12/27/2018 PALA ART AND ARCHITECTURE – HISTORY AND GENERAL STUDIES

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PALA ART AND ARCHITECTURE

selfstudyhistory Posted on April 26, 2016 1

PALA ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The Pala dynasty ruled from 8th century to 12th century CE in the regions comprising
Bihar and Bengal. The development of art had been in a full edged manner during
the Mauryas and Guptas which was further carried by the Pala rulers.

Distinctive achievements of Palas are seen in the arts of architecture, sculpture,

terracotta, painting and wall painting.

The Pala art came to a sudden end after the destruction of the Buddhist monasteries
at the hands of Muslim invaders in the rst half of the 13th century. Some of the monks
and artists escaped and ed to Nepal, which helped in reinforcing the existing art
traditions there.

Architecture

Various Mahaviharas, Stupas, Chaityas, Temples and forts were constructed.

Most of these buildings have vanished leaving no extant architecture from
this period and making it very difficult to reconstruct a systematic overview
of the architectural development.
Most of the architectures were religious. The first two hundred years of Pala
period art were dominated by Buddhist art and Hindu art dominates last two
hundred years.
Among the various Mahaviharas, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Somapura,
Traikutaka, Devikota, Pandita, Fullabadi and Jagaddala Vihara are notable.
 Planned residential buildings for monks was made.
Dharmapala built the Vikramasila mahavihara (at Patharghata in Bhagalpur
district of Bihar) and Odantpuri Vihara in Bihar. Somapura Vihara and
Vikramasila Vihara were acknowledged in the Buddhist world as two
important centres of Buddhist learning in the period between 9th and 12th

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centuries AD. At Vikramshila, remains of one temple and stupa have also been
found.
Odantpuri Mahavihara (750-770) was so magnificent that it served as a model
for first monastery built in Tibet.
The remains of Bodh Gaya and Nalanda provide a magnificent vista of
monasteries, stupas and temples. Nalanda was the best place for the study of
the Buddhist architecture of those days.
The Somapura mahavihara at Paharpur, a creation of Dharmapala, proudly
announces the excellence of the architectural art achieved in the Pala period.
It is one of the largest Buddhist Vihara in the Indian subcontinent and the
plan of its central shrine was evolved in Bengal. In the Nalanda inscription of
Vipulasrimitra it has been described as jagatam netraikavishrama bhu (pleasing
to the eyes of the world). Its architectural plan, especially the gradually
receding crucified plan of its central shrine, had influenced the architecture of
the neighboring countries like Myanmar and Indonesia. A few Buddhist
buildings in these countries, built in the 13th and 14 centuries, seem to have
followed the Paharpur example.
It may rightly be said that the fame of Bengal spread in the then Buddhist
world for the cultivation of Buddhist religion and culture and of other
knowledge in the various centres that grew under the patronage of the Pala
rulers. Many scholars came to these centres from far and wide. Devapala
granted five villages at the request of the Sailendra king of Java for the upkeep
of the matha established at Nalanda for the scholars of that country. The
Buddhist Viharas in the Pala empire played a significant role in the
propagation of Buddhism in the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Tibet and
Sri Lanka.
The rock-cave temple at Kahalgaon, the Ardhamandapa of Vishnupad Temple
at Gaya, Surajgarha. Indipai, Jaimangalgarh etc. are examples of Pala art.
The rock-cave temple at Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur district) dating from ninth
century, which shows the gabled vaulted roof characteristic of the South
Indian architecture.
The brick built medieval Siva temple at Konch in the Gaya district is
architecturally important on account of its curvilinear Shikhara and corbelled
lancet window.
Ramapala founded a city named Ramvati where a number of buildings and
temples were constructed.

More about Pala Temples

While the Palas are celebrated as patrons of many Buddhist monastic sites, the
temples from that region are known to express the local Vanga style. The ninth
century Siddheshvara Mahadeva temple in Barakar in Burdwan District, for example,
shows a tall curving shikhara crowned by a large amalaka and is an example of the
early Pala style. It is similar to contemporaneous temples of Odisha. This basic form
grows loftier with the passing of centuries.

Many of the temples from the ninth to the twelfth century were located at Telkupi in
Purulia District. They were submerged when dams were built in the region. These
were amongst the important examples of architectural styles prevalent in the region

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which showed an awareness of all the known Nagara sub-types that were prevalent in
the rest of North India. However, several temples still survive in Purulia District which
can be dated to this period. The black to grey basalt and chlorite stone pillars and
arched niches of these temples heavily in uenced the earliest Bengal sultanate
buildings at Gaur and Pandua.

Many local vernacular building traditions of Bengal also in uenced the style of
temples in that region. Most prominent of these was the shape of the curving or
sloping side of the bamboo roof of a Bengali hut.

Terracotta

Artistic and beautiful forms of terracotta were developed during the Pala
period. This art was developed for the purpose of decoration. Under this form
of art, such statues are made on walls which depict scenes from from religious
and general life styles.
We find beautiful and artistic clay images from the Buddha period. Some
important specimens have been found drom the ruins of Vikramshila
Mahavihara.
An exquisite example of artistic beauty is seen in the drawing on a wooden
plate in which a lady is seen sitting in posture with a mirror in her hands and
she is beholding herself in the mirror. Her beauty gets more attracted by
cladding her with ornaments.
The terracotta plaques recovered from Paharpur amply demonstrate the
excellence of the art in the Pala period. These plaques, used mainly in surface
decoration of the walls, have been recognised as unique creation of the Bengal
artists. Side by side with the depiction of religious subjects, the artists have
chosen subjects from the everyday life of the people. There is no doubt that
the terracotta art reached a high water mark in the Pala period.

Sculpture

The Gupta tradition of sculptural art attained a new height under the
patronage of the Pala rulers and it came to be designated as ‘Pala School of
Sculptural Art’. It is Eastern Style of medieval sculpture. The art incorporated
lot of local characteristics in Bengal under the Palas and it continued right up
to the end of the 12th century.
The sculptures of stones and bronze were constructed in large numbers
mostly in   monastic sites of Nalanda, Bihar Sharif, Rajgir, Bodh Gaya,
Ghosranwan etc.
Most of the sculptures of this period drew their inspiration from Buddhism.
Apart from Buddha, sculptures of God and Goddess of Hindu Dharma like
Vishnu, Balram,  Uma, Maheshwar, Surya and Ganesha were also constructed.
The finest sculptures of this School include a female bust, two standing
Avalokiteshwara images from Nalanda; Buddha seated in
‘Bhumisparsasamudra’ and images of Avalokiteshwara seated in ‘Ardha
Paryanka’ etc.
Buddhist sculptures is characterised by a prominent and elaborately carved
black-slab and lotus-seat, frequently supported by lions.

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Of the various forms of Shaiva icons, Maheshwara (inspired by Tantricism)

was even more popular than Ganesha. Vaishnava images were also  produced
during the 11th and 12th century.
Generally only frontal parts of body have been shown in the sculptures. The
front was highly detailed and decorated. The sculpture in spite of the beauty
engraved with them lack genuineness because  of over use of decorative. Due
to influence of  Tantricism, the sculptures of god were given different touches
like that of female, animal etc.
Bronze sculptures are casted in dies.Bronze casting was an important feature
of Pala sculptures. Such sculptures have been found from Nalanda and
Kukrihar (near Gaya). The art of metal casting attained a high degree
proficiency at the Buddhist cantre of Kukrihar, as well as at the University of
Nalanda where it appears to have formed a part of the curriculum.
Largest of bronze idols was found at Sultanganj (Bhagalpur) which is being
showcased at Birmingham musium.
The bronze figures were usually cast by the ‘cire perdue’ process and were
subsequently carefully finished sometimes in guilt.
Taranatha names two artists, father and son, Dhiman and Bitpalo, as being the
founder of schools of cast metal images, sculptures and painting.  They were
the residents of Nalanda and worked under Pala kings Dharmapala and
Devapala.
The Pala sculptures also present examples of artistic beauty carved out of
stone sculptures. These are made of “black basalt stones” which are obtained
from Santhal Paragana and Munger. They had stylish elegance, technical
precision and a harsh outline skin to metal work.
The Pala Style is marked by slim and graceful figures, elaborate jewellery and
conventional decoration. Their sculptures from Bihar are somewhat thick set
and heavier in their general proportions of limbs than those from Bengal. The
Pala rulers had intimate relations with Java which are evident in Hindu-
Javanese sculpture. Some amount of stylisation is noticed in the later phase of
Pala art, but the tradition is continued under the Sena rulers in the 12th
century until the Islamic rulers overran the country.
The main features of Pala sculptures is their free flowing movement. Almost
all the figures are of similar sizes.
In the museums in Bangladedesh and West Bengal the most notable exhibits
are the innumerable beautiful sculptures on Rajmahal black basalt stone. The
deities seemed to have assumed life through the masterly carving of the
sculptors. The artistic genius of the Bengal sculptors blossomed to perfection
in the period. Similarly Bronze sculptures of Bengal came to be recognised as
specimens of a matured art, and specialists think that the Bengal bronzes
influenced the art in south-east Asian countries.

Painting

The earliest examples of miniature painting in India exist in the form of illustrations to
the religious texts on Buddhism executed under the Palas of the eastern India and the
Jain texts executed in western India during the 11th-12th centuries A.D.

There are two forms of paintings: Manuscripts and Wall Painting (Mural).

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Manuscripts was written on palm leaves. In these paintings, scenes of life of

Buddha and several god and goddess of Mahayana sects are depicted. Many
Paintings illustrated manuscripts belong to the Vajrayana School of Buddhism.
The impact of Tanricism on these paintings are easily visible. Sometimes it
also resembles some of the qualities of Nepalese and Burmese Art.
Though limited to manuscript paintings, the art shows a very developed stage
and scholars have held that the paintings of the Pala period definitely
influenced the Eastern Indian, Tibetan and Nepali paintings of the 14th
century.
Taranatha (1608) mentions the names of Dhiman and his son Vitpala, the
master sculptors and painters of the period of Dharmapala and Devapala.
A large number of manuscripts on palm-leaf relating to Buddhist themes were
written and illustrated with the images of Buddhist deities at Buddhist centres
like Nalanda, Odantapuri, Vikramshila and Somapura. Students and pilgrims
at these centres took back to their countries examples of Pala Art in the form
of manuscripts which helped to carry the Pala style to Nepal, Tibet, Burma, Sri
Lanka, Java etc.
Decorative paintings could be seen on manuscripts depending on the subject
matter. The painted manuscripts are at present lodged in Cambridge
University.
The art of painting is manifest in 400 odd paintings that appear in the so far
discovered 24 painted manuscripts of Pancharaksa, Astasahasrika
Prajnaparamita, Panchavingshatisahasrika Prajnaparamita and other texts.
A fine example of the typical Buddhist palm-lead manuscripts illustrated in
the Pala style exists in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, England. It is a manuscrpt
of the Ashta-Sahsarika Prajnaparamita, or the perfection of Wisdom written
in eight thousand lines. It was executed in the monastery of Nalanda in the
15th year of the reign of the Pala King, Ramapala, in the last quarter of 11th
century. The manuscript has illustrations of six pages and also on the insides
of both wooden covers.
Red, blue, black and white colors are used as primary colors whereas green,
purple, light pink and grey are used as secondary/auxiliary color on a fine
variety of   palm leaf, as well as on the lacquered wooden covers of
manuscripts.
The Pala painting is characterised by sinuous line, delicate and nervous lines,
sensuous elegance, linear and decorative accent and subdued tones of color. It
is naturalistic style which resembles the ideal forms of contemporary bronze
and stone sculpture, and reflects some feeling of the classical art of Ajanta
with sensuous bias of art of Eastern India.
Wall painting has been found in Saradh and Sarai Sthal in Nalanda district. At
the bottom of a platform made of granite stone we can find flowers of
geometric shapes, images of animals and humans. The images have faded
now, yet certain images like elephant, horses, dancers, Bodhisattvas etc. can
be noticed. Impact of Ajanta and Bagh painting can be noticed, as the way of
making images and painting are very much similar.

 पालकला

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