Chapter 15: Southeast Asia & India Before 1200 Chapter Sheet
Preview: Chapter 15 focuses on the art and architecture of various cultures in South and Southeast Asia, beginning with the Indus Civilization (ca. 2600-1500 BCE), one of the world’s earliest. Though little Indus art has survived, it does show stylistic similarities with Mesopotamian art, the result of trade between cities of both cultures. Art of the Maurya Dynasty (323-185 BCE) reflects the prevalence of Buddhism, a religion established in the 6th century BCE, and during this period the Maurya ruler Ashoka built the original Great Stupa at Sanchi. During the Shunga, Andhra, and Kushan Dynasties (ca. 185 BCE-320 CE), Buddhist iconography is further established, and the first representation of the Buddha in human form is produced. Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture characterize the Gupta and Post-Gupta Periods of ca. 320-647. In the Medieval Period (7th to 12th centuries), regional styles of Hindu religious architecture develop in South Asia, while in Southeast Asia, distinctive monuments such as the temples at Angkor in Cambodia are constructed.
List of Artworks (11 Cards Total)
1. Chapter 15 Southeast Asia/India Context Card
2. Great Stupa (looking north), Sanchi, India, third century BCE to first century CE
a. East torana, Great Stupa, Sanchi, ca. 50BCE-50 CE
3. Meditating Buddha, from Gandhara, Pakistan, second century CE
4. Bodhisattva Padmapani, detail of a wall painting in the antechamber of cave 1, Ajanta, India, second half of fifth century
5. Vishnu Asleep on the Serpent Ananta, relief panel on the south façade of the Vishnu Temple, Deogarh, India, early sixth century
6. Vishvanatha Temple (looking north), Khajuraho, India, ca. 1000
a. Plan of the Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho, India, ca. 1000
7. Mithuna reliefs, detail of the north side of the Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho, India, ca. 1000
8. Shiva as Nataraja, ca. 1000
9. Aerial view of Borobudur, Java, Indonesia, ca. 800
10. Aerial view of Angkor Wat (looking northeast), Angkor, Cambodia, first half of 12th century
11. King Suryavarman II holding court, detail of a stone relief, lowest gallery, south side, Angkor Wat, Angkor, Cambodia, first half of 12th century
a. Towers of the Bayon, Angkor Thom, Cambodia, ca. 1200
Key Gods and Figures: Prince Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha, Ashoka, Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Devi, Parvati, Uma, Lakshmi, Radha, Durga, Ganesha
Key Cultural & Religious Terms:, chakra, dharma, Indra, yoga, the Vedas, bodhisattva, lakshanas, urna, ushnisha, mudra, dhyana, bhumisparsha, dharmachakra, abhaya, parinirvana, the Upanishads, samsara, karma, moksha, nirvana, Hinduism, Buddhism, asceticism, chakravartin, jataka, yakshi, yaksha, darshan, prasada, avatar
Key Art Terms: trefoil, monolith, mandala, chatra, mithuna, ratha, nimbus
Key Architectural Terms: vihara, stupa, chaitya hall, apsidal, reliquary, circumambulation, ambulatory, torana, harmika, vimana, garbha griha, shikhara, amalaka, mandapa, vimana, wat
Exercises for Study:
1. Describe how the ritual practices of Buddhism relate to the architecture of the stupa.
2. Characterize the handling of the human figure in early Indus Valley art.
3. Explain how Buddhist beliefs were reflected in the art and architecture of ancient India and Southeast Asia.
4. Explain how Hindu beliefs were reflected in art and architecture in ancient India and Southeast Asia.
5. Identify at least three iconographic details that indicate differences in Hindu beliefs in different parts of India and Southeast Asia.
6. Differentiate between southern and northern style Hindu temples.
7. Describe Southeast Asia’s contributions to Hindu and Buddhist art and architecture.
8. Discuss the influence trade exerted on art and architecture in ancient India and Southeast Asia.
9. Identify examples of intercultural contact within India and Southeast Asia, and between Asian and other ancient civilizations.