Gupta Art and Architecture

At a Glance

• Sculpture Sarnath Buddha; Sultanganj copper Buddha
• Painting Ajanta, Bagh, Badami
• Temples Bhitargaon, Bhitari, Deogarh
• Styles begin Nagara and Dravida features
• Pottery Red ware
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Gupta Age and Post-Gupta Kingdoms

Where Does It Fit?

This is the seventh topic of the category on the Gupta age. The previous topic covered religion, and this one covers art and architecture. The next topic covers Gupta literature. Previous topic: Bhagavatism, Buddhism and Religion in the Gupta Age.

Why Is the Gupta Period Called a Golden Age?

In short: the label reflects cultural florescence, funded by gold, though not every sphere flourished.

The Gupta period is called the Golden Age of ancient India, though this may not be true of economic life, since several north Indian towns declined. The Guptas had a large quantity of gold and issued the largest number of gold coins, and princes and the rich could support art and literature. Samudragupta is shown playing the lute on his coins, and Chandragupta II is credited with nine luminaries at his court. In ancient India, art was largely inspired by religion. Buddhism gave impetus to art in Mauryan and post-Mauryan times through massive stone pillars, caves and stupas, as in Mauryan Art and Architecture. By evolving the Nagara and Dravida styles, Gupta art ushered in a formative and creative age in the history of Indian architecture, according to one account, although another notes that the period was poor in architecture, with only a few brick temples and one stone temple.

What Are the Main Sculptures and Paintings?

During the Gupta period a life-size copper image of the Buddha, over 6 feet, was made and found at Sultanganj near Bhagalpur, now in Birmingham; another account gives its height as seven and a half feet and notes a copper Buddha about eighteen feet high at Nalanda. Fine Buddha images were fashioned at Sarnath and Mathura, and the Sarnath standing Buddha is a good specimen of stone sculpture. The finest Buddhist art of Gupta times is the Ajanta paintings. They cover the first century BC to the seventh century AD, but most relate to Gupta times, and they depict events in the life of the Buddha and the Jataka stories of previous Buddhas. They are lifelike and the colours have not faded after fourteen centuries, but nothing shows the Guptas were their patrons. The Ajanta murals are not true frescoes, since they were made on plaster after it had set; mural paintings are also found at Bagh and Badami. Because the Guptas supported Brahmanism, images of Vishnu, Shiva and other Hindu gods were made for the first time; often the entire pantheon is shown with the chief god large at the centre and subordinates smaller, reflecting social hierarchy. The great Varaha at the entrance of a cave at Udayagiri is among the most impressive Puranic images. Clay figurines of Vishnu, Kartikeya, Durga and Naga were made for religious and secular use, and the most distinctive pottery of the period is red ware.

What Are the Temples and Other Structures?

The Gupta period had few structures: a few brick temples in UP and a stone temple. The brick temples of Bhitargaon in Kanpur, Bhitari in Ghazipur and Deogarh in Jhansi are well known. The structural temples had five types: flat-roofed square temples; a flat-roofed square temple with a second storey (vimana); a square temple with a curvilinear tower (shikhara); rectangular temples; and circular temples. The second group shows features of the Dravida style, and the third, with a shikhara over the sanctum, has the main feature of the Nagara style. Rock-cut caves continued older forms with new ornamentation of facades and pillars; the best groups are at Ajanta, Ellora and Bagh, and Udayagiri caves in Odisha. Stupas were also built, notably at Samat in Uttar Pradesh, Ratnagiri in Odisha and Mirpur Khas in Sind. The Buddhist university at Nalanda was set up in the fifth century and its earliest structure, of brick, relates to this period. As an analytical point, Gupta architecture is modest in survivals but important for the beginnings of the temple tradition that flowered later. The painting and image work is related to the earlier schools in Kanishka Gandhara Graeco-Roman style Buddha Mathura Indigenous, red sandstone South Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati…">Mahayana Buddhism and the Gandhara and Mathura Schools of Art, and the monastic centre to Nalanda and Buddhism in Harsha’s Age.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• High-frequency Prelims Sites and features
• Style origin Nagara and Dravida
• Context Golden age debate

What Came Next?

The next topic describes Gupta literature. Next topic: Gupta Literature.

Key People and Terms

• Ajanta Rock-cut caves with murals
• Shikhara Curvilinear tower over the sanctum
• Vimana Second storey of a temple
• Nagara style North Indian temple style
• Varaha Boar incarnation image
• Red ware Distinctive Gupta pottery

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about Gupta artistic achievements. These points add depth.

• Sculpture Buddhist and Hindu
• Painting Ajanta
• Temples Beginnings