Harmony set in stone

The reliefs of the Sanchi stupa form the most important visual record of life and architecture in the Sunga period.

THE art of the Sunga period, from 185 B.C. to 73 B.C., laid the foundation for the rich traditions that followed in later centuries. The harmony and interrelatedness of the whole of creation becomes the underlying theme in Sunga art. There is always the continuous, undulating vine of life, which brings before us the bounty of the numerous forms of the world around us. These forms are presented with an appreciation of their beauty and their bounteous fertility, which ensures the continuity of life.

These forms of the world are made on the railings and gateways, which separate the ordinary, day-to-day world from the sacred interior. Their representations help us appreciate all forms of life in their true perspective, as reflections of the formless eternal Truth towards which we must proceed. Beyond the railings and gateways is a profoundly simple representation: a stupa, to point out the Truth towards which we must strive, leaving behind the attractions of and attachments to t he world.

Another tradition that was clearly established at this time was that of the kings patronage (always indirect in the early period) of all sacred monuments. The earliest Buddhist art, with themes of the Buddhas life and the J ataka stories, was made under the rule of Sunga kings, who all worshipped Brahmanical deities. These rulers generously set aside the revenue of many villages for the running and maintenance of Buddhist places of worship.

The city of Vidisha, present-day Besnagar in Madhya Pradesh, was on the trade route that connected the plains of the Ganga to the western coast. It was also a great marketplace, at the centre of the vast and fertile plains of central India. Among the earliest objects to be found there is a large stone pillar with an inscription on it, dated to about 120 B.C. to 100 B.C. It was set up in honour of Vasudeva, a name of Vishnu, by a Greek devotee named Heliodorus.

At Sanchi, on a low hill next to Vidisha, are the finest surviving early Buddhist stupas. Half-way up the hill is a stupa that contains the remains of prominent Buddhist teachers of the Maurya period. The railings , or vedika, made around the stupa date to around 100 B.C.

The vedika has medallions and half-medallions with reliefs. The corner pillars at the entrances are fully carved. The deity of prosperity and abundance, Lakshmi, is shown being lustrated by elephants, who pour water over her. The re lief is shallow and the style is similar to that of Bharhut.

The greatest surviving Buddhist stupa of the B.C. period is on top of the hill at Sanchi. It is likely that it would have enshrined the relics of the Buddha. The stupa was originally made in the 3rd century B.C. T here is an Asokan pillar at the southern entrance of the stupa. In the middle of the 2nd century B.C., the stupa was doubled in size and its older wooden railings were replaced with massive stone ones.

By the end of the 1st century B.C., the Satavahanas, kings of the Deccan region, extended their rule to central India. They worshipped Hindu deities. However, major stone renovations carried out in their time made this stupa one of the most significant of all Buddhist monuments. Four gloriously carved stone gates, or toranas, 34 feet (10.4 metres) high, were made. They were completed in the 1st century A.D. The traditions of art established in the time of the Sun gas achieved greater sophistication in these magnificent toranas.

Six hundred and thirty-one inscriptions on the toranas tell one that the carvings were the donations of the people of Vidisha. The art was created for gardeners, merchants, bankers, fishermen, housewives, householders, nuns and monk s. Almost half the donations were from women.

The massive vedika is plain and without carvings. The toranas have two upright pillars, which support three horizontal bars, or architraves. Between the pillars and the architraves, on the east and on the north, a re superbly made elephants. The western gateway has dwarfs. The one in the south has lions.

The dwarfs, or ganas, have rolls of fat and vast bellies, which bulge over their dhotis. They have individualised facial expressions. Ganas continued as a favourite motif of the Indian artist in the centuries to come and as an important theme in the temples of Siva. They deepen the sense of the reality presented in the art, where the humorous and the sublime coexist, reminding us that everything has its place in creation. The veneration of natures fertility and abundance, as seen at Bharhut, continued here. Twenty-four auspicious women were made as bracket figures on the gateways. On the eastern torana is a beautifully made yakshi, who holds a branc h of the mango tree above her. The notion of the creative vitality of nature and its fruitfulness is convincingly portrayed here. Though she is physically attached to the matrix, she is treated as though fully in the round: all the details have been carefully articulated on the rear too.

As at Bharhut, we pass male figures at the entrances. One figure is in Indic garb, a dhoti and turban. Another wears Greek garments and carries a foreign type of shield and spear.

The reliefs on the toranas bring us the Jatakas of the Buddhas previous lives as well as events from the life of Gautama Buddha. The setting of the stories richly reflects the life in the towns and villages at the time when the art was created. The Sanchi reliefs are the most important visual record of the architecture and lifestyles of the period.

The focus is still not on the personality of the Buddha. Buddhahood is still represented by symbols. The wheel represents the first teaching of the Buddhist dharma, the Bodhi tree represents Enlightenment, while footpr ints and an umbrella over a vacant space proclaim the presence of the Enlightened One.

The toranas of the stupa at Sanchi present a view of the overflowing activity of life. Whereas the figures at Bharhut were alone, those here are in large groups with many figures. They are in a variety of poses an

d in the midst of exuberant life. They are no longer depicted only frontally; instead three-quarter profiles are also seen. The Sanchi artists depicted a wide range of expressions effortlessly.

The Sanchi artists utilised multiple perspectives and viewpoints. This allowed them to present the view through which the object or person was most easily recognised. Events that occurred and figures that are in the distance are represented in the upper part of the panel, while those figures that are closest to the viewer are shown in the lower section. The technique of receding perspective is not employed here. As all elements are considered important, they are presented large and in clear detail. Another feature of Indian art seen from earliest times is making the leaves of a plant or tree large so that they could be recognised.

Another, smaller stupa at Sanchi contained the relics of the Buddhas close disciples Modgalyana and Sariputra. The one torana here was also made under the supervision of the Satavahanas in the 1st century A .D. As in the earlier stupas, here is a vision of the world that sees the unending rhythm in all of creation. The vine of creative blossoming moves with a pulsating life through the vedika. It brings to us life in ma ny forms: flowers, fruit, animals, humans and mythical creatures.

The stupa at Sanchi has an inscription on the eastern gateway that mentions that the exquisite carvings on the gateways are the work of the ivory carvers of Vidisha.

Indeed, the stone is so finely carved here that it reflects the care and detail of work on delicate ivory. In the meantime, the Satavahanas and the Kstrapas ruled over the vast western and eastern Deccan regions. While the kings personally worshipped Brahmanical deities, they encouraged Buddhist establishments. Scores of caves dedicated to the Buddha and numerous impressive stupas were made during their rule.

Benoy K. Behl, art historian, film-maker and photographer, has done pioneering work in documenting Indias art heritage. He has taken over 30,000 photographs of Indian monuments and art objects and made 100 documentaries on art history. His exhibitions have been held in 24 countries.