History and appreciation of Indian sculpture
This domain tests whether you can place a sculpture on the Indian timeline and justify the attribution from observable form, material and technique rather than reciting dates. Expect identification questions, comparison questions ('contrast Mathura and Gandhara Buddhas') and short appreciation notes.
Landmarks you must be able to describe
- Indus Valley (c. 2500–1750 BCE): terracotta mother-goddess figurines; the lost-wax bronze Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-daro, with tubular limbs and drilled eyes; the steatite 'Priest-King' bust with trefoil shawl.
- Mauryan (c. 322–185 BCE): Chunar sandstone with mirror polish; Didarganj Yakshi holding a flywhisk; Ashokan pillars with inverted-lotus bell capitals; the Sarnath Lion Capital with wheel-and-animal abacus.
- Sunga: Bharhut railing medallions in very low, flat relief; yakshas and yakshis; donor inscriptions.
- Kushana: Mathura's red-spotted sandstone, fleshy forms, shaved head plus ushnisha; Gandhara's grey schist, wavy hair, classical drapery; Amaravati's limestone narratives.
- Gupta: Sarnath cream sandstone Buddha in dharma-chakra mudra, diaphanous drapery, inward calm; Sultanganj bronze Buddha.
- Medieval and folk: Khajuraho and Konark temple sculpture; Chola lost-wax bronzes such as Nataraja; Hoysala soapstone; Bankura terracotta horses and Bastar brass.
Worked example
A seated Buddha in mottled red sandstone, shaved head, ushnisha, halo with a geometric border and a stiff, frontal posture. Attribute it to Mathura, Kushana period: the stone is the diagnostic marker, supported by the fleshy modelling of the torso and the plain monastic robe shown by incised lines rather than deep folds.
Traps
Calling every polished stone image Mauryan; confusing Gandhara schist with Mathura sandstone; describing Chola bronzes as 'carved'; forgetting that Gupta refinement lies in drapery and mood, not in new iconography.