NIOS Class 12 Painting Chapter 5 Mauryan and Post Mauryan Art

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NIOS Class 12 Painting Chapter 5 Mauryan and Post Mauryan Art

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Mauryan and Post Mauryan Art

Chapter: 5

INTEXT QUESTIONS 5.1

A. Match the following:

1. Chanwardharini Yakshi	(i) Folds and pleats
2. Mekhala	(ii) Head band
3. Jewellery	(iii) Sandstone

Ans: 

1. Chanwardharini Yakshi	(iii) Sandstone
2. Mekhala	(i) Folds and pleats
3. Jewellery	(ii) Head band

INTEXT QUESTIONS 5.2

A. Fill in the blanks:

1. Medium used for the ‘Yakshi with Cage’ sculpture is _____________ .

Ans: Red Sandstone.

2. The area outside the outline is then _____________ away, leaving the _____________ in the bold relief.

Ans: Chisselled, figure.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 5.3

1. Which period does the Standing Buddha belong?

Ans: The standing Buddha was made in the Gandhara region in the 2nd century.

2. How was Buddha represented before he came to be depicted in human form?

Ans: Earlier Buddha was never depicted in the human form, he was represented by motifs like the elephant, the bull, the horse, the stupa and the chatra (umbrella).

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Describe the theme of Mauryan and post-Mauryan sculpture.

Ans: The Mauryan period primarily focused on architecture and sculptures like pillars with edicts, stupas, and cave temples. Sculptures often depicted human, animal, bird, and botanical forms realistically with detailed anatomy, ratio, and balance. Key themes included earth spirits like Yakshas/Yakshis and Mother Goddess figurines. In the post-Mauryan period, sculptural activity expanded to include themes from Buddhism, Jainism, and Brahmanical Hindu religions. This included the creation of Yakshis, Apsaras, Hindu deities like Vishnu and Surya, portraits of Kushana kings, and narratives from the life of Buddha.

2. How did the theme of Mauryan art differ from Kushan and Gandhara art?

Ans: Mauryan art heavily featured lifelike animal figures on pillars, highly polished Yaksha/Yakshi figures with minimal ornamentation, and Mother Goddess figurines emphasizing early earth spirit and fertility worship. Kushan art (particularly from Mathura) shifted towards dynamic, scantily clad, and highly voluptuous female figures deeply associated with flora and fauna, alongside various Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist deities and royal portraits. Gandhara art, developing during Kanishka’s time, was almost exclusively focused on Buddhism, specifically creating heavily ornamented images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas with distinct Greco-Roman influences.

3. How did Gandhara sculpture differ from Kushana sculpture?

Ans: While Gandhara art flourished during the Kushana empire, it differed significantly from the Mathura (Gangetic valley) style. Gandhara sculptures were made of gray sandstone and were heavily influenced by Greco-Roman and Parthian traditions, depicting heavily ornamented Bodhisattvas that looked like royal personages with halos, facial hair, and realistic, sharp folds in their robes. The Kushana/Mathura sculptures, carved from red sandstone, maintained a more continuous Indian tradition, featuring uninhibited, sensuous, and earthy representations of female forms (like Yakshis in the Tribhanga posture) and a mix of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist subjects.

4. Describe the Chanwardharini Yakshi.

Ans: The ‘Chanwardharini Yakshi’ (also known as the Didarganj Yakshi) is a 162.2 cm tall, highly polished sandstone sculpture from the 3rd century BCE Mauryan period. Carved from a single piece of stone, she displays a voluptuous, proportionate body with heavy breasts, broad hips, a narrow waist, and muscular folds on the lower abdomen. Her hair is tied in a nape bun, and she is heavily adorned with a headband, earrings, a choker, a long necklace, bangles, a five-strand girdle, and anklets. She holds a Chanwar (fly whisk) in her right hand, wears an elegantly draped mekhala (skirt), and has a sheer shawl over her left shoulder.

5. In Gandhara art the style was Greco-Roman with the Indian tradition, Elaborate.

Ans: Gandhara art represents a creative synthesis where Indian Buddhist themes were executed using Greco-Roman pictorial conventions mixed with Parthian, Achaemenian, and local traditions. This influence is visible in figures having Greek-style curly hair with a topknot, and wearing robes with heavy, realistic, sharp folds. The Bodhisattvas resemble heavily bejewelled royal figures rather than ascetics and sometimes feature facial hair. The prominent halos around their heads to convey spiritual elevation are also a significant contribution of this Greco-Roman-influenced style.

6. Describe in brief the ‘Yakshi with Cage’ sculpture made.

Ans: The ‘Yakshi with Cage’ is made of red sandstone. First, the stone was dressed, and the figure was drawn onto it. The area outside the outline was then chiselled away to leave the figure in bold relief. Afterward, the figure was carved in fine detail using a small chisel, and finally, it was polished with a stone.

7. Where is the ‘Yakshi with Cage’ collected?

Ans: The ‘Yakshi with Cage’ sculpture is housed in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi.

8. Describe the Standing Buddha from the aesthetic point of view.

Ans: The Standing Buddha presents a spiritually elevated aesthetic characterized by a detailed halo (nimbus) and benevolence in his facial expression. He features Greek-style curly hair with a topknot and long ears. He is draped in a robe from neck to feet, distinguished by the realistic depiction of his physicality and the sharp, heavy folds of the garment. Carved with precision out of gray sandstone, the image stands on a pedestal, projecting both grace and volume.

9. Elaborate on the characteristics of Gandhara art.

Ans: Gandhara art primarily focuses on Buddhist themes and is characterized by a strong Greco-Roman stylistic influence. It depicts Buddha and Bodhisattvas in human form, often featuring Greek-style curly hair, topknots, and occasionally facial hair. The figures are heavily ornamented, resembling royalty rather than simple ascetics. The art is highly identifiable by its fine carving, the use of gray sandstone, detailed and sharp creases in heavy robes, and the inclusion of spiritual symbols like the halo around the head.

10. Describe the two hands of the Standing Buddha.

Ans: The Standing Buddha’s right hand is missing, but it is believed that it was originally raised in the abhayamudra (a gesture of reassurance or fearlessness). The left arm is slightly bent, and the hand is shown holding the folds of his garment.