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    Harsh Bhartiya
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    The Bharhut stupa, located in Madhya Pradesh, India, was originally built during the Mauryan period in the 3rd century BCE but saw significant additions and renovations during the Sunga period from the 2nd century BCE. The stupa structure was encircled by an ornate stone railing decorated with intricate carvings depicting Buddhist stories and motifs. The sculptural artwork at Bharhut stupa, including narrative reliefs and representations of nature, provide valuable insights into the development of early Buddhist art in India during this period.

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    The Bharhut stupa, located in Madhya Pradesh, India, was originally built during the Mauryan period in the 3rd century BCE but saw significant additions and renovations during the Sunga period from the 2nd century BCE. The stupa structure was encircled by an ornate stone railing decorated with intricate carvings depicting Buddhist stories and motifs. The sculptural artwork at Bharhut stupa, including narrative reliefs and representations of nature, provide valuable insights into the development of early Buddhist art in India during this period.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    356 views24 pages

    Sunga Art

    Uploaded by

    Harsh Bhartiya
    The Bharhut stupa, located in Madhya Pradesh, India, was originally built during the Mauryan period in the 3rd century BCE but saw significant additions and renovations during the Sunga period from the 2nd century BCE. The stupa structure was encircled by an ornate stone railing decorated with intricate carvings depicting Buddhist stories and motifs. The sculptural artwork at Bharhut stupa, including narrative reliefs and representations of nature, provide valuable insights into the development of early Buddhist art in India during this period.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 24

    Art of Sunga Period

    • The Mauryas were succeeded by the Sungas and later ruled for 112 years from
    about 185 B.C. to 73 B.C.
    • During this period the stupa emerged as the central focus of the Buddhist
    worship.
    • Stupas were the hemispherical structures erected by the Buddhists over the
    remains of the Buddha or any Buddhist sage. The structure is continuously
    enclosed by an ornate railing (vedika) punctuated by elaborately carved gateways
    (torana) in the four cardinal points.
    • Stupas were built in honour of the Buddhas.

    • A stupa was also specifically built to remind Buddhists the invisible presence of
    Buddha and his Dharma.
    • The stupa had originally been constructed to place Buddha’s relics and it
    eventually became the ultimate symbol of Buddha’s Parinirvana,
    Bharhut Stupa
    Bharhut Stupa

    • Bharhut stupa is one of the important stupas reconstructed under


    Shunga period. The great stupa of Bharhut erected near Satna in
    Madhya Pradesh in the Sunga period (2nd -1st century BC). Bharhut
    stupa is one of the earliest extant Buddhist structures.
    • The Bharhut stupa may have been established by the Maurya king
    Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, but many works of art were
    apparently added during the Sunga period from 2nd century BCE.
    During the reign of the Sungas, who were in power in the second
    century BC and reigned until the year 72 BC, a richly decorated
    stone railing was added to enclose the mound.
    .

    • Nothing is now visible of the celebrated stupa at this Buddhist site other
    than a shallow depression in the ground. Bricks and sandstone fragments
    are strewn all around. The remains of the sandstone railing pillar and
    gateways that surrounded the stupa have all been removed. They are
    mostly displayed in the Bharhut gallery at the Indian Museum, Calcutta.
    The Bharhut railings have made the Sunga period immortal.
    • Bharhut is famous for the ruins of a Buddhist stupa discovered there by
    Major General Alexander Cunningham in 1873. The stupa was probably
    begun in the time of Ashoka. It was originally built of brick and it was
    enlarged during the 2nd century BC, when a surrounding stone railing
    with entrances on the four cardinal points was constructed.
    .

    • Bharhut stupa is important as a library of Buddhist mythology. The


    railing bears a wealth of fine relief carving on its inner face. Around
    the beginning of the 1st century BC four stone gateways each
    elaborately carved were added to the entrances. The sculpture relief
    on the gateways, pillars, upright and cross-bars on the railings give
    us beautiful pictorial representations of nature, incidents from the
    life of Buddha, jataka stories (birth stories of the Buddha’s previous
    existence) and many humorous scenes.
    • The sculptures of Bharhut stupa belonged to Hinayana phase of
    Buddhism where Buddha’s figure never appears,
    .

    • he was always represented by symbols such as the wheel,


    representing the first sermon of the Law; the Bodhi tree, representing
    the Enlightenment; and the stupa, representing the Buddha’s Great
    Release of Parinirvana.
    • A riderless horse recalls the departure of the young Buddha; a set of
    footprints displays the auspicious symbols of a spiritual
    Chakravartin (Buddha as a spiritual ruler); a royal umbrella over a
    vacant space proclaims Buddha’s presence. The sculptures reflect
    wonderful simplicity and vigour. An inscription on these gateways
    assigns the work to king Dhanabhuti in the rule of the Sungas. The
    sculptures adoring the shrine are among the earliest and finest
    examples of the developing style of Buddhist art in India.
    .

    • Several folk and popular deities are found on the railings of Bharhut
    stupa. These have been named as Yaksha, Yakshi, Devata, Naga etc.
    Sirima Devata stands straight on the railing post with right hand raised
    up, Sudarshana mounts on a fish-tailed crocodile, Chulukoka tramples
    an elephant.
    • Chhanda bends the branch of a tree and probably a winged deer is seen
    below the feet (Figure 1). She is identified as identifies her with the
    Shalabhanjika- a beautiful woman.
    • Bhrahut sculptures are known for the wonderful depiction of nature.
    The large undulating lotus creepers or the meanders issuing from the
    full vase, bushes, trees, plants, birds, animals etc. have been exquisitely
    rendered in abundance.
    .

    • The Bodhisattva takes birth in different forms of nature. While the


    Buddha could not be represented in the human form in the art of
    Bharhut, his presence was aniconically conveyed through different
    forms of nature such as the Bodhi tree, lotus, elephant, lion, horse
    and deer.
    • Consequently, these elements of nature were given the same respect
    as the Buddha himself. Artistically, also the delineation of nature in
    Bharhut is of superb quality and this has been appreciated by
    scholars like James Fergusson who remarks, “Some animals such as
    elephants, deer and monkeys are better represented there than in any
    part of the world; so too are some trees.”
    .

    • The full-blown lotus and lotus creeper are very popular. Thus, both flora and
    fauna have been rendered in superb form by the sculptor of Bharhut.
    • Some sculptural represents are described below:

    • Queen Maya’s Dream’ is a famous relief done on the railing of the Bharhut
    stupa (Figure 2). The dream of queen Maya is an excellent example of the
    narrative scenes in relief depicted at Bharhut. Before birth of Buddha his
    mother Maya Devi saw a dream in which a divine white elephant descended
    from the heaven and entered her womb. The queen sleeps on a couch with her
    right hand. A lamp with high stand burns towards her feet. Two attendants
    seated on cushion seem half asleep while the third one has her hands folded in
    adoration. The divine elephant approaches her from above. A water pot and
    lamp are depicted nearby queen’s bed. Each figure of the medallion is carved
    in detail.
    Queen Maya’s Dream
    .

    • Gaja-Lakshmi: This beautiful motif is carved in a medallion on


    both sides of a railing post (Figure 3). It shows a full vase
    (Purnaghata) with overflowing stalked lotus buds and flowers. On
    the central flower stands Lakshmi holding a stalked lotus with her
    left hand and touching the left breast with the right hand. She is
    flanked by two elephants who stand on the full-blown lotuses and
    the deity with the vases held in their upraised trunks. From the
    lower outer ends of the medallion suspend buds while upper part
    on two corners shows swans seated on the full-blown lotuses.
    .
    Bharhut Stupa
    Bharhut Stupa
    Bharhut
    Bharhut Stupa
    Bharhut Stupa
    Yakshi (Bharhut Stupa)
    .
    Bharhut Sculpture
    Makara
    Bharhut
    Bharhut

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