22-09-2012, 01:10 PM
Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments
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In this chapter we shall go on a long journey across a
thousand years to read about philosophers and their
attempts to understand the world they inhabited. We will
also see how their ideas were compiled as oral and written
texts as well as expressed in architecture and sculpture.
These are indicative of the enduring influence these
thinkers had on people. While we will be focusing on
Buddhism, it is important to remember that this tradition
did not develop in isolation – there were several other
traditions, each engaged in debates and dialogues with
the others.
The sources that historians use to reconstruct this
exciting world of ideas and beliefs include Buddhist, Jaina
and Brahmanical texts, as well as a large and impressive
body of material remains including monuments and
inscriptions. Among the best preserved monuments of
the time is the stupa at Sanchi which is a major focus in
this chapter.
Sanchi in the nineteenth century
The most wonderful ancient buildings in the state of Bhopal
are at Sanchi Kanakhera, a small village under the brow
of a hill some 20 miles north-east of Bhopal which we
visited yesterday. We inspected the stone sculptures and
statues of the Buddha and an ancient gateway … The ruins
appear to be the object of great interest to European
gentlemen. Major Alexander Cunningham … stayed several
weeks in this neighbourhood and examined these ruins
most carefully. He took drawings of the place, deciphered
the inscription, and bored shafts down these domes. The
results of his investigations were described by him in an
English work …
The Background:
Sacrifices and Debates
The mid-first millennium BCE is often regarded as a
turning point in world history: it saw the emergence
of thinkers such as Zarathustra in Iran, Kong Zi in
China, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in Greece, and
Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, among many
others, in India. They tried to understand the
mysteries of existence and the relationship between
human beings and the cosmic order. This was also
the time when new kingdoms and cities were
developing and social and economic life was changing
in a variety of ways in the Ganga valley (Chapters 2
and 3). These thinkers attempted to understand
these developments as well.
The sacrificial tradition
There were several pre-existing traditions of thought,
religious belief and practice, including the early Vedic
tradition, known from the Rigveda, compiled between
c.1500 and 1000 BCE. The Rigveda consists of hymns
in praise of a variety of deities, especially Agni, Indra
and Soma. Many of these hymns were chanted when
sacrifices were performed, where people prayed for
cattle, sons, good health, long life, etc.
At first, sacrifices were performed collectively.
Later (c. 1000 BCE-500 BCE onwards) some were
performed by the heads of households for the wellbeing
of the domestic unit. More elaborate sacrifices,
such as the rajasuya and ashvamedha, were
performed by chiefs and kings who depended on
Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual.