ART AND CRAFTS

ART AND CRAFTS

There are only a few temples made of brick in Uttar Pradesh and a stone temple. The brick temples of the Gupta period include those of Bhitargaon in Kanpur, Bhitari in Ghazipur and Deogarh in Jhansi. The Buddhist university at Nalanda was set up in the fifth century, and its earliest structure, made of brick, belongs to this period. In the history of temple architecture, the Gupta period is the formative and creative age heralding the two important styles, Nagara and Dravida. Of the stupas built during this period, the one at Mirpur Khas in Sind and Dhamekh at Sarnath deserve mention. Of the tall stupa ofSarnath near Varanasi, now little more than the inner core remains. It was once a most imposing structure of beautifully patterned brick-work with a high cylindrical upper dome rising from a lower hemi­spherical one, and with large images of the Buddha set in gable ends at the cardinal points.

The rock-cut architecture of the period is represented by the two conventional types-the chaitya and the vihara. They are mostly found atAjanta, Ellora and Bagh. The most characteristic feature of the chaitya is its emphasis on the colossal image of Buddha seated between two standing attendants. The vihara was planned in the form of rows of cells round a central court. The most numerous viharas are to be found at Ajanta. While retaining the essential features of the past, these caves are remarkable for the variety and beauty of the pillars as well as the fine fresco paintings with which the walls and ceilings are decorated.

There are no remains of free-standing Hindu temples erected before the Gupta period, though by this time they must long have been built in wood, clay and brick. From
the Gupta period, however, several examples survive, chiefly in western India, all showing the same general pattern. Pillars were usually ornate, with heavy bell-shaped capitals surmounted by animal motifs, and the entrances were often carved with mythological scenes and figures. All the Gupta temples were small, and most had flat roofs. Their masonry was held together without mortar, and was far larger and thicker than was necessary for the comparatively small buildings. The finest Gupta temple was that of Deogarh, in which iron dowels were used to hold the masonry together, and a small tower rose above the sanctum. The portal veranda was continued all round the building, making a covered walk.

It is in the domain of sculpture that the Gupta period marked great development. The Gupta sculpture suggests simplicity and serenity. An over two-metre high bronze image of the Buddha has been recovered from Sultanganj near Bhagalpur. According to Fa-Hsien there was an over 25-metre high image of the Buddha made of copper, but it is' not traceable now. In the Gupta period, beautiful images of the Buddha were fashioned at Sarnath and Mathura. For the first time in the Gupta period we get images of Vishnu, Shiva and some other Hindu gods. At many places we get a whole pantheon in which the chief god appears in the middle and his retainers and subordinate gods surround him on the panel. The leading god is represented large in size, but his retainers and subordinate gods are drawn on a smaller scale. The best specimens of Hindu sculpture are to be found in the Deogarh temple containing effective Hindu mythological themes of Rama, Vishnu and Narayana.

In the art of painting, the Gupta Age attained a high degree of proficiency. The specimens of Gupta paintings preserved in the Ajanta caves and the Bagh caves. . Ajanta caves adorned with best fresco paintings w constructed between the first and seventh centuries Paintings in six of the 29 caves have survived the rava of time. The subjects of these paintings are threef( relating to decoration, portraiture and narration. The dE rative designs include an infinite variety of animals, tr and flowers. Of the portraits the central figures are th of the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The narrat scenes mostly portray Jataka stories.

The murals of Aja vividly portray in panorama the whole human and nah. drama-the princes in their palaces, ladies in their hare] coolies carrying burdens over their shoulders, beggl peasants and ascetics, the flowering trees, beasts and bil The paintings at Bagh epitomise the Ajanta school. The d characteristics of Gupta art are refinement, simplicity expression, and religious virtuosity.