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
2nd century B.C to 2nd century A.D
WHY WESTERN GHATS
 Uniformity of texture in hills
 Horizontally stratified
 Ends in perpendicular cliffs

BUILDING STRATEGY
Cliff was made perpendicular
Entry was made
A small excavated for
architect monk
Excavation from top to bottom
Subsequently 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
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
400 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
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