Mauryan art is classified based on initiative
It represented an important transition in Indian art from use of wood and clay to stone
- Court Art - State Initiative
- Pillars
- Stupas
- Popular Art - Individual Initiative
- Caves
- Sculpture
- Pottery
Court Art
Pillars
- Capital crowned by Animal Figures - Bull, Lion & Elephant
- Different types of Abacus - Round, rectangular, square
- Abacus - Buddhists Edicts Inscribed in Abacus and sometimes in shaft
- Capital Base - Bell or inverted lotus shaped - Achaemenian/Persian/Iranian influence
- Shaft/Pillar - Highly Polished - Achaemenian/Persian/Iranian Influence
- Freestanding
- Monolithic
- Chunar(place in Bihar) sandstone

Purpose of Pillars
- Symbol of State
- To declare Victory
- To spread moral ideas
Difference between Mauryan and Achaemanian Pillars
Mauryan | Achaemanian |
---|---|
Monolith | Multiple Stones |
Independently Erected | Erected with other structures |
Imp Pillars
Sarnath Pillar - Lion Capital
- Emblem of GOI
- Four roaring Lion
- Abacus - Round + 4 dharma chakra or wheels of law + alternating with Elephant, Bull, Horse, Lion
Bull Capital - Rampura (Bihar)
- Mixture of Persian and Indian Elements
- Abacus - Non-Indian = motifs of rosette, palmette, acanthus ornaments
Stupas
- Structure covering the relics of Buddha and other Buddha related things
- Concept of stupa started during Vedic period
- After Buddha died 9 stupas were constructed - 8 over relics and 1 over the pot in which the relics where kept
- But during Ashoka's time, the relics were dug out and further divided to construct new stupas
- Maximum stupas were constructed by Asoka - 84,000
Structure of Stupa
- Chhatri - 3 Chhatras - represents Triratna
- Buddha - (enlightened)
- Dharma - (doctrine)
- Sangha - (order)
- Anda - hemispherical dome
- Vedika - Railings to pradhakshinapath
- Medhi - circular base with the enclosed walls or Vedika
- For Circumambulation - Pradakshinapath
- Torana - Ornamental Gateway
- Sculptures engraved in Torana and Medhi
- Core of stupa - unburned bricks
- Outer surface - burnt bricks with lime plaster


Imp. Stupas
- Bodhgaya Stupa (BH) - Buddha attained enlightenment
- Sanchi Stupa (MP) - Depicts 4 events of Buddha - birth, enlightenment, Dharmachakrapravartana(1st sermon), Mahaparinirvan( nirvana after death ) - carving of shalabhanjika yakshi
- Amravati Stupa (AP) - White Marble - Jataka Stories
- Bharhut Stupa (MP) - carving of yaksha & yakshini
- Nagarjunakonda Stupa (AP) - Buddha entering womb in the form of white elephant and his birth
- Piprahawa Stupa (UP) - Oldest surviving stupa
Popular Art
Caves
- Begining of rock-cut architecture - other rock-cut architectures include temples, sculptures like Dhauli or elephant ...etc
- Features
- Polished interior of caves
- Ornamental Gateways
- 7 sister Caves - earliest caves by Ashoka
- Barabar Caves in Barabar Hills - 4 caves - older
- karan Chaupar
- Lomas Rishi
- Sudama
- Visva Zopri
- Nagarajuni Caves - smaller and new
- Gopi-ka-kuha
- Vadhiti-ka-kuba
- Barabar Caves in Barabar Hills - 4 caves - older
- Vapiya-ka-kubha