CHAITYAS AND VIHARAS

BUDDHIST ROCK-CUT ARCHITECTURE

CHAITYAS A Buddhist shrine or prayer hall with

stupa at one end. Made for large gatherings of devotees Made in rock-cut due to permanency of

structure Chaityas were influenced by ascetic

lifestyle of Vedic period and tendency of hermits to retire in solitude

Basic Characteristics Accommodates Stupa Apsidal Plan No division between nave and chaitya

i.e space for congregational service not clearly defined

Vaulted hall Colonnades Side aisles

Why a Chaitya Hall? The stupa evolved from

being a funerary mound carrying object of worship, had a sacral value.

Building needed to accommodate copies of stupa and provide shelter

A structural house for religious rites

Birth of temples with idol worship

Building had almost circular plan and a domed roof

Chaitya at Karli

Architectural Features Wooden construction

inspired from Vedic period imitated in natural rock

Supplemented with wooden surfaces for e.g.. Screens etc. (half timber construction)

Shows similarities to Roman concept of column and arch, but no evidence of any relation

Architectural Features Rectangular halls with

finely polished interior walls

Well proportioned pillars with capitals(around 35)

Semi circular roof Pillar had three parts:

prop, base buried in ground and shaft

Stupa at the end Extensive use of motifs,

decorative and symbolic.

VIHARAS A monastey, arrangement of cells for

accomodation of monks Dwellings were simply wooden

construction/thatched bamboo huts Near settlements on trade routes After first century AD, Viharas came in

as educational institutes

Basic Characteristics Quadrangular court for

gathering Surrounded by small cells Front wall incorporated a

shrine for image of Buddha

Cells had rock cut platforms for beds

Viharas were not alike in design

Doorways were on sides of the walls of main hall

Construction and Materials Rock-cut architecture

basically aped wooden construction down to joinery details

Hardly structural In brick, corbelled arches

are used, and very large bricks to for large span

motifs used floral patterns, animals(used throughout the kingdom)

Geographical Location

Timeline

Evolution of Chaitya Hall

HINAYANA PHASE2nd century B.C to 2nd century A.D

WHY WESTERN GHATS Uniformity of texture in hills Horizontally stratified Ends in perpendicular cliffs

BUILDING STRATEGYCliff was made perpendicularEntry was madeA small excavated for

architect monkExcavation from top to

bottomSubsequently other cells

were build

Bhaja(150 b.c) Most primitive hall 55ft by 26ft, side aisles 3.5ft

wide and high stilted vault 29ft high with closed rank wood ribs

Facades have numerous mortice holes for fixing elaborate wooden frontages

Simple stupa with cylindrical base and a wooden harmikaa and chhatri

One central doorway+2 side ones

Projection balcony supported on four pillars

H shaped framework held by projection beams

Kondane Same as bhaja, except

archway, which are partially of stone

66ft by 26.5ftby28ft Archway more finished

and curved

Pitalkhora 50ft by 34.5ft by 31 ft Roof ribs in side aisles

made of rock Structural columns due to

fault in strata

Ajanta Cave No. 10 100ft by 40ft by 33ft Same roof ribs Two tiered stupa

with circular base and elongated dome

Rock cut with no wooden fittings

CLASS 2

Ajanta No.9 Entire hall rock carved Rectangular plan,

ceilings of side aisles flat with perpendicular pillars

Doorway in centre and a window on either side, topped by elegant cornice

Lattice windows around archways

No wooden ribs bracing the vaults

Pandulena, Nasik Lunette above

doorway Decoration has new

motifs, pilaster in persipoltian order

Capital introduced in pillars

Base decorated Tall and slender pillars Musician’s gallery

Bedsa 45.5ft by 21 ft Exterior consists of two

rock cut columns between pilasters acting as vestibule to the screen at rear

Vase shaped base-octagonal shaft and carved capitals

Pillars support main beam of roof

All joints copied from timber construction

Plain interiors

Karli Pinnacle of Hinayana Chaitya

construction 124ft by 46.5ft by 45ft

At front are simha stambha, 50 ft tall free standing pillar on both side of façade, detatched to evoke reverence

Each stands on widerock cylinder base, 16 sides shaft, fluted abacus, above capital and a harmika pedestal

Behind them is vestibule, front made of rock cut screen with triple entrance and clerestory

Vault has wind braces

Kanheri Last hinayana chaitya hall,

2nd century AD 86ft by 40ft by 50ft Courtyard in front of exterior

contained with a samll wall, accessible by steps

Within a simple stambha as at karle but attatched

Outer fixed plain wall screen with 3 tall square opening below and 5 window clerestory

Half timber construction

Vihara at Kondane Central hall was pillared 23 by 29 columns in

colonnades, with cells on three side

Cornice over the portico, copy of wooden construction methods. Portico was pillared and had 3 square headed openings. Portico also had motifs

Columns supported roof

Pitalkhora Few cells Cells were vaulted chambers with ribbed

roofs

Ajanta(Hinayana Phase) Vihara no. 8 was attatched to chaitya hall

no.9 Vihara no.12 to chaitya hall no.10 Vihara no. 13 had provision for expansion

Nasik(1st century AD) Mahapana (cave no. 8) was

excavated first Its columns were copies of

Ganeshlena Chaitya at Junnar(contemporary)

Lotus base on pedestal Aniaml goups on abacus Later altered to Mahayan style Sri Yajma (No. 15) and

Gautamiputra(No. 3) were 2 more Viharas in this series

Sri Yamja had columned portico, large central hall without pillars,s stone beds

Gautamiputra was elaborate, with pillars having pairs of elephants, bulls, gryphon, alternating with scroll of foliage

Doorway similar to sanchi torana

MONASATARIES AT GANDHARA Buddhist interpretation of hellenic model of

Greece calleed Greco-Bactrian Style Sites situated at modern day Peshawar and

Rawalpinindi Region was visited by Hiuen Tsang in 7th

century, spreading Buddhism(cult religion) B.C followed by Alexander in 350 B.C bringing Greek style

Gandhara became independent in 250 B.C, finally conquered by Scythians

Basic Characteristics Intention Indian, treatment Greek for eg.

Fire-altar, animal capitals, sculpture, pediments, entablature introduced

Stimulation of image worship Statues of Buddhas etc, corinthian

capitals with Buddha in leaves of Acanthus

Monastery had irregular aggregation consisting of Stupa and Sanghrama

Monastic Sanctuary(Takht-i-Bahai) Axial Plan, logical arranged Rectangular plan(200 ft long) Stupa court on South, monastery

on north Small chapel on terrace West had conference hall Kitchens etc on rest of site Stupa treated artisiticallly Courtyard-quadrangle 45ft by

55ft Central platform 20ft by 8 ft high

on which there was a Stupa with six-tiered umbrella

No true arches Simple unadorned room in

Sanghrama

Taxila(Near Rawalpindi) 2nd Century B.C Distyle-in-antis style 158ft by 80ft wide Had a vestibule, porch,

sanctuary and a back porch(opisthodomos)

Peristyle This architectural style

was practiced till 4th century AD of Kushans

No influence on rest of Indian style

Mahayana Phase400 A.D -600 A.D

Basic Characteristics Main seats of this school were Ajanta,

Ellora, Auarngabad There was a change in iconography

since both schools perceived different imagery of Buddha

Elements of Chaitya Halls remained same

Viharas became finer and more elaborate

Chaityas of Mahayana Phase Rock cut chaitya halls are not stone

copies of timber construction Only curved transoms and ribbed vaults

resemble woodwork Carved solid rock,instead of copying

slender wooden joints Cushion capital developed, shaft is a

square prism, upper being round in section, fluted with compressed capital

Ajanta Cave No. 10 Exterior 38ft by 32 ft Exterior entrance court with side chapels, with

one doorway and pillared portico Portico had a entablature and ministrel’s

gallery Vaulted roof with ribs Stupa monolith 22 ft high, double domed, with

dome having Buddha recessed in canopy Tall tiered finial, harmika and 3 decreasing

parasols and a vase

Ajanta Cave No. 26 68ft by 36f by 31 ft Last Ajanta Hall More ornamented, right

from pillars, elaborate triforium, and recessed panels

Portico had 3 doorways with Chaitya window above

Decline of style by excessive workmanship

Vihara(Cave no. 11, 7 and 6) Wooden construction 11 and 6 had four central pillars while 7th

had 2 2 storied Had colonnades on all sides and a

verandah with a 54sq. Ft hall doorway and windows on two sides Plllars had vast capiatl base and a

pedestal in shape of carytid

Vihara Cave no. 1 and 16 Exterior verandah 65ft long with 65sq, ft

main hall Colonnades of twenty pillars 16 square cells, has a sacracium with

figure of Buddha

Caves at Ellora

Ellora Caves Caves excavated out of low ridge

hills, Buddhists occupied best site.

Dhedwada group(caves 1 to 5) and 6 to 12 were two main groups

Mahanwada cave(no.5) had both monastery and hall, it had two parallel platforms for seating of priests

Later group had chaitya hall no. 10

Cave no. 2 has 48 pillars colonnade attached with side gallery.

Cushion pillar comes in focus now

Cave 6 to 12 Largest monasteries No. 12 is knows as tin

thaal(thre stories), can lodge 40 priests (108ft by 60 ft)

Does not have any ornamentation

Access is through pillared verandah

All three floors are different

Vishwakarma Chaitya Hall 85ft by 44ft by 34ft Plainer than Ajanta Stupa is foundation to

support a shrine of buddha

Chaitya Arch compressed to a samll opening

Two canopies over the niches, predecessors of Indo Aryan and Dravidian temple shrine styles

Aurangabad Caves No. 3 and 7 are finest and best

preserved No. 3 is deep cut in the rock, cella

leading out of pillared hall No.7 has a passage of ambulation

around it Pillars have combination of the bracket

with vase and foliage motif

Chaitya Arch Chaityas noramlly had a

great-horseshoe archway with a wall or screen below

There was sun window in centre of arcway to let light in

First horseshoe arch was seen at Bhaja

Sun window is semi circular aperture divided into lunettes using curved wood transoms and wooden braces

Buddhism in Southern India Eventually spread but no lasting impression,

Brahmanism prevelant faith Two main sites Guntupalle in Kitsna District

and Sankaram Hills in Vishakhapatnam Guntupalle one of the first chaitya halls 18ft in diameter with domed roof 14ft high,

contemporary to Lomas Rishi Remaining of sangagrama has a samll

monastery and brick built chaitya hall No emphasis on planning, coarsely executed

Buddhism in Southern India Sanakra hall had a square based stupa

with a rectangualr plan It was a monastery, interior meaasuring

150ft by 70ft with three symmetrically disposed chaitya halls

Has some of largest monolith stupas, as wide as 65 ft.

No advances in rock-cut

Built in brick(5th century A.D TO 12th century A.D) Flourished in Mathura region, Gangetic plains with rich

alluvial soils Can be timed with size of bricks, larger he brick, earlier the

period Later stone lintels were used The Chaityas in this type was Ter near Sholapur and

Cherzala in Kistna district,(5th century AD) Cherzala is small and its flat ceiling hides construction of

vault, with large bricks(17inch by 9inch by 3inch) The chaitya hall at Ter is well-proportioned with pilastets

framing the exterior Copies from wooden arcjhitecture Cherzala has a florid ornamentation

Built in Brick Immense sized Buddhist sanctuaries bulit in

Kaisa, rhomboid 1250 ft wide, and at Nalanda 1600 ft by 800 ft

Had a stupa, temple and a shrine, and a hostel Statues, for. Eg dying buddha constructed to

attract pligrimage Had high plinths, ornamentation borrowed

from rock-cut. Made famous from Chinese pligrimage, who

called it a ‘great vihara 200 ft high’

Built in Brick Chaitya hall at Uttaresvera was 16ft by 9ft by

2ft They introduced wooden beams and door

frames in brick construction Bricks are moulded and columns carved,

and arches are corbelled Another monastic establishment was at

kapilavastu, Sravasti, Paharpur etc, these were aggragation of lot of structures, restored till lost their original forms

Inspiration and influence Inspired from Vedic wooden construction

techniques, prevelant to Buddhism coming in vogue

Inspired Indian temples, for eg. Early Brahmanical temples in South India (for eg. Chaitya window motif), temples at Sanchi

Even Jain caves got influenced from Buddhism, fro eg. Udaigiri

Spread to North East