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The Architecture of Punjab
- Harappan civilization
The oldest examples of architecture sculpture, and painting in the Punjab
belong to the Harappan civilization. The Vedic age, which followed the
Harappan age, has not left any artistic relics. The Vedic Aryans lived in
villages. They used perishable materials such as wood and bamboo. Some
scholars believe that the plan of an Aryan village was based on that of a
fortified military camp. its layout was rectangular. Its sides oriented to
four quarters and it was interacted by two roads or streets, which terminated
in four gateways. But no actual remains of a Vedic village have survived.
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The literature refers to great cities of the age of the Buddha. These
cities were well planned, built of bricks and timer. They had beautiful
buildings, royal palaces, broad streets and high gateways. A wall surrounded
the entire city. But no example of such and ancient city has survived to this
day. The reason is that most of the buildings of wood have perished. In
eastern India we have some monuments dating from the
Pre-Mauryan times. These
are at Rajagriha and at Lauriya Nandangarh in Bihar. No buildings of
Pre-Mauryan epoch exist in the Punjab.
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Takshashila:
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| The earliest historical example of art and architecture in the Punjab are
those of the Maurya period. The city of Takshashila was the capital of the
Uttarapatha province of the Maurya Empire. It was famous city has been
excavated in modern times. The ruins of Takshashila consist of three
city-cited: Bihar mound,
Sirkap, and
Dirsukh. These represent three successive
phases in the history of the city. At Bihar mouns we have evidence of
settlement from sixth to the second century BC Sirkap site represents the
second city of
Takshashila. Bactrian Greeks built it in the second century
A.D. unlike Bihar mound and
Sirkap, the site of Sirsukh has not been
excavated. |
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- Jewellery
from
Sirkap,Taxila
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The city of Sirkap was buitlt on the Greek chessboard pattern, with
streets cutting one another at rights angles and regularly aligned blocks of
buildings. Besides bricks, coursed rubble-stone was used in building houses.
The city had a
rempart. But the Parthian and Shaka rules built a defence wall
of stone 3, 1/2 miles long.
The city had several Buddhist shrines and
stupas. there was an upsidal
temple also. More important religious establishments lay outside the
boundaries of the three city-sites. |
- Jewellery
from
Sirkap,Taxila
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The most ancient and the most important sacred building is the
Dharmarajika-stupa. Emperor Ashoka originally built it. A stupa is a Buddhist
shrine. It is covered from all sided and its shape is semi-circular like a cup
turned upside down. Inside a stupta are preserved sacred relics either of a
Buddha or Buddhist saints. The Buddhists adore the
stupa. Emperor Ashoka had
the title Dharmaraha or the
'Righterous King'. The Dharmarajika stupa built by
him was elaborated and renovated by later kings. It is built on a high
platform of stone. It is circular in plan and hemispherical in elevation. From
its central hub radiate sixteen thick walls. On the southern portion of Sirkap
are a stupa and a monastery of
vihara. A vihara is also a sacred Buddhist
building. It contains roomed for monks as well as prayer hall and a
shrine-room. |
Towards the northern gate of Sirkap lie the ruins of a temple at
Jandial.
It was a Zoroastrian temple. It resembles a Greek temple. It has two pillars
at the entrance and two pillars at the front porch, which leads to the
sanctuary. Amount the finds at Takshashila are coins of kings of different
dynasties, seals, jewelry, sculptures and peltry pieces.
City-sites and
Stupas:
Another important city-cite in the Punjab is Charsdda on the Swat river in
Peshawar district. It is the site of
Pushkalavati, the capital of
Gandhara.
Excavations brought to light the existence of Buddha stupas and viharas and
other buildings. Traces of stupa architecture have been found at several other
places in the Punjab and the northwest. Thus the stupas at Manikyala in
Rawalpindi district at
Takht-i-Bahai, Sahri-Bahlol and Jamalgarhi near Hoti
Mardan, and at Shahji-Ki-Dheri near Peshawar may be mentioned.
Kanishka built the great stupa at
Shahji-Ki-Dheri. It is cruciform on plan.
Inside it was found a casket containing sacred relics of Buddha. This stupa
built by Kanishka was seen by Husan Tsang in the 7th century and by
Alberuni in 11th century AD. The stupa at Takht-i-Bahai is famous
for its great statue of standing Buddha. The ruins of monasteries were also
identified at these places as well as at
Sahri-Bahlol. A chatya of Buddhist
shrine was also fount at
Sahri-Bahlol. Numerous Buddhist monasteries and
stupas were built also in Sind and
Baluchistan; A stupa built of Bricks
existed at
Mirpurkhas. It had three vaulted cells, which contained images of
the Buddha. This stupa was ruined during the Arab invasions in 712AD. The
stupa may have been built during the early Kushana times. The remains of a
stupa also exist at a place called Tor-Dherai in Loralai district of
Baluchistaqn. The site of Branmanbad in Sindh had at first Buddhist
monasteries and
stupas. Later on in the Gupta period, Brahmanical temples were
built at this site.
Recently
Sanghol in Ludhiana District has been
excavated. It represents the site of a Buddhist establishment. The very name
may be connected with sangha or the Buddhist community.
Remains
of a
Dharma-chakra-stupa have come to light at
Sanghol.
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