Chaityas and viharas Architecture

source: Percy Brown

1. CHAITYAS AND VIHARAS BUDDHIST ROCK-CUT ARCHITECTURE

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Chaitya at Karli

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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)

11. Geographical Location

12. Timeline

13. Evolution of Chaitya Hall

14. H inayana phase 2 nd century B.C to 2 nd century A.D

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Ajanta Cave No. 10 100ft by 40ft by 33ft Same roof ribs Two tiered stupa with circular base and elongated dome

19. Rock cut with no wooden fittings CLASS 2

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Kanheri Last hinayana chaitya hall, 2 nd 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. Nasik(1 st 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

28. 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 7 th 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. Taxila (Near Rawalpindi) 2 nd 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 4 th century AD of Kushans No influence on rest of Indian style

32. Mahayana Phase 400 A.D -600 A.D

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. Vihara (Cave no. 11, 7 and 6) Wooden construction 11 and 6 had four central pillars while 7 th 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

38. 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

39. Caves at Ellora

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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

46. 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

47. Built in brick(5 th century A.D TO 12 th century A.D) Flourished in Mathura region, G angetic 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,(5 th 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

48. 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’

49. 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 , P aharpur etc, these were aggragation of lot of structures, restored till lost their original forms

50. Inspiration and influence Inspired from Vedic wooden construction techniques, prevelant to Buddhism coming in vogue Inspired I ndian 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