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You are here : Panjabilok » Saddi Dharti te Log » Heritage » The Architecture of Punjab


The Architecture of Punjab

 

 
Harappan civilization
 
The oldest examples of architecture sculpture, and painting in the Punjab belong to the Harappan civilization. The Vedic age, which followed the Harappan age, has not left any artistic relics. The Vedic Aryans lived in villages. They used perishable materials such as wood and bamboo. Some scholars believe that the plan of an Aryan village was based on that of a fortified military camp. its layout was rectangular. Its sides oriented to four quarters and it was interacted by two roads or streets, which terminated in four gateways. But no actual remains of a Vedic village have survived.



The literature refers to great cities of the age of the Buddha. These cities were well planned, built of bricks and timer. They had beautiful buildings, royal palaces, broad streets and high gateways. A wall surrounded the entire city. But no example of such and ancient city has survived to this day. The reason is that most of the buildings of wood have perished. In eastern India we have some monuments dating from the Pre-Mauryan times. These are at Rajagriha and at Lauriya Nandangarh in Bihar. No buildings of Pre-Mauryan epoch exist in the Punjab.

Takshashila:
The earliest historical example of art and architecture in the Punjab are those of the Maurya period. The city of Takshashila was the capital of the Uttarapatha province of the Maurya Empire. It was famous city has been excavated in modern times. The ruins of Takshashila consist of three city-cited: Bihar mound, Sirkap, and Dirsukh. These represent three successive phases in the history of the city. At Bihar mouns we have evidence of settlement from sixth to the second century BC Sirkap site represents the second city of Takshashila. Bactrian Greeks built it in the second century A.D. unlike Bihar mound and Sirkap, the site of Sirsukh has not been excavated.



Jewellery from Sirkap,Taxila
The city of Sirkap was buitlt on the Greek chessboard pattern, with streets cutting one another at rights angles and regularly aligned blocks of buildings. Besides bricks, coursed rubble-stone was used in building houses. The city had a rempart. But the Parthian and Shaka rules built a defence wall of stone 3, 1/2 miles long.

The city had several Buddhist shrines and stupas. there was an upsidal temple also. More important religious establishments lay outside the boundaries of the three city-sites.


Jewellery from Sirkap,Taxila
The most ancient and the most important sacred building is the Dharmarajika-stupa. Emperor Ashoka originally built it. A stupa is a Buddhist shrine. It is covered from all sided and its shape is semi-circular like a cup turned upside down. Inside a stupta are preserved sacred relics either of a Buddha or Buddhist saints. The Buddhists adore the stupa. Emperor Ashoka had the title Dharmaraha or the 'Righterous King'. The Dharmarajika stupa built by him was elaborated and renovated by later kings. It is built on a high platform of stone. It is circular in plan and hemispherical in elevation. From its central hub radiate sixteen thick walls. On the southern portion of Sirkap are a stupa and a monastery of vihara. A vihara is also a sacred Buddhist building. It contains roomed for monks as well as prayer hall and a shrine-room.

Towards the northern gate of Sirkap lie the ruins of a temple at Jandial. It was a Zoroastrian temple. It resembles a Greek temple. It has two pillars at the entrance and two pillars at the front porch, which leads to the sanctuary. Amount the finds at Takshashila are coins of kings of different dynasties, seals, jewelry, sculptures and peltry pieces.

City-sites and Stupas:
Another important city-cite in the Punjab is Charsdda on the Swat river in Peshawar district. It is the site of Pushkalavati, the capital of Gandhara. Excavations brought to light the existence of Buddha stupas and viharas and other buildings. Traces of stupa architecture have been found at several other places in the Punjab and the northwest. Thus the stupas at Manikyala in Rawalpindi district at Takht-i-Bahai, Sahri-Bahlol and Jamalgarhi near Hoti Mardan, and at Shahji-Ki-Dheri near Peshawar may be mentioned.

Kanishka built the great stupa at Shahji-Ki-Dheri. It is cruciform on plan. Inside it was found a casket containing sacred relics of Buddha. This stupa built by Kanishka was seen by Husan Tsang in the 7th century and by Alberuni in 11th century AD. The stupa at Takht-i-Bahai is famous for its great statue of standing Buddha. The ruins of monasteries were also identified at these places as well as at Sahri-Bahlol. A chatya of Buddhist shrine was also fount at Sahri-Bahlol. Numerous Buddhist monasteries and stupas were built also in Sind and Baluchistan; A stupa built of Bricks existed at Mirpurkhas. It had three vaulted cells, which contained images of the Buddha. This stupa was ruined during the Arab invasions in 712AD. The stupa may have been built during the early Kushana times. The remains of a stupa also exist at a place called Tor-Dherai in Loralai district of Baluchistaqn. The site of Branmanbad in Sindh had at first Buddhist monasteries and stupas. Later on in the Gupta period, Brahmanical temples were built at this site.

Recently Sanghol in Ludhiana District has been excavated. It represents the site of a Buddhist establishment. The very name may be connected with sangha or the Buddhist community. Remains of a Dharma-chakra-stupa have come to light at Sanghol.

 Hsuan Tsang's Description :

In the seventh century AD. the Chinese Buddhist scholar and pilgrim visited many places in the northwest. He has described a number of sacred buildings, which existed during his time. We will briefly sum up his account of cities, monasteries, temples and stupas.

The walls of towns and cities of Indians were broad and high. But thoroughfares were narrow. The shops are on the highways and booth line the roads. Butchers, fisherman, public performers, executioners, and scavengers have their habitation marked by a distinguishing sign. They are forced to live outside the city ... As to the construction of houses and enclosing walls the country of bricks while walls of houses and enclosures are of wattled bamboo or wood. Their halls and terraced belvederes have wooden flat roofed rooms and are coated with chuna and covered with tiles gurnt of unurnt. They are of extraordinary height, and in style like those of China. The houses thatched with xoarse of common grass are of bricks or boards; their walls are ornamented with chunam; the floor is purified with cow-dung and strewn with flowers of the seadon; in these matters they differ from us. But the Buddhist monasteries are of most remarkable architecture. They have a tower at each of the four corners of the quadrangle and three high halls in a tier. The rafers. and roof-beams are carved with strange figures, and the doors, windows, and walls are painted in various colours. The houses of the laity are sumptuous inside and economical outside.

Hsuan Tsang also mention the viharas or monasteries, stupas and the temple in different cities he visted personally. In Lampaka or Lagman in Afghanistan he saw more than ten Buddhist monasteries and about a score of non-Buddhist temples. In Nagarahara country around Jelalavad distrct) he was a stupa made of stone and in height 300 feet. There was also a vihara with a smaller stupa. Both these stupas had been built by Ashoka. There were also fine Deva-temples. In Hadda near Jelalavad he saw a two-storeyed shrine in which were preserved some Buddhist relics. In Gandhara there were above 1000 Buddhist monasteries 8 in the country but they were utterly dilapidated and untenanted. Many of the topes also were in ruins. There were above 100 Deva-temples, and the various sects lived pell-mell. This sorry state of Buddhist viharas and stupas was due to the destruction carried together were Branamanical sects such as Shaktism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism.

According to Hsuan Tsang the treat stupa built by Kanishka was 400 feet high, Near the stupa were large in ages of the Buddha. To the southeast of this great stupa was a stone image of the standing Buddha. It was 18 feet in height. Around this image were more than 100 small stupas.

In the city of Pushkalarvti there was Deva temple with a marvel-working mage of the Deve. This was possibly a Shiva temple. Here Deva means Shiva or Mahadeva. To the east of the city was an old stupa built by Ashoka. At a shorty distance from the city was monastery in ruins; close to it stood another stupa erected by Ashoka. At was some hunderds of feet high, the carved wood and engraved stone of which seemed to be the work of strangers. At Palusha in Gandhara he saw Mahesbara's spouse Bhima-devi of dark-blue stone. At the foot of the moutain was a temple to Maheshvara-deva in which ash-smearing Tirthikas performed much workship. According to this passage there was a temple of Shiva at the bottom of the mountain where the devotees worshipped. At the top of the mountain was an in age of goddess called Bhma or Bhishana. She is the same as Durga of Uma.

In Uddiyana on Swat river there had been formerly 1400 monasteries but many of these were now in ruins. Most of these monasteries had been destroyed by the Huna armies. There were ten 
Deva-temples in the 7th century AD. Buddhist stupas and monasteried were also seen by the Chinese pilgrim in the Mahaban area. Many stupas existed in Mongkil and Darel. The monasteries at Takshashila though numerous were desolate. Stupas built by Ashoka were still in tact. At Simhapura there was an Ashokan stupa 200 feet in height. Several stupas existed in Baluchistan some of them were 100 feet in height.

The Gandhara Sculpture:

The Gandhara art represents one of the greatest culture achievements of ancient Punjab. It is called the Ganghara art because it is originated and flourished in the region anciently known as Gandhara. The region in represented by Rawalpindi and Peshawar divisions now in Pakistan. It is also called the Buddhist art of contents. Generally speaking the word Gandhara art is applied to the architecture, sculpture and painting which developed in north-western India form the first to the fifth centuries AD. Formerly some scholars held the opinion that this art was derived from the Greek art. But this opinion is no longer held by anyone. In style and manner of execution some of the Gandhara sculptures resemble between the subject-matter of the Roman art and the Gandhara art. A few examples of foreing origin have been found in Gandhara region. These include figures in metal of Dionysius and Harpocrates and a bronze figure of Herakles. These articles obviously came from aborad with merchants and soldiers. During the rule of the Bactrian Greeks and Parthians the Punjab had close contacts with Roman Empire. West Asian Hellenistic and Roman artists may also have come to Gandhara to work for the Kushana Kings. The Kushana emperors, Kanishka I and his successor, were the greatest patrons of Ganhara art.

It is the view of some scholars that the first image of the Buddha in human form was made in the Gandhara school of sculpture. But the Mathura school of sculpture claims equal credit. It seems that the image of the Buddha began to be made in Mathura and Gandhara school at the same time. Before the first century AD. the Buddha was worshipped through sacred symbols such as a stupa, a bodhi, tree a dharma-chakra , and foot-prints. This form of Buddhist worship by employing symbols and emblems is well known form the art of Sanchi, Bharhut and Bodhgaya.
The development of Mahayana form of Buddhism During 200-100 BC. had inspired the production of figures of the Buddhas and Bodhisativas. Image-worship became popular among the Jainas, the Buddhist as well as the Shaivas and Vaishnavas. 
The creation of a Buddha image was a religious act. The development of Buddhist sculpture was inspire by a religious act. The development of Buddhist sculpture was inspired by a religious emotion. It was considered meritorious to make an image of the Buddha to install it in a shrine, and to adore it. The growth of Buddhist art in Ganghara was goth a cause and consequence of the growth of Buddhist faith in this region.

We will now describe some of the important Buddhist sculptures of the earliest images of the Buddha is on a coin of Kanishaka I. Here the Buddha is depicted standing on one side of the coin. On the other side is a standing figure of King Kanishka wearing a long coat resembling achkan. Another early representation of the Buddha is found in a relic casket of Kanishka's time. The standing Buddha figure from Hoti Mardan near Peshawar shows the influence of the figure of the Greek god Apllo. Cheif features of Gandhara sculpture are wavy hair or curly hair, youthful face like that of Apollo, prominence of physical features and ridged folds on the dress. Some time moustachion are shown on the Buddha's face. This error was due to the artist's ignorance about the details of Buddha's life. The artist, though worked under the guidance of Indian Buddhist scholars, often south to emphasize Greek and Roman features. Thus even on the Buddha's sanghati or outer garment attempts were made to carve drapes. It is possible hat some text such as the Laita-vistara or the Buddha-charita giving details of the life of the Buddhawas used by the sculptors. The Buddha's human body had 32 marks of a Great Man urna between the two eye-brows, ears-lobes, on the head etc. The artists have often tried to depicts these marks on the Buddha figures.

The figures of Buddha and the events in his life form the main subject-matter of the Gandhara sculpture. The Buddha is shown either as standing or as seated. The seated Buddha is in a variety of postures. Thus the Buddha seated crossed legged in meditation wit half closed eyes shows the dhyanamudra. This yogic pose is the most common form adopted in seated images. The main events in the life of the Buddha were birth, renunciation of home-life, austerities, struggle with Mara or the forces of ignorance, attainment of Enlightment, first sermon performance of miracles, and the great the passing away. All these events are carved on stone in a variety of forms. The other series of sculpture depicts scenes form the Jataka stories of Buddha's former births. A large number of figures are those of the Boddhisattvas. The Boddhisattvas are the saviour gods and saints of Mahayana Buddhism. Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara are the two most famous Boddhisattvas depicted in Gandhara sculpture. Interesting also are the figures of Indra and Brahma. Both these Vedic gods are well known devotees of Lord Buddha. They are shown standing with folded hands facing the Buddha. The Buddha is at the center flanked by those two gods. The two pieces of sculpture are both on metal. The one called the Reliquary of Kanishaka was found under a stupa at Shahji-Ki-Dheri near Peshawar. The other called the Bimaran Reliquary, was discovered from the ruins of a stupa near Jelalabad in Afghanistan. Areliquary is a casket box containing sacred relics either of the Buddha or of a Buddhist saint. These two pieces are the only surviving important examples of Gandhara sculpture in metal. All the other sculptures are on stone pieces.

Sources

  1. Fauja Singh,(editor), History of the Punjab, 1977.

  2. R.P.Srivastava, Art and Archaeology of Punjab, 1990.

  3. L.M. Joshi (editor), History and Culture of Punjab, 1993.

Courtesy: Punjab Heritage

 




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