A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c9.s1.10

c9.s1.10

I now proceed to a summary description of the principal works of art surviving in India and Ceylon from the times of Asoka and his successors down to about a. d. 100. The buildings having been already noticed, and the art of painting being reserved for another chapter, this chapter will be confined to sculpture. Most of the extant works were executed in honour of Buddhism, which became the State religion in the empire of Asoka and was introduced during his reign into independent Ceylon. Although we know that both Jainism and Brahmanical Hinduism continued to attract multitudes of adherents during the Maurya period, hardly any material remains of works then dedicated to the service of those religions have survived.