Summary

Art and Culture Class 04

ELLORA CAVES (5:12 P.M.)

It is located in Chattrapati Sambhajinagar.
A total of 34 caves were developed in this place. The development of these caves started in the Gupta age.
However, it reached its climax during the period of Rasthakutas.
17 caves belong to Hinduism, 12 to Buddhism, and 5 to Jainism.
Inside the Buddhist caves, specimens related to Buddhism were created. For example, the sculpture of Buddha.
Similarly in Jain caves, the sculptures of Tirtankars were created.
Hinduism was a dominating religion in the Ellora.
Cave premise no. 16 is known as Kailashnath temple.
It is a monolith created by Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.
It is regarded as one of the architectural wonders.
Inside the Hindu caves, some fresco mural paintings were also created.
The best surviving example is the image of Lord Vishnu, riding on Garuda.

ELEPHANTA CAVES

It is located off-coast Mumbai on an Island.
At this place, a specimen related to Hinduism can be seen.
It has images based on Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
One of the most famous sculptures from this place is Trimurti.
It includes the images of Uma, Mahesh, and Bhairava.

NASIK CAVES

There are a total of 23 sandstone caves, which belong to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism.
The development of these caves started in the post-Maurya age, and they reached their climax in the Gupta period.
These caves are generally Viharas for the Buddhist monks.
Note:
Nasik is otherwise known for Hinduism.
One of the four Kumbh melas is held at this place.
Moreover, the Godavari River emerges from Trimbak Kund of Nasik.
It is also an abode of one of the Shiv Jyotirlinga, i.e. Trimbakeshwar.

12 SHIV JYOTIRLINGA

Somnath and Nageshwar are in Gujarat.
Girishneshwar, Trimbakeshwar, and Bhimashankar in Maharashtra.
Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.
Mallikarjuna-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.
Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh.
Vaidyanath (Deoghar) in Jharkhand.
Kashi Vishwanath in Uttar Pradesh.
Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.

BAGH CAVES (5:44 P.M.)

These are situated on the banks of River Bagh, near Indore.
A total of 9 sandstone caves were created at this place. All of them belong to Buddhism.
Cave number 4 is popularly known as Rangmahal. It has beautiful frescos based on Buddhism.

JUNAGADH CAVES

These are situated in the Girnar hills of the Gujarat.
These caves are also referred to as Uparkot. It means that cave chambers are created on the upraised platforms connected through stairs from the base.
This cave was associated with Buddhism. However, some Hindu motifs have also been found in these caves.

EVOLUTION OF TEMPLE IN NORTH (5:49 P.M.)

The Nagara style of temples developed in three phases during the Gupta age, which is as follows,
(a) First Stage
In this phase, the flat-roofed square temples were created on the grounded platform.
It also included shallow pillars meant for decoration.
For example, Temple No. 17 of Sanchi.
(b) Second Stage
In this phase, temples were created on upraised platforms called Jagati.
They continued the flat-roofed square temple approach. However, in this phase, in-depth pillars were used.
These were also a few instances of a double-storied flat-rood temple.
For example, the Parbati Temple of Nachna-Kuthara temple in Madhya Pradesh.
(c) Third Stage
In this stage, a curvy linear tower was introduced on the top of the chamber. This was popularly known as Shikhar.
This stage is said to be a precursor of the Nagara style of temple.
For example, the Bhitargaon temple of Kanpur and the Dashavatar Temple of Deogarh (Jhansi).

NAGARA STYLE OF TEMPLE (6:03 P.M.)

Nagara is an umbrella style of temple in northern India.
Its origin can be traced to the Gupta cities.
It had the following features:
(a) The characteristic feature of the Nagara-style temple is the presence of a curvilinear tower, Shikara.
(b) Generally the boundary walls are not created in the Nagara temples.
(c) The upraised platform on which the temple is created is known as Jagati.
(d) Madap is the prayer hall of the temple, and also it comprises a large number of in-depth pillars.
(e) The main chamber of the temple is called Garbhgriha.
In it, the idols of deities are placed.
It is regarded as the place of new birth.
(f) The tower on the top of Garbhagriha is often equated with the mythological mountains Kailash and Meru.
(g) Generally, Nagara temples include a covered ambulatory passageway called Parikramapath.
(h) Amalak is the horizontal disc that gives a pause to the rising layer of the tower.
(i) The top-most structure is the finial which differs from place to place. For example, Kalash, Trishul, Flag, etc.
(j) Generally Nagara temples were created in the crucified ground plan.
(k) Generally, in Nagara temples, the water tanks were not created.
For example, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Omkareshwar Temple, Mahakaleshwar Temple, etc.

SUB-STYLES OF NAGARA TEMPLE (6:31 P.M.)

Odisha Style
It started to develop under the patronage of the Ganga dynasty and the Gajapati dynasty.
Features of Odisha Style Temples
(a) The boundary wall can be seen in Odisha temple.
(b) The exterior walls of Odisha temple were lavishly decorated with intricate carvings.
(c) However, the interior walls are kept entirely plain.
(d) The characteristic feature of Odisha temple is the presence of Deula Shikhar.
It is almost vertical for a greater length and only near the top curvature is created.
The hall in the Odisha style is called Jagmohan.
Some of the temples in Odisha style are known for Tantrik practices. This is reflected in the sexual images on the walls of the temple.
Some of the temples have installed wooden images of the god inside the temple.
For example, Jagannath Temple (Puri), Lingaraj Temple (Bhubneshwar), Konark Temple (Konark), Raja Rani Temple (Bhubneshwar), etc.
Khajuraho Style (7:07 P.M.)
It was developed by the Chandela rulers of Bundelkhand.
Features
(a) These temples are considered the climax of the Nagara style of temples.
(b) They are created on a relatively very high platform.
(c) It is noted for the presence of multiple chambers and multiple shikars of varying sizes.
These Shikhars give an impression of the mountain range.
(d) The chambers of the temple were interconnected with each other in the east-west direction.
(e) On the walls of the temple, a few erotic and sexual images were also created.
For example, Kandariya Mahadeo Temple (Khajuraho) and Lakshmana Temple (Khajuraho).
Not only Hindu but jain temples were also created in this style.
For example, Parsvanath Temple and Ghantai Temple.
In some of the areas of Bundelkhand, circular temples were also created.
They were mainly patronized by the Kacchapaghata dynasty.
These circular temples are present in many places like Morena, Jabalpur, and Khajuraho.
It is said that the Chausath Yogini Temple of Morena was an inspiration behind the design of the old Parliament building.
Solanki Style of Temple (7:26 P.M.)
It was developed by the Solanki rulers of Gujarat.
It was practised in the area of south Rajasthan and entire Gujarat.
Features of Solanki Style of Temple
(a) The exterior walls of the temple were optimally decorated.
(b) The interior walls were lavishly decorated.
(c) This style of temple architecture is noted for the finest stone tracery works (Jali work).
(d) Beautiful Hindu motifs and geometrical designs were created in this style.
(e) The temples are generally built facing the east direction so that on the day of the equinox, sun rays fall directly in the Garbgriha chamber.
(f) In some of the temples, step water tanks were created. Moreover, on the majority of the stairs, a small replica of the temple was also created.
Not only Hindu but also a large number of Jain temples were created in this style.
For example, Sun Temple (Modhera), Somnath Temple, Ambaji Temple, etc are Hindu temples.
Bhadreshwar Jain Temple, Ranakpur Jain Temple, and Dilwara Jain Temple are notable Jain temples built using this style.
Not only temples but also step wells with elaborate sculptures based on Hindu mythology were created.
The best example is Rani ki Vav of Patan, which is a UNESCO heritage site.

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: SOUTH INDIAN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE