Indian art and culture / Architecture
The stupa: form, types and major sites
Practise 2 PYQsConcepts to cover
- Stupa as pre-Buddhist burial mound adopted by Buddhism; relic repository; votive and commemorative types
- Anda, harmika, chhatra, yashti, vedika, torana, medhi, pradakshina patha
- Sanchi (Ashoka core, Shunga railings, Satavahana toranas; UNESCO) and Bharhut (Shunga, now at Kolkata)
- Amaravati in the lower Krishna valley (Satavahana, Ikshvaku; limestone drum slabs) and Nagarjunakonda
- Piprahwa, Dhamekh (Sarnath), Kesariya, Bavikonda, Kanganahalli, Sannati; Mahabodhi temple Bodh Gaya
Where to study
An Introduction to Indian Art Part I, Class XI, ch. 3 Arts of the Mauryan Period
- ch. 3 Arts of the Mauryan Period, pp. 1-8 (printed 19-26)
- ch. 3 Arts of the Mauryan Period, Pillars, Sculptures and Rock-cut Architecture (stupas at Piprahwa and other sites), pp. 1-5 (printed 19-23)
An Introduction to Indian Art Part I, Class XI, ch. 4 Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture
- ch. 4 Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture, pp. 1-34 (printed 27-60)
- ch. 4 Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture, Sanchi (parts of the stupa: anda, harmika, chhatri, medhi, vedika, torana), p. 3 (printed 29)
- ch. 4 Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture, Bharhut; Sanchi, pp. 1-4 (printed 27-30)
- ch. 4 Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture, Buddhist Monuments of South India (Amaravati, Nagarjunkonda), pp. 6-7 (printed 32-33)
Themes in Indian History Part I, Class XII, Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: Cultural Developments
- Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings, pp. 1-33 (printed 82-114)
- Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings, 7. Stupas; 7.1 Why were stupas built?, pp. 14-15 (printed 95-96)
- Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings, 7.3 The structure of the stupa, pp. 15-16 (printed 96-97)
- Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings, 1. A Glimpse of Sanchi; 8. Discovering Stupas: The Fate of Amaravati and Sanchi, pp. 1-2 (printed 82-83)
- Theme 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings, 8. Discovering Stupas: The Fate of Amaravati and Sanchi, p. 17 (printed 98)
Indian Art and Culture · Nitin Singhania
- ch. 2
Our Pasts I, Class VI, ch. 11 Buildings, Paintings and Books
- ch. 11 Buildings, Paintings and Books, How were stupas and temples built?, pp. 1-4 (printed 114-117)
UNESCO World Heritage Convention: India, properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (with inscription years) and Tentative List
- Cultural properties: Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
- Cultural properties: Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002); Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath (2026)
An Introduction to Indian Art Part I, Class XI, ch. 6 Temple Architecture and Sculpture
- ch. 6 Temple Architecture and Sculpture, Buddhist and Jain Architectural Developments (Bodhgaya, Mahabodhi temple), pp. 23-24 (printed 90-91)