The cultural excellence of the post-Mauryan era.
The cultural excellence of the post-Mauryan era.
Cultural excellence of the post-Mauryan era:-
European historians say that after the fall of the Mauryan Empire, foreign nations like Greeks, Kushanas etc. ruled North India for about two centuries. But this assumption is not true. Rather, it can be said that many of the Greeks and Kushanas adopted Indian customs and were initiated into Indian religion. The same can be said about the Shakas and Pallavas. The cultural excellence of the post-Mauryan era glorified the history of Indian culture.
A great cultural integration due to the arrival of various foreign nations:-
During the post-Mauryan era, various foreign nations entered India and created a wonderful integration in the Indian cultural field. In addition to the Greeks, Shakas, Pallavas, and Kushans, India also had commercial and cultural contacts with Rome and China during this period. Rome's trade and commerce had an impact on the economy of South India. But in North India, Rome and Greece had an influence on art. As a result of this contact, there was an evolution in crafts and Buddhism in North India. The Greeks entered Indian society through Buddhism. The Greeks also adopted Indian languages.
As a result of this long-term contact, detailed descriptions of India are also mentioned in European books. For example, Strabo's 'Geography', Pliny's 'Natural History', Periplus's 'Erythraia', etc. In this era, religion, philosophy, literature, and art - everything shows signs of harmony.
Literary excellence of the post-Mauryan era: -
A wonderful development can be observed in the field of literature in the post-Mauryan era. It was during this period that sages like Nagarjuna, Ashvaghosha, Patanjali, Charaka, Manu, Yajnavalkya, Kalidasa emerged. It was during this period that the greatest Pali text ''Milindapanha'' was written. Many Buddhist writers emerged during this period. One of them was Ashwaghosha. He was a contemporary of Kanishka. The literature by Ashwaghosha - Buddhacharita, Vajrasuchi, Sutralangka - etc. are particularly noteworthy.
Nagarjuna also composed the first Mahayana sutra, ''Shata Sahasrika Prajna Paramita''. The book ''Madhyamika Sutra'' was also written by him. On the other hand, books like ''Malavikagnimitram'' written by Kalidasa, ''Charaka Samhita'' written by Charaka, ''Manu Samhita'' written by Manu, ''Yajnavalkya Smriti'' written by Yajnavalkya - have enriched the Indian knowledge base for eternity.
Excellence in art and craft: -
The excellence that Indian art achieved during the Mauryan era continued in the later era as well and in many cases it achieved greater excellence. After the fall of the Mauryan era, innumerable cave temples and cave dwellings were built in different parts of India within four to five hundred years. Architecture and sculpture developed in the post-Mauryan era centered on Buddhism. The religious architecture of this era is the Buddhist stupa and Buddhist cave temple. There was a railing or fence around the stupa. The oldest of these railing is the railing of the Bharut Stupa. It was probably built in the second century BC.
It was during this period that the Sanchi Stupa was renovated and expanded. The cave temples of western Deccan are the finest examples of the art of this period. The entrances of all these temples and the chambers within them still inspire wonder. The large caves of the post-Mauryan period, such as Bhaja, Chedsha, Kondan, Junnar, Nasik, Ajanta, Ellora, Udayagiri, etc., bear witness to extraordinary artistic skill and taste. Moreover, the entrances of various stupas are also a fine example of advanced artistic practice. For example, the elaborate entrance of the Sanchi Stupa.
Mathura Art:-
Sculpture developed as a part of architecture in the post-Mauryan period. Initially, sculptors were more skilled in carving designs on wood and ivory instead of stone. But from the second century BC, the practice of carving on stone became prevalent. In this context, the examples of the caves of Amaravati and the Deccan are prominent. In Mathura, carving on sandstone gained popularity under the patronage of the Jains. Mathura art flourished under the patronage of the Kushans and some carved statues of Kushan kings have been discovered near Mathura. Compared to the art of Gandhara, the art of Mathura shows originality. The statues of Kushan kings were made according to the Mathura art.
Gandhara Art:-
In the post-Mauryan period, Greek and Roman art entered India. The Greeks ruled the north-western border for about three hundred years. As a result, the artists of this region were inspired by foreign art and introduced a new art. This is known as Gandharan art. The main feature of this art was to create accurate portraits of people. Although the body structure of the Buddha statue is outwardly in imitation of the Greek style, it also has all the signs of a great man according to Indian ideology. Although Gandharan art began during the Shakas, it developed during the Kushanas. Numerous portraits of Buddha were created following the Gandharan art. The influence of Mahayana Buddhism can be seen in Gandharan art. The art of Mathura and Amaravati was indeed influenced by the Gandharan art, but this art could not penetrate the interior of India. But Gandharan art also achieved considerable success in countries like China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, etc.
Religious liberality: Position and harmony of many religions: -
After the Maurya period, foreign rulers like Menander, Kanishka and others adopted Buddhism. During this period, Buddhism underwent a transformation. During this period, Buddha was worshipped as a "god". The widespread practice of meditating Buddha and Bodhisattvas began during this period. During the Mauryan period, "Hinayana" was popular; but during this period, "Mahayana" became popular and strong. It is known from the precepts of Nagarjunakonda that the preachers of Buddhism during this period popularized Buddhism in various countries of East and West Asia including Kashmir, China, Tosali, Gandhara, Bengal, and Sinhala.
Jainism also spread considerably in the post-Mauryan period. Disagreements also arose regarding the religious teachings of Mahavira. The Jains were divided into two groups - Shwetambar and Digambara. During this period, the followers of Jainism gradually migrated from Magadha to Mathura, Ujjain and Saurashtra. Another group of them migrated to Kalinga and received the patronage of the Kalinga king Kharbela. The main centers of Jains in South India were Mysore and the Tamil region.
Brahmanism remained unchanged in the post-Mauryan period. From this time onwards, the features that began in Brahmanism later came to be known as Hinduism. The importance of Yajna - sacrifices and ceremonies gradually decreased in all religions. The ideal of establishing a personal relationship between God and devotee gradually became popular. The ideal of monotheism became popular among Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Later, the spread of Bhakti in Hinduism was an important development.
The most notable feature of the post-Mauryan era in terms of religion was the liberality regarding religion and harmony between different religions. No evidence of religious conflict was found in this era.
Excellence in the field of education:-
India was not backward in the field of education during this era either. The city of Taxila, located not far from Rawalpindi, was a major center of education and culture. Apart from different parts of India, many students from countries like China, Greece, Iran, Egypt used to come to Taxila to get education. Various subjects like Vedas, grammar, philosophy, medicine, literature and art were taught in Taxila University. The names of Panini, Katyayana, Patanjali, Jivaka, Chanakya, etc. are particularly noteworthy as one of the students and teachers of this university. Besides, Kanishka's capital, Purushpur or Peshawar, was one of the centers of Buddhist religious education.
Due to contact with different parts of the world, astrology and medicine made considerable progress in this era. In the field of medical science, the names of Charaka and Sushruta are particularly noteworthy. Herbal science also made incredible progress in this era. Special activity was also seen in the writing of religious scriptures in this era. Overall, the post-Mauryan era brought various revolutionary transformations in the field of Indian education and culture, which later served as a factor in the formation of Indian society.
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