EARLY CIVILIZATION, ART

,CULTURE AND ARCHITECTURE

VEDIC CIVILIZATION
Map showing Indo Aryan Migration
There has been a huge debate on the origin of Aryans.
Various scholars have postulated theories which are either
supported or debated.
North Pole: Bal Gangadhar Tilak proposed that the Aryans came
from North Pole. However there is no concrete evidence for this
theory.
Asia: Scholars like Max Muller suggested Middle Asia could be the
place of Aryans, whereas Rhodes thought it should be Bactria
and Edward Meyer postulated the plateau of Pamir (Iran).
Europe: Penka and Hirt thought Germany as the base of Aryans.
South Russia: Based on archaeological, historical and linguistic study, Meyer,
Peek and Gordon Childes postulated that South Russia should be the home of
Aryans. Archaeological excavations in Russia unearthed horse skeletons,
potteries, earthen wares which were strikingly similar to Aryans.
Vedic Culture of India
 Between 1500-500 BC
 Refers to the time period when vedic sanskrit texts and
sacred books of hymns were composed in india. These
sacred books were called vedas.
 Provides material for study of the first efforts at
building construction
 Produced elementary types of forest dwelling
 Outcome of Indo Aryan migration of north west
 Aryans migrated from northwest to the area called
sapta-sindhva (Punjab, fringes of western Uttarpradesh)
Technology and Economy

 1. Use of Iron Tools.

 2. Clearing of Forests in
Indo- Gangetic Plain.
 3.Beginning of
Sedentary agrarian
Civilization.
 4. Rise of Urban
Centers.
Religion
 Worshipped many Gods and Goddess including
Rain, animal and earth etc.
 The main deities were Indra dev, Agni dev, Mitra
Varuna, Surya,Vayu.
Religion
 Follow Hindu religion and a custom of varna class.
 Four class in vedic culture(Brahmins,
Kshatriyas,Vaishyas,Shudras)
 Positions of Brahmins and Kshatriyas were higher than
Vaishyas and Shudras.
 Brahmins were specialized in creating sacred texts and
carrying out various types of rituals.
 The people of royal families are considered as
Kshtriyas. They performed commanding authority and
helped to maintain law and order.
Settlements
Vedic Aryans divided their political range in 3 units.

 Gama(Village),Vis(sub domain) and jana(kingdom)

 Grama is the smallest unit of the political system
 A collection of gramas are called vis
 A number of vis built a king dom.
Early Settlements
 Mostly nomads ,settled down in the plains of india
 Partly pastoral and agricultural
 Settlements mostly of reeds and bamboo thatched with
leaves
 People stayed in cutout of primeval forest
 To protect themselves and their property from the
ravage of wild animals, they have surrounded their
collection of huts with a special kind of fence or
palisade.
 Huts were arranged in threes and fours around the
square courtyard.
Shelters
Plan:
 Of various shapes but circular plan predominated

 Huts were of beehive (domical) pattern

 Later date vedic hut was elongated into oval shape with a barrel
roof formed on a frame of bent bamboos covered with thatch.
Walls:
 Circular wall with bamboos held together with bands of withes

 For better class houses unbaked bricks were used for the walls.

Roof:
 Domical roof of leaves or thatched with grass.

 Many covered with planks of woods or tiles

 One device to maintain the barrel shape of the roof was to stretch a
thong till end of the arch.
Railing
 Bamboo railing the upright posts(thaba)

 Supported 3 horizontal bars(suchi) threaded through holes with the

upright.
Entrance
 Projecting a section of bamboo at right angles and placing a
gateway in advance of it resembling a portcullis(gamadvara).
 Through the gamadvara the cattles passed to and from their
pasturage.
 It is still survived in the Gopuram or entrance pylon of the temple
enclosures of south india.
 The design of bamboo gateways influenced the characteristics of
budhist archway known as torana, torii of Japan, Pai-Lou of China.
Sanchi Torana derivations from Vedic
Budhist Toranas all over the world
Railing of Sanchi derived from Vedic
period
Art

 Colour applied on mud walls

 White washed and pattern of archaic design in red
pigments(haematite)painted on white ground.
Vedic cities

 Cities were rectangular in plan

 Devided into 4 quarters by 2 main thorough fares
intersecting at right angles.
 One citadel or royal apartment
 Second residence of upper class
 Third for middle class
 4th open for traders
 Royal apartment built around inner courtyard, large
central window for darshan, both had a wing for ladies
and pleasure gardens
 Eg-citi wall of Rajagriha, magadha
Epic age
 During Aryan invasion, preparation of vedas, known
as Rig,Sama,Yajur and Athrva took place.
 Brahmin priests also composed upanishads,a
collection of writings that explained Aryan religion
 Ordinary people did not understand upanishads
 As a result simple stories made the aryan religion
more clear were created and combined into 2 epics
 These epics are called Mahabhrata and Ramayana
 The mahabharat is a great work of literature
written in sanskirit, the ancient Aryan language
 The Mahbharata means “great war”tells about a
civil war in india.
 The last 18 chapters of this epic is known as Bhgvat
Gita