India is a creative society with advancement in creativity with every era....like the Indus valley civilization had a rich craft tradition as well as a high degree of technical excellence in the field of pottery making and sculpture. Similarly, many other eras have their specialty.....Can we discuss the specialty that the other eras contribute to Indian craft
Hello Roopanjana, interesting post indeed. History of Indian craft is copious, pregnant with a rich legacy. To discuss about the specialty of the various eras the first thing which comes to my mind is the The Kushana period. In the ancient India Kushana Period stood as an emblem of finest form of Indian crafts. The excavations define that the people of that epoch were adept in creating ivory products, potteries, metal crafts made out of gold, copper, iron, and precious stone. Now after the Kushana period the Gupta period signaled the bright period of craft in India. Mathura and Sarnath images of Buddhism are some of the best specimens of ancient Indian craft during gupta period. after the Gupta dynasty, Indian artisans contributed a lot to meliorate the Indian craft. and this period in Indian craft history has been termed as medieval Indian craft. THE Chola dynasty, Chalukya, Pala, Senas dynasty followed after Gupta. In the field of Craft the Cholas of the Vijaynagar Empire contributed a lot. their Bronze craft still inspires awe. During the ninth century, in the Pala-Sena period, Buddhism assumed a new and complex dimension. This very feature indeed added a whole new facet to the medieval Indian craft.
Posted On : 4/20/2009 10:50:25 PM
Ratna Shah Reward Points : 16600 Member Since : Monday, April 07, 2008
Thanks for the era wise detailing. I would further like to add on the craft of Gupta period. The Gupta period is regarded as the golden period of Indian craft. The rock cut temples of Ellora and the Ajanta murals are perfect examples of it. These wall paintings throw us a realistic view of the lifestyle of that time. Another interesting feature is that it underwent evolution under the patronage of Gupta kings, excelling in jewelry making, woodcarving, sculpture, stone carving and weaving.
Posted On : 4/20/2009 11:14:03 PM
Roop Chatterjee Reward Points : 21400 Member Since : Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hi all.....It is said that during the time of Ashoka 84,000 stupas were built in India, including the world famous Sanchi stupa, which has beautiful stone carving and relief work done on it. so we can say that In Ashok s era also art and craft attained creativity. The iron pillars of Vaishali Bihar and Delhi, created during the time of Emperor Ashoka, are a marvel in the field of metallurgy.
Posted On : 4/21/2009 3:19:06 AM
Kiran Kabiraj Reward Points : 26500 Member Since : Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Hey Friends....The period between 1st century B.C. and 1st century A.D. in India was a period of political turmoil. This was because of the foreign invasions that happened. The impact of these intrusions can be seen in Indian craft of the then era. This is perhaps why the Buddhist sculptures from Taxila, Begram, Bamiyan, etc showcase a high degree of Greek influence. The depiction of Buddha, having curly hair and wearing draperies, until date is the result of this Greek influence which was indeed a special mark of that era.
Posted On : 4/21/2009 3:20:20 AM
Mona Mehta Reward Points : 19900 Member Since : Friday, January 09, 2009
Hi friends...I would like to talk about the art and craft of the Mughal era. I personaly love the MUghal style of art and craft. The Mughal era was also considered as the golden period in the history of Indian art, craft and culture. The Mughals introduced new techniques like inlay work, glass engraving, carpet weaving, brocades, enameling etc into thge existing craft scenario of India. The famous Peacock Throne of the Mughals is one of the finest examples of gem inlay work and metal craft
Posted On : 4/21/2009 3:21:42 AM
Maniam PS [Guru] Reward Points : 137200 Member Since : Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The period of the imperial Cholas c. 850 CE - 1250 CE was an age of continuous improvement and refinement of the Dravidian art and architecture. They utilised their prodigious wealth earned through their extensive conquests in building long-lasting stone temples and exquisite bronze sculptures. Most of these still stand proudly articulating those glorious days The Cholas continued the temple building traditions of the Pallava dynasty and elevated the Dravidian temple design to greater heights. The Chola kings built numerous temples throughout the kingdom. The evolution of the temple architectural styles can be divided into three phases - the early phase starting with Vijayalaya Chola, the middle phase of Rajaraja Chola and Rajendra Chola when the achievements scaled heights never reached before or since and the final phase during the Chalukya Chola period of Kulottunga Chola I and after. The Cholas also built many secular buildings such as public utility buildings and palaces. Many such buildings find mention in their inscriptions and in contemporary accounts. The golden palace Aditya Karikala built for his father Sundara Chola is an example for such a building. However, such buildings were of perishable materials such as timber and fired bricks and have not survived the ravages of time The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes. Among the existing specimens in the various museums of the world and in the temples of South India may be seen many fine figures of Siva in various forms, Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, Siva saints and many more.Though conforming generally to the iconographic conventions established by long tradition, the sculptor worked in great freedom in the eleventh and the twelfth centuries and the sculptures and bronzes show classic grace, grandeur and perfect taste. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine Dancer. Although bronze casting has a long history in south India, a much larger and a much greater number of bronze sculptures were cast during the Chola period than before, further attesting to the importance of bronze sculpture during this period. It should be noted that when in worship, these images are covered in silk cloths, garlands, and jewels, and would not appear as they do outside a religious context. Decorating the bronzes in this way is a tradition at least a thousand years old as such decorations are referred to in 10th-century Chola inscriptions. Hundreds of Chola bronzes have been smuggled out of India and have found their way into the private museums of art-collectors. Chola period bronzes were created using the lost wax technique. 29 It is known in artistic terms as Cire Perdue . The Sanskrit Shilpa texts call it the Madhu Uchchishtta Vidhana. Beeswax and kungilium a type of camphor are mixed with a little oil and kneaded well. The figure is sculpted from this mixture fashioning all the minute details. This is the wax model original. The entire figure is then coated with clay made from termite hills until the mould is of a necessary thickness. Then the whole thing is dried and fired in an oven with cow-dung cakes. The wax model melts and flows out, while some of it vapourises. The metal alloy of bronze is melted and poured into the empty clay-mould. This particular bronze alloy is known as Pancha Loham. When the metal has filled all crevices and has settled and hardened and cooled, the mould is broken off. The bronze figure thus obtained is then cleaned, finer details are added, blemishes are removed, smoothened, and polished well. Hence each bronze icon is unique and the mould cannot be used to create copies.
Indian Eras Reflecting Creativity
