About Pillars of Ashoka

The pillars of Ashoka are a series of monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka during his reign from c.  268 to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the expression Dhaṃma thaṃbhā, i.e. "pillars of the Dharma" to describe his own pillars. These pillars constitute important monuments of the architecture of India, most of them exhibiting the characteristic Mauryan polish. Of the pillars erected by Ashoka, twenty still survive including those with inscriptions of his edicts. Only a few with animal capitals survive of which seven complete specimens are known. Two pillars were relocated by Firuz Shah Tughlaq to Delhi. Several pillars were relocated later by Mughal Empire rulers, the animal capitals being removed. Averaging between 12 and 15 m in height, and weighing up to 50 tons each, the pillars were dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, to where they were erected.
Greek scroll supported by Indian Yaksas, Amaravati, 3rd century AD

Indian Buddhist sculptures – The sculptural art of enlightenment

12
Jul
2022
Art, Himalayan Art, Monuments
Buddhist sculptures originated in the north of the Indian subcontinent with the earliest survivals dating from a few centuries after the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama from the 6th to 5th century BCE. In India, Buddhist sculptures flourished and co-developed with Hindu and Jain sculptures, with cave temple complexes built together, each likely influencing the other. Although India had a long sculptural tradition and a mastery of rich iconography, the Buddha was never represented in human .
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Buddha statue in Borobudur (Indonesia), the world's largest Buddhist temple.

Different types of Buddhist architecture

18
May
2022
Caves, Monasteries, Monuments, Stupas, Temples
Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: (viharas), places to venerate relics (), and shrines or prayer halls, which later came to be called in some places. The initial function of a was the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautama Buddha. The earliest archaeologically known example of a stupa is the relic stupa located in Vaishali, .
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