Ancient India - Blog Posts

Photography by Apoorva

The Elegance of Indian Art

These paintings, according to me, justify the beauty and the mystical feeling of nostalgia and euphoria when one hears the word "India"...

Jamuna ~Kshitindranath Tagore art

Sati ~Nandalal Bose

Bengal Fairy Tales ~Abanindranath Tagore

Chashma Shahi ~Abanindranath Tagore

Apsaras Dancing on the clouds ~Kshitindranath Mazumdar

Departure of Siddhartha ~Abanindranath Tagore

Nasim Bagh ~Abanindranath Tagore

Night at the Shalimar-The Emperor Shah Jahan ~(Abanindranath Tagore)

Fate and Pleasure ~Abanindranath Tagore

Ashoka ~Abanindranath Tagore

(Reblogs are appreciated)

✨ANCIENT INDIA AESTHETIC MOODBOARD✨

For @suvarnarekha

Some people who might like this one: @the-stars-love-us @nacho08 @seekerbrave @ambivertedfrog @psycho-mocha @kajukatliontop @wowyoufeelorphic @edeneko @jugn00 @smr-the-tired-crackhead @metalvenomludens7 @cipher-dorito @i-wanna-b-yours @elentiyathemoonelf @bookishmuggleborn @hecalledmebeloved @tonicaballos @curious-fruitcake @shirothestrangewolf @naimittika @justalonelywriter @chaoticaindica @asitarakta @nikkixravenclaw @whimsicalamities @book-dragon-not-worm @adoginthemanger

KAUTILYA v/s AAMATYA RAKSHAS

Kautilya, or Chanakya, was a professor at Takshashila University of ancient India who takes most of the credit for the formation of the Mauryan Empire. He is also rightly called the Kingmaker, since he picked Chandragupt off the road and with his cutting intellect, ruthless patriotism, and sheer acumen for diplomacy, overthrew the Nanda dynasty and established Chandragupt as king. The task wasn’t easy, however. While Kautilya could single-handedly out-smart the most formidable foes, the Nanda court had an extremely loyal minister: Rakshas. Equal to Chanakya in wit and shrewdness, he hatched several plans to kill Chandragupt, whom he saw as a usurper. This obviously resulted in him and Kautilya being at constant loggerheads. His ruthless attempts at Chandragupt’s life included trying to poison him, orchestrating an ‘accident’ where a giant door frame would fall on Chandragupt while he was alight his elephant, and sending a Vishkanya (poison-maiden) to him. Chanakya’s goal, however, wasn’t to eliminate AmatyaRakshas. On the contrary, seeing the staunch loyalty and ruthless brainpower he possessed, Chanakya wanted to convert him into a loyal minister in Chandragupt’s court, a feat in which he ultimately succeeded.

A timely reminder of how multi-cultural the ancient world really was. 

Seated Buddha Bronze, 1st to mid-2nd century, Gandhara (modern Pakistan). Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (X). 

This is one of the earliest depictions of the Buddha in human form. Gandharan artists were familiar with Greek and Roman art from military expeditions, diplomacy, and trade. This Buddha’s unique halo is reminiscent of depictions of the god Helios in Greek and Sol in Roman art. The drape of the tunic echoes Hellenistic and Roman garments, as well as depictions of the Iranian god Mithra, and the Roman god Mithras. 

See also: 

Soper, Alexander C. “Aspects of Light Symbolism in Gandhāran Sculpture.” Artibus Asiae, vol. 12, no. 3, 1949, pp. 252–283. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3248387. Accessed 18 Dec. 2020.