Buddhist and

Jain
architecture in
India

Presented by

Ar Samira Gupte
 Buddhist
architecture in
India

Stupa (tomb)
Chaitya (temple)
Viharas (monastery)
Columns
Buddhist philosophy
– Siddhartha, also known as Gautam – Founder of Buddhism.
– Gave up his kingdom. Found through metaphysical search for
Moksha.
– In 531 BC, he attained enlightenment by meditating under Bodhi
(Peepal) tree at Gaya.His religion teaches non-violence, oneness,
humanity, and deliverance from sorrow and all trouble.
– Eight fold path – 1) Right belief, 2) Right aspiration, 3) Right
speech, 4) Right action, 5) Right means of livelihood, 6) Right
effort, 7) Right awareness, 8) Right meditation
– There are three kinds of objects worthy of veneration –
1) Sarika means the physical remains like hair, nails, bones
2) Paribhogika – like begging bowl, robes, vessels
3) Uddesika – Symbols like Tri-ratna, Stupa, Chakra
Buddhist architecture

– The major features of this style are Stupas,

Stambhas, Chaityas, Viharas and monasteries.
– Initially, no image worship was practiced.
Later, they represented Buddha by means of
symbols like stupa, bodhi tree, wheel of law
etc.
 Buddhist
architecture in
India

Stupa
Buddhist architecture: Stupas

– The stupa is a circular mound of earth,

covered with stone or brick.
– These structures were erected over the sacred
relics of the monks and became places of
worship. They are also known as relic shrines.
– The dome symbolized infinite space of the sky,
abode of God.
– It was planned like a vedic village.
– At the top of the dome, was a small square
balcony in decorative form, called Harmika.
Buddhist architecture:
Stupas
– The stupa is a circular mound of earth,
covered with stone or brick.
– These structures were erected over the sacred
relics of the monks and became places of
worship. They are also known as relic shrines.
– The dome symbolized infinite space of the sky,
abode of God.
– It was planned like a vedic village.
– At the top of the dome, was a small square
balcony in decorative form, called Harmika.
Buddhist architecture:
Stupas
– The stupa is a circular mound of earth, covered with
stone or brick.
– These structures were erected over the sacred relics
of the monks and became places of worship. They are
also known as relic shrines.
– The dome symbolized infinite space of the sky, abode
of God.
– It was planned like a vedic village.
– At the top of the dome, was a small square balcony in
decorative form, called Harmika enclosing a pedestal.
– On the pedestal, three tiered stone or wooden
umbrella supported on shaft was raised. This is
known as chhatravali.
Buddhist architecture:
Stupas
– Torana -
– The stupa was enclosed within a wooden or stone
railing called Vedica leaving an ambulatory
passage. This was open for common public.
– Gateways to Stupa are called Toranas. They are
generally placed on 4 cardinal points.
– Medhi – Was an upper ambulatory passage. This
was reserved for Monks.
– Access to Medhi was provided by double staircase
called as Sopana.
Buddhist architecture:
Stupa at Sanchi
– The dome is constructed of solid brick work –
32.32 m in diameter and 12.8 m high
– Medhi at 4.87 m height
– Sopana 1.8 m wide
– Vedica is 3.35 m tall
 Buddhist
architecture in
India

Chaityas
Buddhist architecture:
Chaitya
– Chaitya halls are basically the temples as well as
assembly halls.
– These have a small rectangular doorway which
opens to a vaulted hall.
– At the end of the hall, a Stupa is placed with
enough space around it for pradakshina.
– Hall was divided by two rows of columns forming a
broad nave and two side aisles.
– The roof is generally semi circular.
Buddhist architecture:
Chaitya at Bhaje (200 BC)
– Simple cells with no decoration.
– Entrance is in the form of the open archway which leads to
interior hall.
– Main hall is 16.7 m long and 8 m wide. Side aisles 1 m wide
Height of the vault is 8.8 m. Columns are 3.4 m high
– Stupa is simple with cylindrical base supporting a huge dome.
– This chaitya is a combination of wooden and rock cut
architecture.
Buddhist architecture:
Chaitya at Karle (78 BC)
– The entrance of the chaitya is very grand and cosists of three
doorways.
– The chaitya hall is 38.5 m long and 13 m wide. Height is 13.7 m.
– The roof is supplemented by a series of wooden ribs which are
closely spaced.
– Column diameter is 1.22 m and height is 7.32 m.
– Columns has bell shaped capitals which supports a pair of
kneeling elephants in front and horses and tigers in the rear.
– The shaft is octagonal in shape and has a vase shaped support
in the bottom.
– The stupa has inverted pyramid on top.
 Buddhist
architecture in
India

Viharas
Buddhist architecture:
Vihara
– vihara, early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open
court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance
porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter
the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for
them to lead the wanderer’s life. They took on a sacred character
when small stupas (housing sacred relics) and images of
the Buddha were installed in the central court.
– Viharas were built to a set plan, they have a hall dedicated for
congregational prayer with a verandah on three sides or an open
courtyard surrounded by a row of cells and a pillared verandah in
front. These cells served as dwelling places for the monks. These
monastic buildings built of bricks were self-contained units and
had a Chaitya hall or Chaitya mandir attached to a stupa - the chief
object of worship.
Buddhist architecture:
Vihara at Ajanta & Ellora
– The Ajanta Caves are 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating
from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad
District of Maharashtra state in India.
– Buddha was worshipped in an aniconic/symbolic form.
– These caves are simple and austere, and carry mural paintings
sparsely.
– The chaityagrihas are characterized by a vaulted ceiling and an apsidal
end, the façade dominated by a horseshoe-shaped window, known as
chaitya window.
– Internally, they are divided by colonnades into a central nave and side
aisles, the latter continuing behind the apse for circumambulation.
– At the centre of the apse stands the object of worship in the form of a
chaitya or stupa, also hewn out of the rock. The monasteries consist
of an astylar hall meant for congregation, and range of cells on three
sides serving as the dwelling-apartments (viharas) for monks.
Buddhist architecture:
Vihara at Ajanta & Ellora
Ajanta Caves exemplifies
one of the greatest
achievements in ancient
Buddhist rock-cut
architecture. The artistic
traditions at Ajanta present
an important and rare
specimen of art,
architecture, painting, and
socio-cultural, religious and
political history of
contemporary society in
India.
 Buddhist
architecture in
India

Columns
 Buddhist Buddhist architecture:
columns
Columns
– The Indian origin columns are octagonal with bell shaped
Indian Graeco- capitals supporting animal sculptures such as lion, horse, bull,
origin roman elephants carrying humans .
– The shaft is highly polished and has a vase shaped base
(probably derived from the upright timber post placed in an
earthen pot to protect it from insects and water.)
– Graeco-roman type columns are rectangular with shallow
flutes. They are tall and slender. The capital is usually with
fluted vase motif.
Buddhist architecture:
Ashoka pillar at Sarnath
– Erected by emperor Ashoka in 274 to 237 BC.
– Pillar at Sarnath is more than 15 m high
– The top of the column—the capital—has three parts. First, a base
of a lotus flower, the most ubiquitous symbol of Buddhism.
– Then, a drum on which four animals are carved represents the
four cardinal directions: a horse (west), an ox (east), an elephant
(south), and a lion (north). They also represent the four rivers that
leave Lake Anavatapta and enter the world as the four major
rivers. Each of the animals can also be identified by each of the
four perils of samsara. The moving animals follow one another,
endlessly turning the wheel of existence.
– The capital is more than 2 m high
Buddhist architecture: Buddhist architecture:
Ashoka pillar at Kolhua Ashoka pillar at Rampurva
Jain architecture
in India
 Jain philosophy
Jains believe that non-injury is the highest religion.

Jains aim to live in such a way that their jiva (soul) doesn't get any
more karma, and so that the karma it already has is either
eliminated or helped to decay. They do this by following a
disciplined life path.

The path or Dharma (truth, teaching) that Mahavira advocated was

one of strict asceticism, renunciation and moral cultivation. He
instructed his followers to cultivate the three jewels of:

Right belief
Right knowledge
Right conduct
Emerging from these three jewels and relating to right conduct are
the five abstinences, which are the vows of:
Jain architecture
Salient features
– Jain temples are four faced or chaumukh.
– Group of four different tirthankaras in a temple.
– This necessitates the shrine chamber with four doorways.
Jains took advantage of this requirement in the construction
of the exterior and shape of vimana. They introduced the
colonnaded group of small shrines round the four sides of
the courtyard in which main temple stands.
– The temple consists of an entrance portico
– Highly decorated marble ceiling
– Temples on hill tops
Jain architecture - Temples at Mount Abu
Jain architecture
Dilwara temple,
Mount Abu
– Five temple in the group of Dilwara temples.

– Vimala Vasahi temple-

– Constructed in 11th centuray AD
– Built by Vimala Shah, minister of first Solanki king of Gujrat.
– The main temple stands in the center of the rectangular court
surrounded by 29 chapels.
– There are double columned halls having 232 columns
– Every four columns forms a portico to these chapels
– Roof is domical, extensively carved. Supported on arcade of 24
columns.
– Continuous architraves and arches like garlands.
Jain architecture

– Adinath temple, Ranakpur

– Choumukh type plan
– Main chamber is 7 m square and provided with four entrances
– 29 halls in rectangular courtyard
– The main temple is surrounded by 4 subsidiary shrines with
domes on top
– The temple is very large. It stands on a basement of 60m x
62m , which looks like a stronghold. On the top of a flight of
stairs at the central entrance, there is a three-storied
"Balanaka" (entrance hall), which has a domed roof
 Jain architecture

– Adinath temple, Ranakpur

– The central main shrine is called "Mula-Prasada", the interior of which is
"Garbagriha" (sanctum), and its main statue is "Mulanayaka".
– For a Chaturmukha (four-faced) shrine, unlike the temples of Mt. Abu,
there are no "Gudha-mandapa" (closed hall) or "Trika-mandapas"
(vestibule), but four "Ranga-mandapas" ( A, assembly hall) in front of four
portals of the main shrine.
– Each Ranga-mandapa is connected with a three storyed "Meghanada-
mandapa" ( B, high hall) in front.
– Having four "Mahadara-prasada" (two-faced-shrine) diagonally in four
directions of the main shrine, the temple type is "Panchayatana" (five-
shrined-type).
– In addition to this, there are two "Bhadra-prasada" east and west sides,
making the total composition much more intricate.
– A line of "Deva-kulika" (small shrine) along "Bhamati" (cloister) surround
the whole complex. All these shrines hold a statue of Tirthankara or Jina
(four in Chaturmukha, two in Mahadara-prasada), there are more than
100 statues in total.
Assignment 2

Q.1) Explain in detail –

1. Structure of a typical stupa. Give one example.
2. Chaitya hall in buddhist architecture
3. Viharas in Buddhist architecture
4. Salient features of Jain temples. Explain with detail description of Vimala
Vasahi temple at Mount Abu and Adinath temple at Ranakpur
Q.2) Write short note on–
1. Ashoka pillar at Sarnath