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 Art and Culture 1.4
Mauryan Art
and
Architecture
(Palaces Pillars
and Stupa)
BY
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Mauryan Art and Architecture
 With the advent of Jainism and Buddhism, which were part of the shramana tradition, in 4th century
BCE, the religious and social scenario of gangetic valley began to undergo changes.
Note:
The Shramana movement was a Non-Vedic movement parallel to Vedic Hinduism in ancient India. The
Shramana tradition gave rise to Jainism, Buddhism, and Yoga, and was responsible for the related
concepts of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) and moksha (liberation from that cycle).

As both the religions were opposed to the ‘verna’ and ‘jayi’ system of Vedic age, they gained patronage
of the Kshatriya rulers who had grown wary of the brahmanical supremacy.

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Mauryan Art can be classified as follows:

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Court Art
By Mauryan rulers
For politial as well as religious reasons

Palaces:
The Mauryan Empire was the first powerful empire of India.
Capital at Pataliputra and the palaces at kumrahar (reflected the splendour of the empire)
The palace of Chandragupta Maurya was inspired by the Achaemenid palaces at Persepolis in Iran.
Wood was the principle building material.
Megasthene(wrote Indika) described the palace as one of the greatest creations of the mankind.
NOTE
Megasthenes was born in Asia Minor and became an ambassador of Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid
dynasty to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, India. Other Greek envoys to the Indian court are known
after Megasthenes: Deimachus as ambassador to Bindusara, and Dionysius, as ambassador to Ashoka.

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Ashoka Palace
•At Kumrahar (an area of Patna)
•A high central pillar
•A three-storey wooden structure
•Walls were decorated with carvings and sculptures

Pillars:
During the time of Ashoka, the pillars and their inscription assumed great significance.
Uses of pillar:
•Symbol of the state
•To commemorate battle victories
•To propagate imperial sermons as well

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Features of pillars:
Average height 40 feet
Usually made of chunar sandstone
Comprised of four part:
(1) Shaft: base and was made up of a single piece of stone or monolith
(2) Capital: either lotus shaped or bell shaped( bell shaped were the
influenced by the Iranian pillars)
(3) Abacus: circular or rectangular base above the capital
(4) Animal figure: above the Abacus
National Emblem:
The abacus and the animal part of the Sarnath pillar.
In the abacus of the sarnath pillar, four animals are
Shown- a horse, a bull, an elephant and a lion.
Built in the commemoration of the first sermon or the
Dharmachakrapravartana.

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Difference between Ashokan Pillars and Achaemenian (Persian) Pillars
Basis Ashokan Pillars Achaemenian Pillars
Composition Shaft of the pillars were Shaft were made up of
monolithic, i.e. single piece various pieces of sandstone
of stone, mainly chunar cemented together.
sandstones.
Location Independently erected by Generally attached to state
royal diction. buildings.
Surface Mauryan pillars were smooth Most of the Persian pillars
were not smooth
Abacus abacus with independent Different Abacus
carved animals
Lotus Have bulge No bulge

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Similarities between Mauryan and Achaemenian (Persian) Pillars or Architecture

Ashoka got the idea of inscribing proclamations on pillars from the achaemenids.

It has been pointed out that the words dipi and lipi occur in the inscriptions of Darius as well
as Ashoka.

 The foreign influence has been identified in the polished surface of the Ashokan pillars and
the animal motifs. The stiff heraldic pose of the lions is seen as further evidence of western
influence.

Maurya columns and Achaemenian pillars, both used polished stones. Both have certain
common sculpture motifs such as the lotus.

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Stupa:
Stupas were burial mounds prevalent in India from the Vedic period, but popularised by the Buddhists.
Ashes and relics of the dead were kept in stupas.
During the period of Ashoka, the art of stupas reached its climax. Almost 84000 stupas were erected
during his period.
After the death of the Buddha, 9 stupas were erected, 8 of them has the relics of the Buddha at their
medhi while 9 ninth had the pot in which the relics were originally kept.
Location of the 9 stupas built after the death of the Buddha are:
1) Rajagriha (Bihar) 7) Kushinagar (U.P; death of Gautama Buddha)
2) Vaishali (Bihar) 8) Vethapida
3) Kapilavastu (Nepal) 9) Pippalivana (U.P; visited by Xuan Zang)
4) Allakappa
5) Ramagrama (Nepal)
6) Pava (U.P)

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Structure of Stupa
Core of the stupa was made of unburnt brick while the
outer surface was made by using burnt bricks, which were
then covered with a thick layer of plaster.
The medhi and the toran were decorated by wooden
sculptures.

Devotees walk around the Pradakshina patha as a token

of worship.
Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the most famous of
the ashokan stupas.
Piprahwa stupa in U.P is the oldest one.

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