Harappan

Drainage system
Rectangular intersecting roads
Sanitary system

Mauryan

Monolithic Pillars
Finely carved capitols Bull capitol and Sarnath capitol
Stupas start during this period 4 gateways
o Surface built with bricks
Viharas and Chaityas
o Barabar Caves

Shunga Satvahanas

Early classic architecture

Carved railings and gateways around Buddhist shrines

Kushan

Sculpture developed
The emperor himself was a divine authority
Buddha was first time given a human form during this time

Gupta period

Beginning of Hindu temples temple at Deoghar, Udaigiri caves in Orissa

Vaishnavite temple in Vidisha

Pallavas

Mandaps, Rathas and finely carved panels and pillars

Shore temple at Mahabs is a structural temple
Ratha temple is a rock cut temple
Kanchipuram also has temples
o Panels depict shiva as Natraja
o History of Pallavas

Cholas

Tanjaur Temple: 65 m tall vimana

Pillared halls and sculptures depicting Bharatas natyashastra
Fine paintings

Pandyas

Built high outerwalls and gopuram

Their gopurams can be seen from long distances

Hoysalas

Belur and Halebeed temples

Profusion of manifold pillars with rich and intricate carvings
Panels depict gods and goddesses

Orissa Temples

Lingraja temple
o 40 m high
Sun Temple

Nagara, Dravida and Visara

Table 1

Nagara
Temples called
PRASADA

Dravida

Shikhara is
curvilinear
No role of pillar
No tank
No enclosure

Shikhara
pyramidal
Pillar important
Tank may be there
Enclosure and
gopuram
Vimana
Brihadeshwara

Mahadeva Temple

Cave architecture
Progressed in three phases

Buddhist Jain Ajivika caves (3rd BC to 2nd AD)

o Kaneri, Nashik, Udaigiri
Ajanta Ellora Cave (5th to 7th AD)
Elephanta Ellora and Mahabs (7th to 10th)

Visara
Combination of
Dravida and
Nagara
(Chalukyas).

Eg Some in
Khajuraho, Sirpur
etc

Sculpture
Two major schools

Gandhara
o Greco-Roman Style
o North West India
o Stone and stucco
Madhura
o Indigenous style
o UP Bihar
o White spotted red sandstone used
o Forms of Brahmanical deities crystallised for the first time in this art
form

Themes of Buddha and Bodhisatvas in Both