The Maurya and Gupta periods saw the rise and fall of two large empires in ancient India. The Maurya Empire, founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, united much of the Indian subcontinent under Ashoka's rule. Ashoka promoted Buddhism and ethical rule after converting following a bloody battle. The empire declined after his death as it split into separate kingdoms. The Gupta Empire, founded by Chandragupta I in 320 CE, also covered much of India. It saw economic and cultural growth in the arts, literature, science, and mathematics during this "Golden Age of India." The empire declined due to corrupt governors and decentralization, falling to invaders by

1. School of Interior Designing
History –I
MAURYA & GUPTA
PERIOD
Prepared by – Ar. Tulsi Patel

2. INTRODUCTION
• The Maurya Empire (Maurya Samrajya) was a geographically extensive Iron Age
historical Power
• Founded from approximately 322 to 185 CE and covered much of the Indian
Subcontinent.
Capital Patliputra (Now Patna)
Languages Sanskrit
Prakrit (Vernacular)
Religion Hinduism, Jainism
Buddhism
Historical era
Established
Disestablished
185 CE
322 CE
Area 5,000,000 km2
Currency Panas
Today part of India, Iran, Bhutan
Bangladesh, Nepal,
Pakistan, Afghanistan
The Maurya Empire at its greatest
extent

3.  Had a well-organized government
 Strong central government
 Collected taxes
 Built roads and harbors to increase trade
Asoka’s rule
Rejects violence
Sets up pillars decorated with the empire’s laws
Influenced by Buddhist teaching
Broadminded of other beliefs
Built Buddhist Stupas
Sent Buddhist missionaries out to spread faith
Effects
India was united
Peace and prosperity
Spread of Buddhism

4. Empire began to decline
after the death of Asoka
Empire divided into
separate kingdoms

5. INTRODUCTION
• The Gupta Empire (Gupta Samrajya) was an Ancient Indian Empire
• Founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta, which existed from approximately 320 to 550 CE
and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent.
Capital Patliputra (Now Patna)
Languages Sanskrit
Prakrit (Vernacular)
Religion Hinduism
Buddhism
Historical era
Established
Disestablished
320 CE
550 CE
Area 3,500,000 km2
Today part of India, Pakistan
Bangladesh, Nepal
The Gupta Empire at its greatest extent

6. Divided his empire into provinces, then districts for tax
assessments and law enforcement.
 He feared murder food tasters, Secret Police, slept in
different rooms, etc.
 335 BCE  gave up his throne & became a Monk.
Some say he starved himself to death.
Chandragupta

7. Chandragupta
Kautilya (or Chanakya)
A guide for the king and his ministers:
 Supports royal power.
 Therefore, a single authority is
needed to employ force when
necessary!
Chandragupta’s advisor.
 Brahmin caste.
 Wrote The paper on the
Arthashastra (advice manual).
Kautilya advising Chandragupta

8. Gupta administration
A Study of the epigraphical records of the Gupta empire shows
that there was hierarchy of administrative division from
top to bottom.
The empire was called by various names such as Rajya,
Rashtra, Desha, Mandala, Prithvi and Avani.
The Gupta Empire collapsed because of the corrupt
governors, little central control, and pressure from the
others.

9. This period is called The Golden Age of India.
•Inventions and discoveries in Science
•Technology and Engineering
•Medicine
 Vaccinations against small pox
 Surgeons set broken bones and performed basic plastic surgery
 C-sections
•Arts, Literature
 Kalidas – The greatest of Indian Poets
 His most famous play was Shakuntala
 Use of Sanskrit to write stories
 Buddhist cave paintings at Ajanta
•Architecture
 Built large Hindu temples
 Buddhist stupas
 Influenced construction of pagodas in China

10. This period is called The Golden Age of India.
•Logic Mathematics
 Concept of zero
 The decimal system
•Astronomy
 Identified planets
 Earth’s revolution
 Circumference of the Earth
•Religion
Were spreading their religion

11. The most famous remaining monuments in a broadly Guptan style,
the Caves at Ajanta, Elephanta and Ellora (respectively
Buddhist, Hindu and mixed including Jain)
The Dashavatara Temple or Vishnu Temple
at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh
The Hindu Udayagiri Caves record
connections with the dynasty and
the Dashavatara Temple
at Deogarh is a major temple, one of
the earliest to survive, with
important sculpture.

12. STUPA The Entrance of
Cave 19 at
Ajanta
Rock-Cut Temple at Ellora

14. Stupa or Top
Stambhas or Columns
Chaityas or Caves
Viharas or Monasteries

15. STUPA OF SANCHI
Location - 68 kilometers north of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
•The 'Great stupa’ at Sanchi was originally commissioned by
the emperor Ashoka, the 3rd century BC.
•Stupas are large hemispherical domes, containing a central
chamber, in which the Buddha were placed.
•The Sanchi Stupa is surrounded by a railing with four carved
gateways facing all the four directions.
Great Stupa, Sanchi
(Picture courtesy Archaeological
Survey of India)

16. Outer terrace
Paved terrace
Dome
Stupas typical layout
Torana or Gateway
Stambha or Pillar
Anda or Egg
Harmika
Chhatravali or Umbrella sticks
Elements of stupas

17. Stupa at sanchi
Stupa at myanmar
Stupa at srilanka
Stupa at chedi , china
Stupa at islamabad
Shapes of the
stupas goes on
changing as each
one were having
its own way to
represent

18. •The Great Stupa is 120 feet across
(36.6 meters)
•The railings and gates of the Sanchi
Stupa are richly sculptured with different
motifs and designs.
•Another interesting characteristic about
the Sanchi Stupa is that Lord Buddha has
been symbolically represented by
footprints, wheels, thrones etc rather than
by his own image.

19. •The four gateways, are the finest works of art at Sanchi and
are among the finest examples in India.
•The scenes carved into the pillars and their triple
architraves are of episodes in the various lives of the
Buddha.
•The Stupa at Sanchi is one the most wonderful structures of
ancient India. It has been included by the UNESCO as one of the
heritage sites of the world.

20. AJANTA and Ellora CAVES
•The Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO world heritage site.
Location - near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Rock-Cut caves, into the Sahyadri hills over 2,000 years ago by Buddhist
monks.
•There are beautiful murals (paintings done on walls) in the caves, depicting
scenes from the life of the Buddha.
•The carving and sculptures are considered to be the beginning of classical
Indian art.

21. •The 29 caves were excavated.
•Five of the caves were temples
and 24 were monasteries, that
have been occupied by some 200
monks and artisans.
The main aim behind the construction of the Ajanta Caves was to provide a dwelling
and praying place for the Buddhist monks, who were dedicated towards the
mission of spreading the principles of Buddhism throughout the world.
The Ajanta caves were built during Gupta period of architecture.
These caves are excavated in horse–shoe shaped bend of rock surface

22. ASHOKA PILLAR
•The Sculpture of four "Indian lions" standing back to back.
•It was originally placed at the top of Ashoka pillar at Sarnath,
now in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
•The pillar, sometimes called the Ashoka Column is still in its
original location, but now in the Sarnath Museum.
•This Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath has been adopted as
the National Emblem of India and the wheel "Ashoka
Chakra" from its base was placed on the center of
the National Flag of India.
“The Wheel of Law”

23. A lion capital of a monolithic column , showing the
symbol of “wheel of the law”
Abacus
Frieze
Mounted on an abacus, with a frieze carrying
sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a
galloping horse, a bull, and a lion,
separated by intervening spoked chariot-
wheels over a lotus.
•Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone,
the capital was believed to be crowned by a 'Wheel
of Dharma'

24. CHAITYAS & VIHARAS
•It was constructed by King Ashoka during Gupta Period.
•Vihara is the Sanskrit term for a Buddhist monastery.
•The Barabar hills and the Nagarjuni hills caves are fine examples of the
Chaityas which resembled the wooden buildings of the period.
More sophisticated rock-cut chaityas developed later.
•The final form of rock-cut architecture that can be seen all over India in
Andhra Pradesh, Kathiawar in Gujarat and in Ajanta & Ellora.

25. They began the work from the top & continued downward.
Best monuments are those found in Ajanta & Ellora (vishwakarma cave-
cave No.10). Fine sculptures adorn the walls. Figures of Buddha in various
poses were cut out.
Five Raths of Mahabalipuram

26. Thank You