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MAITRAKA-GURJARA PERIOD
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(Watters, I, p. 147; Beal, p. 74) can be remembered here for providing an idea of the architecture of the Vihāras at the Valabhi Vidyāpītha: "They have a tower at each of the four corners of the quadrangle and three high walls in a tier. The rafters and roofbeam were carved with strange figures, and the doors, windows and walls were painted in various colours. The houses of the ladies were sumptuous inside and economical outside. The inner rooms and the central hall varied in their dimensions. The doors opened to the east and the thrones faced east.”
Art School of " Ancient West": Tārānātha, the Tibetan historian referred to the "School of Ancient West" in his History of Indian Buddhism', written in 1608 A.D. (from Heeley's translation of Schiefner's German translation ) as follows: "In the time of the King Sila lived an especially skilful delineator of Gods born in Marwar, named Sủngadhara; he left behind him paintings and other masterpieces like those produced by the Yakşas. Those who followed his lead were called the "Old Western School". Sțngadhara, born in Marudeśa, lived either in the court of Bhinnamāla or of Valabhi or worked for both of them. Tārānātha is explicit in his description of “The School of the Ancient West", when he states that the school came after the school of Bimbisāra in the reign of Budhagupta, and this is confirmed by the fact that he expressly states that Sțngadhara of Marwar, the founder of this school, lived in the reign of king Sila, i, e., Harşa of Kanauj (606-647 A.D.) or may be the Maitraka king Silāditya I (c. 590-615).
Ajanţa of the Vākāțaka period and Bāgh, be it remembered, were already a fact accompli before the birth of Tārānātha's School of the Ancient West'. That this school founded by Sțragadhara was greatly influenced by the late Gupta art and its tradition, is abundantly clear. Even the beautiful Jivantasvämi torso from Akoţă with marked Gupta influences is no earlier than the early 6th century A.D. The Pindavārā (Vasantgadh) bronzes, cast by Sivanāga in 687 A.D., probably represented the last works of "The School of Ancient West ", and that perhaps, the masterpieces of this school were represented by works such as the Sāmalāji Sculptures from Idar State.-(Karl Khandalavala,
Commentary on Tärānātha's Chapter on Buddhist Art', Märg, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 62-63 ; Lalit Kală, Nos. 3-4, p. 128).
The Akoţă bronzes ( the broken Jivantasvāmi torso and the Rşabhanātha) can be assigned to the earliest period of this school, at the latest, i. e. of the late 6th and early 7th century A.D. The Sāmalāji sculptures from Idar (probably early 7th Century A.D.) may well be representative of the best products of Tārānātha's School of Ancient West'. Those who date the Sāmalāji sculptures earlier are overlooking the entire historical background of cultural development in Idar State, it is alleged.
Jaina painting of the 9th Century in the Indra-Sabhã and Cave 32 at Ellurā are much more than .Traces', and are of the highest interest in the history of Indian Wallpaintings', and also in any discussion on the origin of 'Manuscript-Illustrations' both on palm-leaf and paper, especially preserved at the various Jaina Bhandārs in Western India. C26
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