IASbaba:Mauryan Age

Art. Architecture. Administration

Arts and crafts
Chinese traveller Fa-Hienstated that:

"Ashoka’s palace was made by spirits" and that its carvings are so elegantly executed "which
no human hands of this world could accomplish"

Megasthenes,the Greek ambassador of SeleucusNikator who visited the Mauryan court

described Chandragupta Maurya’s palace as an excellent architectural achievement.

Pottery:
Evidence from Attranjikhera show that NBPW continued.

Monuments

1. Stone masonry was introduced on a wide scale.

2. During Ashokan times, the tradition of wooden arch gave way to stone arch.

Iasbaba.com Page 1
Architecture:

1. After decline of Harappan, it is in the Mauryan period that monumental

stone sculpture and architecture appear again
Reasons:
 Higher levels of political complexity in the form of the emergence of an
Empire
 Concentration of wealth in the hands of urban elites
 Increased institutionalization of religious activity

2. Pan Indian nature

3. Art was linked to political ideology

4. Permanent material like burnt bricks, stone began to be used again along
with wood.
 Protection from moist climate and heavy rainfall
 Enabled them to construct larger and durable structure which made
denser habitations possible Growth of towns and spread of Mauryan
Culture

5. Art of making Steel:

 Jungle clearances
 Better methods of cultivation in Kalinga

6. Ring wells (Distinct feature)

 Water could be stored
 Used for sanitation
 Possible to have denser habitationsfarther away from the rivers

7. Art and architecture received court patronage. Private merchants and

craftsmen also donated for religious causes.

8. Large monuments show the technological advancement in architecture.

Iasbaba.com Page 2
Pillars
Ashokan pillars:

 Made use of
 White spotted red sandstone in Mathura and
 Grey colored sandstone in Chunar

 Were monolith in style

 Only their capitals in form of lions, elephants, bulls were joined from the top.

 Stone polishing was as shiny as NBPW

Iasbaba.com Page 3
 Lion capital: Lauriya Nandangarh Bihar

 Existence of 80-pillared hall at Kumrahar (Outskirts of modern Patna)

 Rampurwa Bull:
 Finely polished stone sculpture
 Part of a Mauryan pillar found in Rampurwa, Bihar
 Kept at Rashtrapati Bhawan

Foreign influence on Mauryan Pillars

Similarities
Both Ashokan and Archimedean pillars used

 Stone
 Glossy polish and
 Had a bell shaped part

Concept of pillar itself might have been taken from Iran

Iasbaba.com Page 4
Iasbaba.com Page 5
Iasbaba.com Page 6
Caves

Ajivikas:
 Founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta; Contemporary of
Mahavira)
 Strong believer in Niyati (Sanskrit: “rule” or “destiny”- Principle of Order)
 Acceptance during Maurya Dynasty

Stupas
1. Initially stupas were Buddha's relic places (at Rajagraha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu,
Allakappa, Ramagrama,Vethadipa, Pava, Kushinagar and Pippalvina)
2. Then it got extended to his followers as well and gradually stupa itself became an
object of worship.

Iasbaba.com Page 7
 3. The stupa consists of:

 A cylindrical drum
 A circular anda with a harmika and chhatra on the top which remain
consistent throughout with minor variations and changes in shape and size
 Circumambulatory path
 Gateways
4. Sculptural decorations associated with Buddha’s life: Events related to
 the birth,
 renunciation,
 enlightenment,
 dhammachakrapravartana,
 and mahaparinibbana (death)
5. Jataka stories that were depicted:

 ChhadantaJataka,
 VidurPunditaJataka,
 RuruJataka,
 SibiJataka,
 VessantaraJataka and
 ShamaJataka

Iasbaba.com Page 8
 6. Some stupas have been found in:

 Sanchi (originally built with bricks)

 Sarnath,
 Deorkothar,
 Lumbini

7. Hieun Tsang mentions seeing stupas at Tamralipti, Karnasuvarna, Samtata

Inscription:
Language on inscriptions:

Widespread: Prakrit language: Brahmi script

Kharosthi script (mostly written right to left,

North-West:
but some inscriptions show left to right)

Afghanistan: Aramic, in Greek script, and in Greek language

Found at:

 Pitalkhora Caves: By Kanha(an artisan)

 Kondane Caves: By Kanha’s disciple Balaka
 Asokan pillars with inscriptions were found in places like
 Delhi,
 Allahabad,
 Rummindai,
 Sanchi
 Sarnath

Iasbaba.com Page 9
Iasbaba.com Page 10
Major Rock Edicts

First Prohibition on animal slaughter

Mention of places of Cholas, Pardayans.

Second
Satayaputras and Keralputras

Directions to Pradeshikas. Yuktas and

Third
Rajukas'for propagation of Dhamma

Fourth Impact of Dhamma on society

Fifth Appointments of Dhammamahamatras

Sixth Welfare measures

Seventh Propagation of peace and faith

Eighth Details of visit to Bodhi tree

Ninth Stress on ceremony of Dhamma

Ashokan's desire to gain popularity for

Tenth Dhamma

Eleventh Appraisal of Dhamma

Twelfth Promotion to religion of different faiths

 Largest of all
 Victory over Kalinga's destruction
of war, Mention of Greek rulers -
Thirteenth
Antiochus, Ptolemy, Antigonus,
Megas, Alexander.

Iasbaba.com Page 11

Fourteenth
Minor rock edicts
13 places: Bairat, Brahmagiri, Gavimath, Gujarra, Jatinga-Rameshwar, Maski,
Palkigundu, Rajula-Mandagiri, Rupanath, Sasaram, Siddapur, Survmagiri and Yerragudio.
Following are some examples:
The Queen's Edict
Barabar Cave Inscriptions
Ajivikas Kandahar Inscriptions
Bhabru Inscriptions
Iasbaba.com
 Mention of castles like - Kamboj,
Nabhkas etc.
 "True conquest is by piety and
virtue"
Nature of all other rock edicts
 At Allahabad-Kosam

 In Bihar
 Inscriptions speak of Ashoka's donation
of the cave to the Ajivikas
 Sudhama and Lomas Rishi Caves are the
two cave temples built here during
Mauryan times.
 Ashoka declared his secular policy
 At Shar-i-Quna in Southern Afghanistan.
 It is bilingual.
 Tells fisherman and hunters to give up
hunting
 At Bairat in Rajasthan
 It deals with Ashoka's conversion to
Buddhism.
 Faith of ruler and kingdom in Dhamma
Page 12
Iasbaba.com Page 13
Iasbaba.com Page 14
 Purohita

Mantriparishad
Mahamantri

Senapati

Yuvaraja

Dhamma
Mahamatras

Dharmathikarin-
Justice

Samharta-Chief of the
Revenue Department

Iasbaba.com Page 15
 Feroz Shah Tughlaq had the two pillars in Delhi brought from their original locations at
Topra and Meerut and then tried to have the inscriptions read but…

Iasbaba.com Page 16
Iasbaba.com Page 17
THINK

Q-1. "Mauryan court art had alien influence". Comment.

Q-2. Discuss the Ashokan Inscriptions as sources for the administration, socio-economic
conditions and religious life in the Mauryan period.
Q-3. Did Ashoka’s principle of `Dhamma-vijaya’ render the Mauryan Empire weak?

Iasbaba.com Page 18