrupt end. However, the
Shungas’ rule was short. The Shungas were succeeded by the Andharas. The Andharas controlled
the Deccan plateau in the south. A greater empire rose to power after; it was the Kushan. The
Kushan rose in Northern India. Kanishka, who set up capitals at Peshawar and sites in Gandhara,
was the most celebrated king. The Kushans traded with China, resulting in wealth. They traded on
the “Silk road.” There was great architecture during the rule of these dynasties. The patronage of
Buddhism was the unifying characteristic. The Stupa was an essential element of Buddhist
sanctuaries. It was a circular mound that was set on earlier South Asian burial ground, but it was
not a tomb. It was a monument housing relics of the Buddha. It was sacred and grand. Another
sacred architecture of Buddhism was the pillared rock-cut chaitya hall. The chaitya halls were
carved out of living stone with pillars depicting men and women riding elephants. The first
anthropomorphic representation of the Buddha, shown multiple times on friezes, was in the first
century. The first appearance is in Gandharan art, which took the style from Greco-Roman art. In
the second century, the Buddha’s life cycle was well established. Art and architecture in the
dynasties was surrounded around the Buddha.
Comparison
Myron, the Discus Thrower
(Chapter 5)
Buddha Preaching the First Sermon
(Chapter 6)
Similarities
Relief Sculptures
High Status or Gods
Both wear robes and are clothed which show royalty or spirituality.
Realistic detail on the faces
Show calm emotion in the faces
Both represented the “perfect body”
They were both placed in temples
Differences
Myron, The Discus Thrower
Buddha Preaching the First
Sermon
- High Relief sculpture
- Made in the Gupta period
- Made with marble.
- Made from tan sandstone and carved in high relief
- Main subject is Myron, a discus player
-Main subject is Buddha who’s smooth surface show perfect
- Body shows the idealized heroic body, also shows off the body
body form.
by using nudity.
- The sculpture uses weight shift and the use of contrapposto
(fluid body movement)
- He is in an in-between motion (mid swing)
- It’s supposed to be impossible to throw the discus in that
position, but optically, the pose seems to work.
- Buddha is sitting in a yoga position, hands in a preaching
mudra
- Related to a religion
- Shows high status with creatures holding up on a platform.
- Buddha is sitting on predella
- The viewpoint is mainly from the front
- Buddha in compact pose and in a tight fitting garb
- Appears to have an expressionless face, seems to be thinking.
- Between the two groups of Sakyamuni’s followers-monks,
- There is a use of negative space and opens large areas in the
the symbol of preaching (the Wheel).
sculpture.