Maurya and Shunga Art c11.10.1

c11.10.1

Curiously enough Śuṅga art that immediately follows the art of the Mauryas is clearly a negation of the Maurya attitude. The reliefs of Barhut provide more than anything else an illuminating commentary on contemporary Indian life and attitude towards life as conceived and planned in early Buddhism. From this scheme ‘samājas’ or festive gatherings were not excluded; indeed, there are scenes in which dancing, singing and instrumental music are presented in all their ‘ravishing joviality’ in which all the elemental forces, all kinds of life and all classes of beings participate and lend their forms to them. The lower bas-relief of the outer face of the Prasenajit pillar, for example, has a scene with the inscription “Sādika-sammadam turam devānam - the jovial ravishing music of the gods, gay with dramatic acting,” and illustrating the dances of four heavenly dancers Alambushā, Miśrakeśī, Padmāvatī and Subhadrā. All of them, according to Puranic classification, belong to ‘laukikī’ or anthropomorphic class and to ‘mauneya’ i.e. representing a class of temptress of the saintly ascetics. Indeed, the Alambushā Jātaka gives an alluring description of the beauty, charm and position of the achharā or apsarā Alambushā; she is said to have been selected from among two and half crores of heavenly courtesans as one capable of testing the virtue of the great ascetic vow.⁸² But this is only one of many such scenes of festive gatherings including that of the Chuḍamaha festival.