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ART
SCULPTURE
STONE SCULPTURE
During the Mauryan dynasty, about fourth century B.C. we
come across monuments of stone in the form of colossal yaksha
images, of which the one from the village of Parkham, in Mathura
district is the most significant. About two dozen gigantic statues
have been discovered at various ancient centres like Mathura,
Bharatpur,
Pauraya
near Gwalior,
Rajghat near
Varanasi,
Kaushambi, Patna, Vidisa and further east at Sisupalagarh in
Orissa. It is now generally agreed that these are images of yakshas
and yakshinis, worshipped in very ancient times as deities of an
important folk cult. Mauryan sculpture occupies a special place in
the history of Indian art. Stone began to be used all over the country
for both sculpture and architecture. Another important feature of
Mauryan art is the bright polish imparted to the stone surface.
During Emperor Ashoka's reign, monolithic stone pillars often 40 to
50 ft. high were adorned with animal motifs. The most important is
the lion capital of the Sarnath pillar. This is made up of four parts: an
inverted lotus covered with long petals, surmounted by a circular
drum showing four chakras facing the four directions and after each
an animal - a horse, a lion, an elephant and a bull. The yakshini
figure found at Didarganj in Patna is another specimen. The most
important sculptural remains of the post-Maury an period are the
carvings on the rails and gateways of the great Buddhist sites at
Bharhut, Gaya and Sanchi.
At Bharut, the upright posts of the stupa railing are carved with
yakshas and yakshinis. In all the Buddhist sculpture of this period
the Buddha himself is never shown, but symbolized by such em-
blems as a wheel, empty throne, a pair of footprints or a pipal tree.
The Kushana period witnessed the flowering of the Mathura
school of sculpture. The creation of the Buddha image was the
greatest contribution of the Mathura artists. The important figures
of this period are statues of Vema Kadphises and Kanishka,
Parkhan yaksha, Maholi Bodhisattva etc. An independent figure of
the goddess Lakshmi standing in the
midst of lotuses is bf striking beauty.
The Gandhara art specialized in
Buddha and Bodhisattva images. At
Bamian, Afghanistan are two colossal
Buddha images, one of them 172 ft. high.
The typical Gandharan head of the Bud-
dha has adolescent features and wavy
hair. In this it strongly resembles the
Greek Apollo. The images are usually
dressed in a robe which has deep, ridged
folds - a robe exactly similar to the Ro-
man toga.
An
important
Gandharan sculpture
is the relief depicting
the death of the Bud-
dha. The figure of the
Buddha lying on a
couch occupies the
centre of the panel
from which emerge
rows of figures. Sor-
row is writ large on
the
faces of the mourners.
Two of the best examples of Gupta images are the standing
Buddhas from Mathura. The seated Buddha delivering the first ser-
mon at Sarnath is another masterpiece. Surrounded by a large halo,
flanked by two small demigods, the Buddha sits majestically his
fingers forming the dharmachakra mudra which indicates that he is
preaching. His face is that of a young man, conveying the message
that the world is full of sorrow, death and decay, but that it is
possible to transcend these evils, and reach a state where age and
grief no longer affect the mind, and where worldly pleasures are
converted into inner serenity.
Another school of sculpture existed in the region around Gwal-
ior and Jhansi. The masterpiece is an image of the Sun god Surya
from Gwalior. There is also the 9th C. "Sanchi Torso" the delicately
modelled body of a Bodhisattva with a jewelled collar and a scarf of
antelope
skin
hanging
over the left shoulder.
The rock sculpture show-
ing the Varaha of Vishnu
in the Udayagiri caves
depicts Lord Vishnu res-
cuing the earth from the
depths of the ocean. An-
other important sculpture
is a lifesize image of
Vishnu in the Mathura
museum.
Among
the
most
magnificent sculptures is
the image of Trimurthi
Shiva at Elephanta island
on the west coast. The
three-headed
bust
of
Siva, calm with the calm-
ness of eternity is very
impressive. The serene
god is perhaps the best
expression
of
the
Hindu concept of divinity.
The sculptures in the
Elephanta
caves
are
incomparable
both
in
character
and
plastic
quality.
Among the Pallava sculptures is one showing Krishna lifting
Govardhana, and the other depicting him in the scene of milking
cow's both at Mahabalipuram. There is also a statue of Ardhanar-
iswara. Another panel depicts Arjuna’s penance.
The Pala school of sculpture flourished in Bihar and Bengal.
Stone sculptures of the Pala school are found at Nalanda, Raja-
griha, Bodh Gaya, Rajasthan
and Khichanga in Mayurbhanj.
The temples of Orissa have
profusely
ornamented
outer
walls.They are loaded with rich
sculpture comprising dancing
male and female figures and
decorative patterns of the most
exquisite kind. The finest Orissa
sculptures are those in the
courtyard of the temple of the
Sun at Konarak, where the
horses and the scene of an ele-
phant crushing a malefactor is
unmatched and compares with