Art during the Harshavardhana Period - 606 to 647 AD

 Harsha, ruled from 606-647 AD, over an empire in northern India. 
Harsha was perhaps one of the greatest conquerors of Indian history, and unlike all of his conquering predecessors, he was a brilliant administrator. 
He was also a great patron of culture. His capital city, Kanauj, extended for four or five miles along the Ganges River and was filled with magnificent buildings. Only one fourth of the taxes he collected went to administration of the government. The remainder went to charity, rewards, and especially to culture: art, literature, music, and religion.
The most significant achievements of this period, however, were in religion, education, mathematics, art, and Sanskrit literature and drama. 
The religion that later developed into modern Hinduism witnessed a crystallization of its components: major sectarian deities, image worship, bhakti (devotion), and the importance of the temple. Education included grammar, composition, logic, metaphysics, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. These subjects became highly specialized and reached an advanced level.
Harshavardhana.

Nalanda University -6th centuary AD

Nalanda University

Nalanda was one of the world's first residential and most famous universities, i.e., it had dormitories for students.  In its heyday, it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. 
Chinese pilgrims estimated the students between 3,000 and 5,000.
The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks.
The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.
The library at Nalanda University was an immense complex. 
 The exact number of volumes of the Nalanda University Library is not known but it is estimated to have been in the hundreds of thousands. The library not only collected religious manuscripts but also had texts on such subjects as grammar, logic, literature, astrology, astronomy, and medicine
The library was destroyed in 1197–1203 during the Muslim invasion in which Bakhtiyar Khalji sacked it and set it to flames. The library burnt for several days with black clouds hovering over.

Temple Art during the Gupta Period 300 AD to 600 AD

Vishnu Temple (often termed Dashavatara Temple) is located at Deogarh in Central India built in c. 500 AD.

 The temple is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples to still survive today.

 Built in the Gupta Period (320 to c. 600 AD), Vishnu Temple shows the ornate and beauty seen in Gupta style architecture.This temple is also a good resource for examining Gupta style sculptures and art.

Vishnu Entry frame of the Dasavatara temple.

The Dashavatara Temple or Vishnu Temple also called Gupta temple at Deogarh.

Art during the Gupta Period 320= 520 AD

India's Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire in ancient India , ruled much of the Indian subcontinent in the period c. 320-550 AD.

The main rulers of the Gupta era were Chandragupta I (ca. 319-335), Samudragupta (ca. 335-376) and Chandragupta II (ca. 376-415).

 Under their rule, India experienced a period of relative peace and law and order which allowed scholarship, science and culture to flourish. As such, the period of the Gupta Empire is often described as India's Golden Age.

Great achievements in science, engineering, astronomy and mathematics, in logic and rhetoric, in arts, lierature, religion and philosophy were seen. Both Hinduism and Buddhism were practised. The earliest Hindu Puranas are believed to date from the Gupta period.

The Gupta period has left us many beautiful examples of architecture, scupture and painting. The paintings of the Ajanta Caves come from that period and are now registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Image: Wall Painting of Padmapani in the Ajanta Caves, India. (Public domain image.)

Art of facial expression in dancing - Traditional Indian

Origin of the Art of Dance and Drama in India 'Natyashastra,

The origin of theatre in India, told at the very beginning of the Natyashastra, or the Drama Manual, shows the central role of theatre and dance in Indian culture.

Natya, the art of theatre (including dance), was the work of God Brahma, the creator, who was asked to give mankind a fifth Veda, which, unlike the four earlier Vedas, could be understood by everyone, even those who did not know Sanskrit (i.e., the two lowest casts). Thus Brahma created the Natya Veda, with the assistance of other gods.

Natya was then taught by God Brahma to the mythic sage Bharata, who is said to have recorded this teaching in the Natyashastra. The origin of the book is thus shrouded in mythology, but the work itself is indeed living reality. 

The Natyashastra is probably the world’s largest and most comprehensive theatre and dance manual, and it still forms the foundation of the classical forms of theatre and dance in India.

The instructions of the Natyashastra became established through centuries of practical theatre work. The compilation of this treatise dates back most probably to the second century AD, although the tradition formulated in it was older. Most probably it preserves information and practices that for generations had already originally been conveyed orally.

Natyashastra’s 36 chapters give instructions on almost all aspects of theatre and dance: the theatre building, the stage, the theory of poetry, the use of the voice, make-up, costume, acting styles, dance techniques, and even theatre criticism.

Art during the Mauryan Period in India - The times of Ashoka the great

The Mauryan period is an important period in the history of Indian art and architecture, with the foundations for Indian art being laid, which would later reach their height during the golden age of the Guptas. 

The evidence is Art during the great Mauryan king Ashoka.

Some of the finest examples of Ashokan art, are the famous Ashokan pillars that he erected across the country. 

These columns were works of art, architecture and engineering. The pillar was made out of a single stone which was cut, shaped and polished. 

Adorning the pillar was a four lion sculpture which rested on a highly polished and chiselled capital depicting animals and flowers. The engineering skill required to make all this possible was indeed substantial, massive blocks of stone had to be hauled in from quarries that were often hundreds of miles away. In some cases they even had to haul the stone to the tops of hills. 

The artistic skills of the period are also reflected in the work on the pillar. Fine sculptures which realistically depicted movements were made. 

One of the best examples of such work is the Sarnath Pillar, which has four lions back to back at the top of the pillar. 

Mauryan architecture is also reputed to have been fabulous. The capital of Patlipatura ( current day Bihar )had been described by many travelers as one of the most amazing cities of the ancient world. 
Unfortunately since the building material was essentially wood, not much of this has survived. 
Excavations have come up with a few structures like a hundred pillar hall. The Mauryans were adept at cutting caves out of hillsides, and were able to polish the inside walls so highly that they shone as if they were glass. Ashoka also constructed several stupas across the country, with the most famous being the sanchi stupa.