6 history chapter 12 suhas

Class 6 Buildings, Paintings and Books Chapter 12 History

You have read in earlier lesson that the period of the Gupta dynasty is also known as the Golden Age of the Indian history. The period is called as a golden period because there was all around progress and prosperity. Many new developments in science and technology happened in this period. The period is also marked by great developments in art and culture. Many great writers, poets and scientists of India were born during this period. In this lesson we will try to learn about excellence in various fields, which happened during the Golden Age of the Indian history.

A question may be coming to your mind that why should we study about buildings and paintings, while books are usually read to gain knowledge. In fact books are good source of information, but buildings and paintings give us live examples of technical advancement. On the other hand, paintings give us live examples of level of development of human culture.

The Iron Pillar at Delhi

Let us start with our national capital. When you will visit the famous Qutab Minar, you would also get to see the famous Iron Pillar near it. According to the inscription on the Iron Pillar, it was made during the Gupta dynasty. The pillar is about 7.2 metre tall and weighs about 3 tonnes. The remarkable thing about this pillar is that it has not rusted in spite of being 1500 years old. Usually, iron bridges and other structures, made in modern period, need to be painted to prevent rusting.

Sanchi Stupa

1


Sanchi stupa is in Madhya Pradesh. This is a fine example of craftsmanship and architecture of that period. There are many stupas all over India. All stupas have some common elements of design. There is a small box in the centre of the stupa. The box may contain bodily remains of Buddha or his followers. The box may also contains things which they used, like precious stones and coins. The box is known as relic casket. The box is covered covered with soil and a layer of mud brick or baked brick is laid on top of it. The bricks are laid to make a dome like structure. The dome is often covered with carved stones. A pradakshina path was often laid around the stupa. The path is used by devotees to encircle the shrine, as a mark of respect. You can find ornate decoration on gates and railings of the pradakshina path. Beautiful designs were also carved on top of the dome. These designs give as a good display of artistic ability of people of that period.

Cave Monasteries

Many caves were hollowed out to make monasteries in western parts of India. These monasteries served as shelter for monks as well as for merchants. These monasteries are fine examples of craftsmanship.

2


The above picture shows cave monasteries from Ellora caves. Just imagine how difficult it would have been to cut such a mammoth rock to make rooms and intricate designs. Inner walls of monasteries were decorated with sculptures and paintings.

Hindu Temples

Temples of earlier period were made of wood and mud so they have not survived. During this period people learnt carving stones, and stone was being used in a big way to build monuments. The period also witnessed new ideas of Bhakti, which inspired artists and architects to build statues of Gods and Godesses. The central point of the Hindu temple was the gabhagriha, where idols were kept. This was the place for main worship. Other structures were built around the garbhagriha.

3


The picture given above shows the temple at Mahabalipuram. These temples are called as monolithic temples, because they were carved out of single stone. Usually a towering structure was built in the temple so that it could be spotted out of other structures. This tower like structure is called Shikhara.

Arranging funds for building monuments

Building a temple or monastery required huge amount of money. Usually a king or queen or a rich merchant planned to build such structures. Thousands of labour needed to put on work. Sometimes, certain portions were built out of donations from rich people. Sometimes, thousands of people contributed money for building such structures. When you will visit some of these structures, you can find inscriptions mentioning the names of donators.

For building such monuments good quality stones were carried to a place which was made the workshop. Sculptors worked day and night to carve stones in beautiful shapes. When carving stones inside the cave good arrangement of light had to be made. Overall, it was really a gargantuan task.

Paintings

Ajanta caves are famous for life like paintings. What is amazing about these paintings is the colours still look as fresh as in a new painting. These colours were made from natural things, like plants and minerals. Artists worked under torch light to make these paintings. Although the work was probably done by thousands of artists yet, their names are not mentioned anywhere. This can be because artists were part of a guild.

Books

Most of the famous books and epics were written during this period. Long stories about men and women, usually also including stories about Gods and Goddesses, are called epics. Two most famous epics of the Hindu religion, Ramayana and Mahabharata were written during this period. Stories of

4


Ramayana and Mahabharata were passed down through oral traditions during earlier periods. It was during this period that these stories were compiled in book form.

Puranas were written during this period. Puranas are full of stories of exploits of Gods and Godesses. Detail methods of worship are also mentioned in the Puranas. Puranas also contain stories about how the world was created. Some of them may not be scientific but they give interesting insights into most of the concepts. Puranas were meant for everybody. Unlike Vedas, Puranas could be read by even shudras.

Kalidasa, also known as the Shakespeare of India, was born during this period. He had written many famous epics, like Meghadootam and Abhijnana Shakuntalam.

Book Author Description

Ramayana Valmiki Story of Rama’s life, his vanvas and his battle with Ravana

Mahabharata Ved Vyasa Story of battle between Pandavas and Kauravas of Hastinapur

Puranas Ved Vyasa Stories of Gods and Godesses, Men and Women

Meghadootam Kalidasa Story of clouds being used as messenger by lovers

Abhijnana Shakuntalam

Kalidasa Story of love between King Dushyanta and Shakuntala

Silappadikaram Ilango Story of a merchant, falling in love with a courtesan

Manimekalai Sattanar Story of the daughter of the merchant mentioned in Silappadikaram

Jataka Tales Ordinary people

Stories of life and teachings of Buddha and moral lessons

In fact most of the paintings in the Ajanta Caves depict scenes from the Jataka Tales.

Books on Science

Many thinkers of that period discovered new theories in science. Aryabhata is one of the famous mathematicians and scientists of that period. He wrote a book, called Aryabhatiyam. He explained that day and night are caused by earth’s rotation around its axis. He also gave proper explanation of eclipses. Aryabhata also used a fixed number to calculate the circumference of circle. This fixed number is called Pi. The value of Pi is used all over the world to make calculations about circles.

Zero was discovered in India, which gave rise to the decimal system of counting. In fact, the decimal system traveled to the Western world through Arabian countries and hence it is also known as the Arabic numeral system.

5


Let Us Recall

1. What was the purpose of cave monasteries?

2. Which was the central part of a Hindu temple?

3. Who compiled Mahabharata?

4. Who was the first to compile Ramayana?

5. Who wrote the Jataka Tales?

6. The Iron Pillar near Qutab Minar was built during which dynasty?

Let Us Define

1. Garbhagriha

2. Pi

3. Decimal System

4. Monolithic temple

5. Epic

Let Us Elucidate

1. What is the most remarkable thing about the Iron Pillar at Delhi?

2. How was the funds arranged for building a monument?

3. Why do we find names of ordinary men and women in inscriptions on many monuments?

4. What is the reason for absence of a painter’s name in paintings of the Ajanta Caves?

5. Why do we need to know about buildings, books and paintings of a particular period?

Things to Do

Mark the following on a map of India:

1. Iron Pillar, Delhi

2. Sanchi Stupa

3. Mahabalipuram temples

4. Ajanta Caves

6


5. Hastinapur

7

6 history chapter 12 suhas

Documents