Gupta Architecture (Except Temples)

About

• gupta age is considered as golden age of Indian Architecture
• the temple architecture begin in this period and also reached the climax.
• Greatest development inside the caves was CAVE PAINTING
• Mural => inside cave. => any painting done on wall on very large scale is ka. Mural Painting.
• Fresco => Natural colours
• Duko=> Oil colours
• Miniature => not in cave
• Guptas where Brahmanical by religion but they also displayed their empathy and tolerance for buddhism and jainism
• early gupta period shows emphasis on hindu art and later also on Jain and Buddhist art.

Worship

• Vishnu - Central and North India => vishnavites & alwar
• Shiva - South India => Nayanars & shivites
• Shakthi - East and Malabar. 

Caves

• Ajanta( Aurangabad, MH)

• 200 BC - 650AD
• 29 caves => all buddhist.
• 4 chityas and 25 viharas.
• Vakataka Kingdom also contributed as Aurangabad falls in their kingdom.
• Caves are carved on perpendicular cliff (unlike ellora )
• as these caves where on perpendicular side there are no courtyards.
• all the three forms of art are very well present inside the cave i.e, painting, sculpture and architecture. 
• FRESCO MURAL painting in Ajanta.
• Techinique: a layer of clay is mixed with cowdung and ricehusk. then it is spread on rough surface of rock. After 2-3 days a coat of lime plaster is done on same. In the last step surface is kept moist and colours are applied.
• Outlines are drawn in red colour and then all colours are used except blue.
• theme was inspired by Jataka stories and life events of Buddha.
• Chinese buddhist traveller Huen Tsang and Fa Hien reffered to ajanta in account of their travel to India.
• Ellora(Aurangabad)
• 34 caves 
• all three religion 
• 17 caves for Hindu, 12 buddist, 5 Jainism
• these caves where carved out on the slopping side of the hill and hence most structures have COURTYARD.
• cave no:16 is KAILASHNATH TEMPLE => architectural wonder of India => Monolithic, 
• note; Ulluru rock + Ayerst => monolith, australia, colour change
• Cave no 14 : Ravana Ki Khayi
• Cave no 15: Dashavatar Sculpture.
• Indrasabha cave => JAINA CAVE not Hindu!
• Cave 10: VISWAKARMA cave=> hindu
• painting inside ellora: FRESCO MURAL.
• Bagh Caves(near Indore, banks of Bagh river in MP)
• 9 buddist + Sandstone caves=> entirely buddist.
• FRESCO MURAL AND SCULPTURES
• Junagarh Cave/ Uparkot (Gujarat)

• Uparkot means Citadel.
• It is an ancient fortress( hiding place) which include fine specimens from Hindu tradition and also buddhist.
• the uparkots are 30 to 50 ft. high platform connected by staircase to the hall.
• Nasik Cave(Maharashtra)
• Trimbak kund + Godavari river.
• there are 23 buddhist caves dated around 1st century AD. collectively called PANDU LENI.
• Hill range is famous for Shiva worship as one of Jyothirlinga. even though caves entirely dedicated to buddhist.
• Note: Varanasi, Mahakaleswar, omkareshwar, Ketharnath, Rameshwaram => Jyothirlinga.
• Montepzir/ Mandapeswar (MH)
• 3 caves which were believed to be brahmanical in origin but later converted into CHRISTIAN CAVES => only christian cave in India.
• Elephanta Caves(off coast Mumbai)
• fine sculptures related with Hinduism.
• eg: Thrimurti sculpture, Ardhanareswar, Ravana shaking mt. Kailash.

Sculpture

• one new school of sculpture was added: SARNATH school of sculpture
• It was made up of PINK SANDSTONE obtained from chunar (UP)region.
• Sarnath sculpture is believed to be mixture of Mathura and Amaravathi. 
• The sculpture contain one big human figure of Buddha, accompanied with the panel sculptures.
• Metal Sculptures perticularly made up of Bronze where found in Nalanda Region.
• eg: SULTHANGANJ BUDDHA.(Bihar) => Metal.

Stupa

• Less number of stupas were constructed in this period and hence it can be called as DECLINE of stupa architecture
• Among the structure made in this period: Dhamekh stupa near Sarnath is notable.