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1. Mauryan Architecture
Dr. Virag Sontakke

2. Introduction
• Comprises whole India
• Unified India
• Beginning of developed art and architecture
• Change of medium from wooden to Stone and Bricks
• Beginning of secular and religious architecture
• Spread of Buddhism through the architectural remains
• Western connections: Achaemenid Influence

4. Significant Architecture
• Palace: Pataliputra
• Fortification: Pataliputra
• Stupa
• Vihara

5. References
• Indica of Megasthenes
• Strabo
• Asokan Inscriptions
• Buddhist Texts: Jataka, Digha Nikaya, and Sumangalavilasini
• Jain texts: Jaina Parishishta Parvan was written by
Hemchandra, alpasutra by Acharya Bhadrabahu
• Kautilyas Arthshatra
• Puranas: Vishnu Puran
• Chinese Travelers

6. Pataliputra According to Megasthenes
• He called : Palibothra
• Pataliputra situated on the bank of Ganga
• Size of Pataliputra: 80 stadia (9.2 miles) in length and 15 stadia in breadth (1.7
miles)
• Shape: Parallelogram
• Royal Palace of Chandragupta was entirely made of timber
• Royal Palace was beautiful and magnificent like Susa and Ecbatna
• The Pillars of the palace were decorated with golden and silver birds
• Palace was situated at the heart of the city
• The palace was surrounded by parks, pasture grounds and shady grooves where
peacocks were domesticated

7. Archaeological History of Pataliputra
• In 1912-13, D. B. Spooner excavated the area of Bulandibag and
Kumrahar
• He found wooden beams which were running parallel to each other
(length 350 ft)
• At Kumrahar Spooner exposed the Mauryan pillar hall
• He recovered 72 pillared hall
• The pillars were fixed on wooden platform and stone base
• He argues the Plan of Mauryan Palace was similar to palace of
Persepolis
• The funds of the excavations sponsored by Sir Ratan Tata
• In 1955 again area was excavated by B.P. Sihna and 8 more pillars were
found.

8. Mauryan
Palace

9. • Pillars once stood on a wooden
platform and supported a wooden
roof.
• Pillars are similar to an Ashokan
pillar, smooth, polished and made
of grey Chunar sandstone.
• The walls, doorways, and the
sculptured designs are no human
work.
• It show the extraordinary
craftsmanship
• It was surrounded by the high
walls with battlements, water
ditches, bearing lotuses and
plants.
80 pillared hall
at Kumrahar

12. • The site Kumhrar identified as palace
of Maurya dynasty
• Here eighty stone pillars was found
• The pillars are arranged in 8 rows of
10 pillars each.
• It is called as “Assembly hall of 80
pillars”.
• It is thought that the pillars sustained a
wooden roof
• No surrounding walls, making it an
open-air hall.
Mauryan Palace ?

14. Fortification: According to Megasthenes
•Surrounded by wooden wall (massive timber palisades)
•Pierced with loopholes for the discharge of arrows
•Had ditch in front for defense
•Ditch size: 600 feet breadth and 30 cubits in depths
•Ditch also received sewage of the city
•The wall crowned with 570 towers and 64 gates

18. Stupa

19. Stupa
• Stupa probably has a long tradition since Later Vaidik period
• Stupa prominently related to Buddhism
• After the demise of Buddha eight stupas were made
• Since then numerus stupas were constructed in Indian Subcontinent
• Stupas were generally erected upon the relics of great Gautama
• Also important places related to Buddha
• In Buddhism stupa emerged as symbol of Buddha
• Stupa means virtual presence of Buddha
• Architecture of Stupa shows further development from simple mud
heap to elaborate stone decorations

20. Stupa
• Stupas were constructed over the relics of the Buddha
• The important stupa situated at Rajagriha, Kapilavastu, Vaishali,
Ramagrama, Allakappa, Pava, Vethadipa, Pippalvina and Kushinagar.
• Stupas consist of a cylindrical drum with a circular anda
• Earlier stupas were made of mud
• Asoka change the mode from mud to brick
• and a harmika and a chatra on the top.
• Sometimes there were circumambulatory pathways and gateways. In
many cases, additions were added in later centuries.

21. Stupa at Asokan period
• Hiuen Steng: 84000 stupa
• Stupa at Bairat, Rajasthan – 3rd century BCE; grand stupa with a circular
mound and a circumambulatory path.
• Stupa at Sanchi, Vaishali, Sarnath, Taxila, Sopara

23. Plan of Stupa

26. Stupas at Piparwaha
is some of the earliest
surviving stupas.

29. Development of stupa
1. Anda: hemispherical
mound symbolic of the
mound of dirt used to
cover Buddha’s remains (in
many stupas actual relics
were used).
2. Harmika: square railing on
top of the mound.
3. Chhatra: central pillar
supporting a triple
umbrella form.

32. Vihara

33. Vihara
• Vihara, early type of Buddhist monastery
• It generally consist of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through
an entrance porch.
• Initially it was constructed by wood
• Subsequently, Bricks have been used for their constructions
• It is constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season,
• In Monsoon it became difficult to travel.
• Inside the Vihara a small stupa were established
• After Asoka, the rock-cut vihara have been made in western Deccan

34. Vihara

35. General Plan of Vihara: Later period

36. Rock-Cut Architecture

37. Rock-Cut Caves
• The Mauryan period saw the beginning of rock cut architecture
• The caves are located in the Nagarjuni and Barabar hills to the north of
Bodhgaya.
• These caves are hollowed out from the living rock, later developing into what is
called a Chaitya Hall.
• The Buddhist monks used the chaitya as their place of retreat
• Ashoka built three caves and gifted them to the Ajivikas, and in the
neighbouring Nagarjuni hills, one of his successors, Dasharatha, did the same.
• Ashokan caves are unornamented and functional.
• Three caves in Barabar hills have dedicatory inscriptions of Ashoka and three in
the Nagarjuni hills have inscriptions of his successor Dasaratha.

38. • The Barabar Caves are the
oldest surviving rock
• These caves are situated in the
twin hills of Barabar (4 caves)
and Nagarjuni (3 caves)
• Inscriptions of Asoka and
Dasaratha" dated to Maurya
period
• The caves were constructed
for Aajivikas
• Most caves at Barabar consist
of two chambers, carved
entirely out of granite.
• These caves are consist highly
polished internal surface
• Barabar Caves
1. Karan Chaupar,
2. Lomas Rishi,
3. Sudama and
4. Visvakarma
The Barabar
Caves

39. Lomas Rishi Cave
• Lomus Rishi Cave at Barabar Hills near Gaya.
• The cave entrance is decorated with a semicircle
chaitya arch.
• An elephant is carved in high relief on the
chaitya.
• The interior hall of the cave is rectangular; it also
has a circular chamber at the back.
• Ashoka patronised this cave for the Ajivika sect.

40. Interior (floor and ceiling) of Lomas Rishi cave

41. Sudama Cave, Interior

42. Sudama Cav,

43. Lājinā Piyadasinā duvāḍasa-[vasābhisitenā] / [iyaṁ
Nigoha]-kubhā di[nā ājivikehi]
“King Priyadarsin, in the 12th year of his reign, this cave
of Banyans was offered to the Ajivikas”.
—Ashoka inscription of the cave of Sudama

44. Vivaskarma cave and a way

45. Plan of Vivaskarma cave

46. "By King Priyadarsin, in the 12th year of his reign,
this cave of Khalatika Mountain was offered to the Ajivikas.

47. Caves of Nagarjuna Hills
• Nagarjuna Hills are located 35km north of Gaya,
• There are three caves excavated in the Nagarjuna Hills
1. Vadathi-ka-Kubha: Northside of the hill, located in a crevice, and devoted to
Ajivika followers by Dasharatha
2. Vapiya-ka-Kubha : On the northside of the hill, also devoted to Ajivika followers
by Dasharatha
3. Gopi-ka-Kubha: On the southside of the hill, excavated by the king Dasharatha
grandson of Ashoka, according to an inscription.
• Dasaratha (reigned in 232 – 224 BC) – has devoted these caves to Ajivika
• These structures are 50 years younger than caves at Barabar.

48. Gopika cave

51. Vapiyaka cave

53. Cave plans and location of the Pali inscription of Dasaratha Maurya,

54. Caves
• The exteriors of the caves are very plain.
• The interiors are polished to a high degree.
• The earliest of these caves is Sudama cave which contains an inscription
dated to the 12th regnal year of Ashoka and
• Cave creation was subsequently continued by Dashrataha
• This cave is dedicated to the Ajivika sect.
• It consists of two chambers:
• (a) a rectangular ante-chamber with a barrel-vaulted roof, doorway with
sloping jambs,
• (b) a separate circular cell at the end of the hall, with a hemispherical domed
roof.
• The latter on the outside is a copy of thatched straw roof.

55. Rock-cut Architecture
• The rock-cut structures were closely associated with
various religions and religious activities.
• In the beginning, remarkable Buddhist and Jain rock-
cut structures were built in Bihar.
• Subsequently it spread to western Maharashtra.
• Caves belongs to
• Aajivaka:
• Buddhist: Chaitya, Vihara
• Jain: Temples
• Brahmanical: Temples

57. Conclusion
• Mauryan Architecture symbolises long tradition of the ancient India.
• It brings to the fore of the technique and engineering skill of the period.
• This period represented an important transition in Indian art from the use of wood to stone.
• Thus the art and architecture of the Mauryan Empire constitutes the culminating point of the progress
of Indian art.
• Initiation of
• Rock-cut architecture in form of caves
• Structural stupa in mode of Bricks and stone
• Vedika
• Pillars
• Inscription
• This period gives the new dimensions to subsequent period in art and Architecture
• The architectural legacy of Mauryan period lasted for centuries

58. Thank
You