2. 7000-5000 B.C.
Beginning of
agriculture
1800-1500 B.C.
Migration of
Aryans in India
326 B.C.
Alexander
conquers India
320 A.D.
Gupta empire emerges
200 – 500 A.D.
Kamasutra writen by
Vatsyayana
528 A.D.
Gupta empire falls due to
continous attacks by Huns
550 A.D.
Chalukyas and Pallavas
emerge
3000-2600 B.C.
Harappa and
Mohenjodaro
1000B.C.
Composition of
Vedas
3263 B.C.
Mauryan empire
emerges
100 B.C. – 320 A.D.
Maurya empire
disintegrates and
small kingdoms
emerge
TIMELINE OF ANCIENT INDIA
SOURCE :http://www.ancient.eu/timeline/india/
4. INTRODUCTION
This is research paper is on the the Gupta period from 2
century A.D. To 5 century A.D. which is called the
Golden era of India.
It was a period of affluence and prosperity. It was a time
of exceptional intellectual activities in many fields : art,
architecture, literature, trade.
It was an important era because it was in this era that all
64 arts were developed and given importance including
activities like : singing, dancing, gambling, stealing, art of
lovemaking, gardening etc.
Courtesan held a prominent position in society in this
era.
SOURCE : KAMASUTRA BY VATSYAYANA BY MULK RAJ ANAND
5. Far more complex than a mere listing of contortionist sexual
positions, the Kama Sutra provides a comprehensive manual of
living for the good life. Although the central character of the
Kama Sutra is the citizenly man-about-town
The Kama Sutra is the world's oldest book on the pleasures of
sensual living. There is no one single author for the text. It was
originally by the Indian sage Vatsyayana.
Its first transmisson is attributed to Nandi the sacred bull, Shiva's
doorkeeper, who was moved to sacred utterance by overhearing
the lovemaking of the god and his wife Parvati and later recorded
his utterances for the benefit of mankind.
INTRODUCTION
6. CITY
PLANNING
There is limited
information about city
planning and social life
of people of this era.
Most of the inferences
are speculative based on
the limited information
and their traditions
which are the important
factors of planning and
architecture.
7. CITYPLANNING
•The cities were square in shape with hierarchy in
spaces both in plan and heights.
•In this era people focused on dharma, artha and
kama. Dharma was placed higher than both karma
and artha . dharma represents temples and the king
represented artha thus, temples were given the
highest position usually on top of a mountain.
•The temple of kama, the god of pleasure was
usually placed in the centre of a pleasure garden.
•The king’s palace was raised and positioned such
that the people can look upto him also making the
king’s entry in common mans house difficult
according to the customs of that era.
SECTION
PLEASURE GARDEN VAISHYA’S HOUSES BRAHMIN’S HOUSES ROYAL PALACE TEMPLE
DHARMA
8. HOUSING
•Caste system was prevalent and inter caste communication was rare . There were different areas of
residence of all the four castes : shatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas and shudras.
•Shatriyas were royalty and lived in the royal palace
•Brahmins were scholars . Upper caste brahmins lived near the river.
•Vaishyas were the traders . They lived near the ports and main trade routes. Their houses were usually
mixed used houses with shops on ground floor and residence behind it or on first floor.
•Shudras were the labour class: farmers, hunters, milkman etc. they lived in the suburbs.
TYPICAL BRAHMIN HOUSE SECTION WITH COURTYARD PLANNING
9. HOUSES
• Building materials were bamboo, reeds,
wood, clay mixed with cow dung and lime
for plastering.
•Poor people lived in simple huts with
thatched roofs
• the rich lived in courtyard style houses
with gardens around them.
TYPICAL HOUSE PLAN
STREET VIEW OF POOR PEOPLE’S HOUSES
10. Streets and cross-
roads
•There was a central rajpath the road leading to
the royal palace
•Most of the festivals were celebrated on
these roads
•Some roads were wide enough for
carriages
•Cross- roads were not at right angles at
each other
•Chaurahas were major public gathering
spaces and spots for public announcement
•Most chaurahas had a panwala, which were
very popular in that era.
11. MARKET AND TRADERS
•Market streets were narrow so that people walking on the streets can admire the goods on display on both
the sides of the street.
•Most of the traders were vaishyas but there are few instances of brahmins turning traders.
•Traders were rich and often travelled to foreign lands for long periods for trade.
TYPICAL MARKET STREET SECTION
12. Different temples were
constructed for various
gods and goddesses ,
yet there architecture
had some harmony.
Different gods had there
temples in different
places according to their
role : kamdev temple in
garden, devi temple on
hill, chandela temple
near cremation ground.
Characterstic features of
temples :
•High platform
•Steps on all four sides
•Flat roofs
•Plain walls without any
ornamentation
•Decorative entrance
TEMPLES
Source :ancient indian architecture by sanjeev
maheshwari and rajeev garg
TYPICAL TEMPLE PLAN TYPICAL TEMPLE ELEVATION
13. BROTHELS
•Courtesans were well –respected in that era.
•They were taught the 64 different arts and were well versed in the art of seduction.
•They mostly had their mothers or some old nursemaid as their guardian who made dealings in their respect and
taught them the art of seduction.
•These courtesans houses mostly had chambers with separate rooms for their mother’s dealing, dance room, make-
up room etc. and often had their own gardens .
•They partially hid themselves behind doors and windows to entice traders without being too revealing
14. PROSTITUTION
In Indian mythology there are many references
of high-class prostitution in the form of
celestial demigods acting as prostitutes. They
are referred to as Menaka, Rambha, Urvashi,
and Thilothamma. They are described as
perfect embodiments and unsurpassed beauty
and feminine charms.
There position changed in society in 11 -12
century.
15. PLEASURE GARDEN
•Public pleasure gardens were located in suburbs .
•They had proper gates .
•They were major social gathering and picnic places.
•They were the most popular spots for secret
meetings between lovers.
•Every pleasure garden had a pond, lake or well.
•In the Gupta period, the importance of wells and
parks was equal to temples as according to
custom people spent part of their income for
their construction for “dharma “.
•Their roads were stone paved and led to the
inner city.
16. ROYAL PALACE
• There were separate male and female areas.
•Females were not allowed to leave the harem alone
•All the wives ,concubines and keeps lived in harem. king visited them in their personal chambers turn wise.
•Harems were guarded by dharmic man who had no interest in “Kama”.
•Harems had outer courtyards with coral platform and windows, keep’s rooms and innermost courtyard had
queens and concubine’s private rooms.
•Important features of harem were : bower house, colour house , hidden under-ground tunnels .
TYPICAL HAREM’S SECTION
17. FESTIVALS
For rich festivities occur regularly in the form of
festival of arts ,drinkinging parties, gathering for
social discourses and garden parties.
These events occurred in town halls or their
private residencies.
According to vatsyayana one should also join
festivals no caste and riches discrimination
.These were :
•Festival of dipavali
•Festival of full moon
•Festival of spring
•Festival of mangoes
•Festival of baked corn
•Festival of lotus- stalks
•Festival of foliage
•Festival of water sports
•Festival of silk cotton tree
•Festival of kadamba
Festival of spring was one of their major
festival. They worshipped godess saraswati.
The entire town was decorated with
celebrations happening on rajpath to the
pleasure garden.
