Indian art and architecture

Indian art and architecture, classical tradition dates from the fall of the Indus Valley civilization (1500 B.C.) and the establishment of the Indo-Aryan culture based on Hinduism. The naturalistic Aryan pantheon assimilated local deities and concepts to produce a complex system, celebrated in the sacred Hindu texts, the Vedas. Statues, paintings, and ornate temples symbolize and embody the gods and their attributes or powers. With the spread of Buddhism under Asoka (d.232 B.C.), the stupa, a round brick- or stone-faced earth mound, containing a relic or tomb and surrounded by a square stone railing, was the favored religious architectural form. Painting and sculpture, notably in the Ajanta caves and the art of Gandhara, portray episodes in the physical and spiritual life of the Buddha. The golden age of Indian culture came during the Gupta dynasty (A.D. 320–500). Resurgent Hinduism soon adapted the Buddhist styles in the classic porch, pillared hall, and cella of the Hindu temple, often surmounted by massive conical spires. In the 13th century southern India perfected the Dravidian pyramidal temple and produced superb bronze sculptures, such as the famous dancing Siva. Indian Muslim art reached its peak under the Moguls.