Hinayana Buddhist Viharas Rock Cut - Orissa MAHAYANA Monasteries-GANDHARA
Hinayana Buddhist Viharas Rock Cut - Orissa MAHAYANA Monasteries-GANDHARA
Hinayana Buddhist Viharas Rock Cut - Orissa MAHAYANA Monasteries-GANDHARA
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HINAYANA VIHARAS
The Hinayana Viharas are not of architectural significance as the
Chaityas.
Salient features of the Vihara during the Hinayana Period:
•Open simple central hall
•The assembly room was a large compartment
•The whole space was uninterrupted by columns or
pillars
•The cells opening from the central hall always had rock
cut beds and couches
•A small recess for use as a locker
•Cell was usually 9’0” square
•Due to the presence of the couch in the cell the doorway was normally
to one side
•The central hall normally corresponded to the open courtyard
•The façade, vestibule and cells were translations in rock of the original
wooden viharas
•The surviving egs. are at Ajanta nos. 8,12,13, 11(Mahayana),
Kondane, Nasik
HINAYANA VIHARAS – 200 BC – 200 AD
Ajanta cave nos. 8,12,13, Kondane
The first series at Ajanta consisted of 5 excavations of which
cave 9,10 were Chaityas and the remaining 8,12,13 were
Viharas
•Chaitya 10 with Vihara 12 is the earliest
•Vihara 13 added later
•Chaitya 9 along with Vihara 8 constructed later
•Vihara 12 is typical eg.
•Single storied, façade destroyed CAVE 13
•Around the central square is the carved horse shoe arch resulting in a
pleasant frieze
•Every feature is planned and cut with precision
Ellora Ajanta
ROCK CUT E -GHATS ORISSA – 200 BC – 200 AD
Gumphas at Udaigiri 160 BC
Sandstone hills
Contemporary to the Monasteries in the W ghats, we have 16 in Udaigiri hills
rock cut cells in the E ghats for the Jains & not the Buddhists
35 in total
There is a treatment not conforming to the Buddhist type
Single celled, 3 or 4 celled
•No Chaityas Many chambers-double storeyed
•Formation of cellular retreats similar to the viharas Workmanship is clumsy and crude
The facades are normally pillared verandahs with the cells leading
out of them
Pillars are simple square shafts with bracket capitals
The Rani Gumpha or the queens cave is the most important of the
series the largest constructed in 150 BC
•brackets- Hellenistic influence
•Arches- instead of horse shoe, they were semi circular
•supported on pilasters with capitals ,vase bases
•only in Orissa- A sand-stone ledge or a podium carved like a bench
with back rest in the cells in certain compartments
•The Asana- a stone seat with a sloping back rest
•cells are oblong in plan with 2 or 3 doors
•No stone benches, but the floor was sloped to form a couch
•Roof height was only 4‘ hence only for sleeping
•2 storied
•Cells around 3 sides of a courtyard
•4th side- frontal approach
ROCK CUT E GHATS ORISSA – 200 BC – 200 AD
Rani Gumpha at Udaigiri 160 BC
Broad terrace- supported by columns forming the
verandah below
•Staircase at the side
•One side had a throne
•Other smaller cells for storage existed
•Frieze on the upper storey depicting a story
•Courtyard for special ceremonies
•Pillars- descendants of wood
•Structural elements arch-pilasters, Springer, railings-corbels
•water system from a common cistern
•Sculptures- Assyrian connections
The arrangement of courtyards and terraces forming an open
air theatre in which the scenes depicted in the frieze were
brought to life on festivals
The other egs. are the Bagh Gumpha, Ganesha,
Manchapuri, Anantha Gumpha
ROCK CUT E GHATS ORISSA – 200 BC – 200 AD
Rani Gumpha at Udaigiri 160 BC
MAHAYANA VIHARAS – 250 BC – 450 AD
Gandhara The MAHAYANA- THEISTIC SYSTEM was a
reformation which provided a broader and more
progressive interpretation of the teachings of Buddha
During the birth of Christianity the Buddhist
communities were involved in · Image worship
Stupas
· Production of plastic representation of
Chaitya halls
Monasteries or viharas divine forms on the monuments
In the north western region of the country a · Statues of Buddha
movement was rising which in its setting had
offshoots from 4 races · Sacred figures
Greeks
Posed, modeled, draped
Parthians
· Inclusion of well known pagan deitiess such as
Scythians
Hercules, athene, eros, thinly disguised but
Indians identifiable
A distinctively composite style thus evolved which
displayed · Corinthian capital with a small figure of
Fusion of Hellenistic elements the Buddha among the leaves
Buddhist ideal
The monastery is the most typical of the style
Geographically known as the Gandhara
Consists of:
It was in the sculpture that the style is most
distinctive Irregular aggregation of structures, Stupa, Sanghrama-
Fusion of Hellenistic elements with the Buddhist quarters for monks
ideals resulted in the Graeco Bactrian designation
MAHAYANA VIHARAS – 250 BC – 450 AD
Takht I Bahai - Gandhara
Salient Features:
•axial plan
•Rectangle of 200 ' long
•stupa court on the south
•monastery on the north
•all round terrace for votive stupas, small
chapels
•west is a conference/ assemble hall
•Refectory, Vestment chamber,kitchen servant
quarters
•Courtyard-45' x 55'
•STUPA
•Stupa total height= 50 '
•6 tiered umbrella
•elegant staircase on North
•Circumambulation on top
•processional path below
•Enclosing the stupa on 3 sides small chapels
•not in Hinayana Style but to accommodate the
MAHAYANA VIHARAS –
Takht I Bahai - Gandhara
During the mauryan period in the 1st century AD, under the
patronage of Ashoka, a few caves were carved into live rock
to serve as retreats for the Ajivika monks. (Jains)
•There are Rock cut sanctuaries in the hills about 19 miles N
of Gaya
•There are a total of seven chambers
• 4 of which are at Barabar:
Karna
Kaupar
Rectangular Hall
Circular room
Barrel vault
Domical roof
LOMAS RISHI AT BARABAR - 3rd c. BC
Exteriors :
•The façade is an accurate reproduction of the gable end of a wooden structure chiselled in
rock
•2 stout uprights inclined slightly inwards, 13’ high forms the main support
•The principal rafters are jointed on the top with the other parallel rafters
•On the rafters are fixed the curved roof of 3 laminated planks, the lower extremities of
which are kept in place by short tie rods, circular in section (lathe)
•The doorway is 7½’ is recessed within a semi circular archway above which are 2 lunettes
forming a fanlight.
•The lower lunette has a procession of elephants.The elephants are exquisitely modeled
performing an obeisance before a stupa.
•The upper lunette has a pattern of lattice work both designed copied from perforated
wood
•Surmounting the gable is a finial which gets its shape from a terracotta original
•Sharply chiselled and a highly polished surface.