Revision summary
Mauryan art is court stone: edict pillars, the Sarnath lion capital, yaksha figures, Barabar caves, and early stupas. Mauryan technology is iron, state mines, punch-marked coins, roads, wells, and the Sudarshana lake begun under Pushyagupta. Both grew under one imperial administration from Chandragupta to Ashoka.
Model answer
Introduction
The Maurya period, from Chandragupta Maurya to Ashoka, created the first large imperial administration in the subcontinent. Art and technology both served that state, and a brief comment must cover both.
Body
Art
- Polished sandstone pillars that carry Ashoka’s edicts are the main court sculptures of this period.
- The lion capital at Sarnath is the principal surviving example of that pillar style.
- The Didarganj Yakshi and related yaksha figures show the same high polish on free-standing stone.
- The Lomasa Rishi and Sudama caves at Barabar are rock-cut halls granted to the Ajivikas.
- Brick and stone stupas at Sanchi and Sarnath were begun in this period, even if later dynasties enlarged the railings.
- Megasthenes describes large timber palaces at Pataliputra, so Mauryan building was not limited to stone.
Technology
- Iron tools and weapons were in ordinary use in farms, mines, and the army.
- The Arthashastra describes state control of mines, forests, and workshops.
- Punch-marked silver coins provided a common medium of exchange across the empire.
- The later Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman records that the Sudarshana lake was begun under Chandragupta Maurya’s governor Pushyagupta.
- Ashokan edicts mention roads, rest houses, and wells as public works.
- The high polish of Mauryan sandstone shows skilled dressing and finishing of stone.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD M[Maurya state] --> A[Pillars yaksha caves stupas] M --> T[Iron mines coins roads irrigation] A --> S[Imperial craft] T --> S
Conclusion
Mauryan art is seen in pillars, yaksha figures, rock-cut caves, and early stupas. Mauryan technology is seen in iron, mines, coinage, roads, and planned irrigation under a central state.
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Is Mauryan art only Buddhist?
No. Pillars and stupas were used for Buddhist teaching, but yaksha figures, Ajivika caves, and timber palaces are not limited to Buddhism.
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Is the Sudarshana lake itself Mauryan masonry?
The later inscription says work began under Chandragupta’s governor. The dam in its later form is not Mauryan masonry.
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