CULTURE

Literature: history• The earliest - canonical Hindu sacred writings, the Veda in Sanskrit• Later additions - prose commentaries, the Brāhmaṇas and the

Upaniṣhads • Time span: 1400 BC to AD 1200; at its highest - in the 1st to 7th

centuries AD • the Sanskrit epics:- the Mahābhārata- the Rāmāyaṇa, - the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa • Other literary languages: in Buddhism – Pāli; in Jainism -

Ardhamāgadhī • A separate branch of literature in Tamil (Dravidian background)• Separate branches of literature in Urdu and Sindhi (Islāmic

background)• The 19th century saw the impact of the British and Western literature

in general: vernacular prose, realism, novel and story, psychological description

Mahabharata

• The development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE

• The present form – around 400 CE• Size – 100,000 couplets, or shlokas• Divided in 18 parvans (=sections)• Supplement – Harivamsha (“Genealogy of the God

Hari”=Vishnu)• Authorship is ascribed to the sage Vyasa • About dharma (=moral law) and itihasa (=a history,

“that's what happened”)• The struggle for sovereignty between two groups of

cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu)

• Date of the war – 1302 BCE, or later • Marks the beginning of Kali Yuga

Lineage

Synopsis• The older generations• The Pandava and Kaurava princes• Lākṣagṛha (The House of Lac)• Marriage to Draupadi• Indraprastha• The dice game• Exile and return• The battle at Kurukshetra• The end of the Pandavas

Parvans1. Maya Danava erects the palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha. Life at the court, Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna, the

game of dice, and the eventual exile of the Pandavas.2. The twelve years of exile in the forest (aranya).3. The year spent incognito at the court of Virata.4. Preparations for war and efforts to bring about peace between the Kurus and the Pandavas which eventually fail

(udyoga means effort or work).5. The first part of the great battle, with Bhishma as commander for the Kauravas and his fall on the bed of arrows.

(Includes the Bhagavad Gita)6. The battle continues, with Drona as commander. This is the major book of the war. Most of the great warriors on both

sides are dead by the end of this book.7. The battle again, with Karna as commander.8. The last day of the battle, with Shalya as commander. Also told in detail is the pilgrimage of Balarama to the fords of the

river Saraswati and the mace fight between Bhima and Duryodhana which ends the war, since Bhima kills Duryodhana by smashing him on the thighs with a mace.

9. Ashvattama, Kripa and Kritavarma kill the remaining Pandava army in their sleep. Only 7 warriors remain on the Pandava side and 3 on the Kaurava side.

10. Gandhari, Kunti and the women (stri) of the Kurus and Pandavas lament the dead.11. The crowning of Yudhisthira as king of Hastinapura, and instructions from Bhishma for the newly anointed king on

society, economics and politics. 12. The final instructions (anushasana) from Bhishma.13. The royal ceremony of the Ashvamedha (Horse sacrifice) conducted by Yudhisthira. The world conquest by Arjuna. The

Anugita is told by Krishna to Arjuna.14. The eventual deaths of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti in a forest fire when they are living in a hermitage in the

Himalayas. Vidura predeceases them and Sanjaya on Dhritarashtra's bidding goes to live in the higher Himalayas.15. The infighting between the Yadavas with maces (mausala) and the eventual destruction of the Yadavas.16. The great journey of Yudhisthira and his brothers across the whole country and finally their ascent of the great

Himalayas where each Pandava falls except for Yudhisthira.17. Yudhisthira's final test and the return of the Pandavas to the spiritual world (svarga).18. This is an addendum to the 18 books, and covers those parts of the life of Krishna which is not covered in the 18 parvas

of the Mahabharata.

Portrayal

• Vyasa narrating to Ganesha

– Angor Wat, a temple complex in Combodia• the battle of Kurukshetra

• A relief sculpture of the five Pandava brothers and their

wife, Draupadi in the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh

Bhagavat-Gita

• An episode, occupying chapters 23 to 40 of book 6 of the Mahabharata• Composed in the 1st or 2nd century CE • a 700-verse scripture • a Smṛiti text or "that which is remembered" – unlike Śruti texts is

fallible • A dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Krishna (Vishnu), where

Krishna displays his Vishvarupa (Universal Form) to Arjuna • on a variety of theological and philosophical issues • Krishna, through the course of the Gita, imparts to Arjuna wisdom,

the path to devotion, and the doctrine of selfless action• “Do not yield to unmanliness, O son of Prithâ. It does not become

you. Shake off this base faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies!” 

• the setting of the Gita in a battlefield is viewed by commentators as an allegory for the ethical and moral struggles of the human life

Ramayana• in Sanskrit• probably not before 300 BC• by the poet Vālmīki • 24,000 couplets divided into seven books, or kāṇḍas • explores human values and the concept of dharma • written in a 32-syllable meter called anustubh• Treta Yuga • The characters:-Rama-Sita-Lakshman-Bharata-Hanuman-Ravana

Kandas1. The origins and childhood of Rama, born to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya

and destined to fight demons. Sita's swayamvara and subsequent wedding to Rama.

2. The preparations for Rama's coronation in the city of Ayodhya, his exile into the forest, and the regency of Bharata.

3. The forest life of Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, his constant companion. The kidnapping of Sita by the demon king Ravana.

4. Rama meets Hanuman and helps destroy the monkey people's king, Vali, making Vali's younger brother, Sugriva, king of Kishkindha instead.

5. Detailed accounts of Hanuman's adventures, including his meeting with Sita.

6. The battle in Lanka between the monkey and the demon armies of Rama and Ravana, respectively. After Ravana is defeated, Sita undergoes the test of fire, completes exile with Rama, and they return to Ayodhya to reign over the Ideal State.

7. Rumors of impurity lead to Sita's banishment, during which she gives birth to and raises Lava and Kusha. Rama and Sita reconcile. The twin boys later ascend the throne of Ayodhya, after which Rama departs from the world.

Karnatak music• a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent •  four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu • the main emphasis - on vocal music; most compositions are written to be

sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style

• the foundation of improvisation and composition is formed on the basic elements of 

- śruti (the relative musical pitch), - swara (the musical sound of a single note), - rāga (the mode or melodic formulæ), - tala (the rhythmic cycles)• a small ensemble of musicians, consisting of -a principal performer (usually a vocalist), -a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin), -a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam),-a tambura, which acts as a drone throughout the performance.

Hindustani music• Shāstriya Sangīt • originated in Vedic ritual chants• Influenced by the ancient Persian tradition of Musiqi-e assil • evolving since the 12th century CE• primarily in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and to

some extent in Nepal and Afghanistan • Instruments:* the veena, the sitar and the sarod – string instruments * the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, slide guitar – other plucked

or struck string instruments * the sarangi, esraj and violin – bowed instruments* the bansuri, shehnai and harmonium – wind instruments * the tabla, pakhavaj – the percussion

Indian theatre• Sanskrit theatre – 1-9 centuries AD• Bharata’s detailed description of Indian theatre  A Treatise on Theatre (Nātyaśāstra) • Two main types of Sanskrit theatre: -nataka (“heroic”) -prakarana (“social”)• Plays range from 1 to 10 acts. • One-act plays:-bhana (“monologue”)-prahasana (“farce”)• three structural types of classical theatre: -oblong-square-triangular • two types of Hindu productions: -the lokadharmi, or realistic theatre-the natyadharmi, or stylized drama

Folk theatre

• the jatra of Bengal, • the nautanki, ramlila, and raslila of North India, the bhavai of Gujarat, the tamasha of Maharashtra, the terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, the yakshagana of Karnataka,the putliwalas (“puppeteers”) of Rajasthan

Next classTest:Literature. Music. Theatre.

Lecture:Culture: Painting. Architecture. Cinema.

Presentations:Indian Temples Bollywood

Discussion: The impact of India on the British culture

Credit

• Regular tests, final test scores within 70% = 1/2 credit• Final test: based on facts from the documentaries on

India (the links can be found on the website) • Presentation = 1/2 credit• Essay (argumentative or analytical, original; 500 words)

= 1/2 credit -India – a home to one religion with many faces-India – a country of contrasts-History of India – a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside

an enigma-Culture of India – an onion with endless layers-Culture of India – the impact on Britain

Architecture

Indus Valley civilization(3300 BC-1300BC)• City plan

• Citadel

• Pool

Post Maha Janapadas period (1500 BC—200 AD)• Stupa at Sanchi

• Fortified cities

with stupas

= viharas

• Stepwells

• Cave temples

(Ajanta and Ellora)

Early Common Era—High Middle Ages (200 AD—1200 AD)

• Ancient university cities

(Nalanda and Valabhi)

• Southern temples:

Nageshvara (near) and

Chennakeshava (far)

temples at Mosale

Structure of a northern temple

Late Middle Ages (1100 AD—1526 AD)• Virupaksha Temple

– example of

Vijayanagara Architecture

• Bucisvara Temple

– example of

Hoysala architecture

Mughal Era (1526 AD-1857 AD)

• Red Fort in Agra

• Qutub Minar Columns

in Delhi

British Colonial Era: 1615 to 1947

• St Andrews Kirk in Madras

• The Victoria Memorial

in Calcutta

Colonial India

• French Architecture

in Pondicherry

• Portuguese Architecture

in Goa

Sculpture

Sculpture: the Indus Valley civilization (3300-1700 BC)• Seals (soapstone/steatite)• Figurines (terra-cotta)• Statuettes (stone and bronze)• Proto-Shiva (Pahupati “the Lord of Animals”) • Animals (bull, ‘unicorn’, bison, elephant, rhinoceros, tiger)• Dancing girl from Mohenjo-daro• Bearded man from Mohenjo-daro (Priest King)

Sculpture

• Formulation of Buddhist and Hindu imagery around the 1st century CE• Folk beliefs and cults influenced much of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain iconography• Emphatic plasticity• The sculptor’s function – to make the qualities more manifest• Form is carved from without rather than modelled from

within

Sculpture: monumental sculpture

• Pillars of Ashoka (270-232 BCE)• Relief sculptures in stupas• The Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara (2-1 c

BCE)• The pink sandstone sculptures of Mathura (1-

3 C CE) and the classical period of Gupta (4-6 c CE)

• The bronze statues of Chola dynasty • The granite carvings of Mahabalipuram (7 c

CE)

Painting

the Sadanga or Six Limbs of Indian Painting • Rupabheda The knowledge of appearances. • Pramanam Correct perception, measure and

structure. • Bhava Action of feelings on forms. • Lavanya Yojanam Infusion of grace, artistic

representation. • Sadrisyam Similitude. • Varnikabhanga Artistic manner of using the

brush and colours.

Painting schools

• Murals of Ajanta caves

• Mughal miniature

• Mysore procession painting

• Pattachitra painting

Next classFinal Test:Documentaries on India

Lecture:Culture: Cuisine. LanguageImpact of Indian culture on Britain

Presentations:CuisineImpact of Indian culture on Britain

Discussion: My incredible India

Essential documentaries

• The Lost Temples of India • The Story of India • The Secrets of Taj Mahal • Rat Temple • Matam • Cremation • Aghoris • Living in slums