Begram Web

Many of the Begram scenes are set in a garden within some kind of architectural enclosure. The women in the scenes are often depicted standing within the gateways or torana which, presumably, gave access to this enclosed space. The architecture of the toranas is similar to that of ancient monumental edifices and to other motifs in the sculptural art of ancient India. These parallels, as well as analogies to the art of Central Asia, will be discussed in section 4.2.

The main architectural motif depicted on the Begram carvings is the torana, an ornamental gateway (Fig.98). It occurs mostly in two types, both of which are shown in a series of beautiful plaques carved in relief and belonging to the same ensemble which depicts pairs of women standing under such a gateway. In one example of the first type, the architectural elements consist of two decorated uprights and three slightly curved horizontal architraves on and between which are carved decorative motifs (Plate 79). The horizontal architraves terminate on each side in a circular element, while the lower architrave is connected to the uprights by a bracket in the shape of a winged animal. The latter is very similar in style to the Sardula brackets found at Begram and described in section 3.1.2. Under the torana, the women stand under a type of pergola from the arch of which some curtains are suspended, perhaps indicating a scene within a scene. The torana is in the foreground and the pergola is seen through the torana, further in the back. To the side of the uprights one can detect elements of a balustrade. As will be discussed in section 4.2, this type of torana is analogous to the gateway of the Stupa Sañci I.

The second most prominent type of gateway depicted on Begram plaques consists of two pillars topped by an Indian arch (Plate 80). In one example of this type, the two pillars are adorned with animal capitals and are joined by a semi-circular architrave depicting a row of elephants. From this architrave, as in the previous example, curtains are suspended. On the lower part of one of the pillars is carved a female figurine. Just above the heads of the two figurines standing under the gateway is a horizontal balustrade.

Another example of the Indian arched gateway is a less elaborate version from Room 10 (Plate 142). Two simply carved uprights are topped by an Indian arch and connected in the upper part, below the arch, by a semi-circular architrave. The gateway is flanked by a balustrade or fence on either side. The lower part of a woman’s body, clad in a striped dhoti, can be seen on the right side. The woman’s right knee is slightly bent and with her right heel she touches either the balustrade or the lower part of a floral design[1]. If the heel is touching a tree or plant, this touch may represent the gift of fertility, as discussed in section 3.1.3. Another interesting feature in this plaque is the presence of a door. The door is left slightly ajar, an invitation perhaps to discover the semi-hidden secrets behind it.

The two types of torana are again depicted alternating in a series of plaques from Room 13, similar in technique and style to the one described immediately above from Room 10 (Plates 133-141). The toranas are of simple form with two uprights either topped by an Indian arch and joined by a semi-circular architrave or joined by two slightly curved architraves with curled endings. Most of these gateways are depicted with a slightly ajar door. In one example, however, the door is not shown and in its stead a woman is depicted on a swing suspended from the upper curved architrave. Next to the toranas, part of balustrades or fences is depicted.

Aside from the torana, other architectural edifices in the Begram carvings include a type of garden pavilion. The small building occurs in one plaque of the same series described above (Plate 128). The building consists of two (visible) pillars with carved capitals on top of which rests a flat roof made up of two horizontal bars between which are smaller vertical pieces. Under the structure a woman is depicted reclining on a type of platform or bed. The structure is quite different in architectural design from any of the toranas depicted on the plaques, and therefore should not be mistaken for and categorized as a gateway.

Two other plaques are of interest for their representation of architectural design with a sense of perspective. One plaque depicts the front and side of a building (Plate 149). The plaque is heavily damaged, but on the left one can make out part of a wall topped by an arch and in which a window is carved. On the two sides of the remainder of the building two arched windows are shown, the one on the right either heavily damaged or awkwardly executed in poor perspective. Most of the building seems to have been constructed of lattice work walls rather than solid ones. The top of the building appears to have been surrounded by a balustrade, perhaps indicating the presence of an upper terrace. On the right side of the building two women, one small and one taller, are depicted. Again the perspective is awkward, with the women being far too big in relation to the building. The plaque is bordered below by a horizontal band with a wave-like motif, which could suggest that the building was fronted by or situated near a lake or river.

A second plaque depicting perspective shows four women next, but again in incorrect proportion, to a building with an arched side and a window (Plate 150). The plaque is too heavily damaged to identify all the architectural elements but the building is very similar to the plaque described immediately above and probably formed part of the same ensemble.

Most of the remaining types of architectural design are of doors in which women are depicted. Some are elaborate, with two pillars and capitals topped by a horizontal element and joined by a semi-circular arch (Plates 26- 36). These are presented in a beautiful series of carvings which decorated both faces of the same ensemble. The women standing in these doorway are sometimes depicted alone and other times in pairs. Other types of doorways are less elaborate and consist mainly of a square frame in which pairs of women are shown, sometimes dancing, sometimes leaning against the doorpost, in both cases with an air of seduction ( Plates 6-11).

Among all the types of buildings depicted on the Begram carvings, one stands out and is shown on a flat relief plaque depicting a group of men and women greeting a man (Plate 172). The meeting takes place in front of the man’s hut, which is made of some kind of wood or straw and is tall and arched. The deer in front of the hut seems to indicate that the scene is set in a forest. In ancient Indian art, this type of hut is usually presented as a residence of hermits or sages. The scene is also of note because it has been identified as portraying a Jataka story (Foucher 1939) which, if correct, would make it one of only two Begram carvings which offer a religious theme. (The content of this scene, and the Begram imagery in general, will be further discussed in section 3.4.)

The balustrades, mentioned in connection with some of the edifices described above, are shown in a number of forms. The most common form is made up of vertically and horizontally placed bars creating a criss-cross pattern. This type was very common in ancient India monuments. These balustrades usually find their place flanking the bottom of a gateway and presumably are meant to ‘protect’ some type of enclosure to which the gateway gives entry (Plate 126). In a few cases, this criss-cross shaped balustrade is depicted above the heads of women standing underneath a torana and seems to suggest more of a lattice work decoration than an actual fence or balustrade (Plate 69).

In one Begram carving, a balustrade is depicted with circular medallions on both the horizontal and vertical bars of the criss-cross pattern (Plates 445- 446). Although the Begram medallions only carry floral design, the circular element is very reminiscent of the elaborately carved circular medallions depicted on the railing pillars at Bharut.

Other types of architectural designs include elaborately carved lattice work windows or panels framed within a doorway or gateway (Plate 75). Two very beautiful examples of this type of element are shown in Plates 351, 352, 353, 354 and 355. Plate 352 shows a rectangular plaque the border of which is made up of a thin openwork band depicting a wavy branch and flowers. The interior of the plaque carries an intricate design of stylized floral motifs. Plate 351 also presents a rectangular plaque the border of which is made up of a series of stylized four-petalled flowers in square frames. The interior shows a design of honeysuckles.

Within this framework of enclosed ‘residences’, the most prominent item depicted is furniture (Fig.99). Many women are shown seated or reclining on stools, cushions, and beds. The most common type of furniture is a circular stool with a cushion on top. Several plaques discovered in Room 10 at Begram depict this type of seat, which consists of a stool made up of two types of decorative bands. The decoration shared by all examples, either in the lower or in the upper band, is a design of crosses (Plate 47). The other design sometimes consists of arches, in one example framed between vertical bars (Plate 48). The cushions on top of the circular stools are mostly plain, save for one example in which the cushion carries a punctured dotted design[2] (Plate 48). The particular execution of the stools seems to suggest that they were openworked, which may indicate that they were rataan. In another plaque from Room 10, another of these circular stools is depicted; as with the previously described plaques, a cushion placed on top and the design, although differently patterned with diagonally positioned bars, also suggest rataan (Plate 57). A stone relief from Mathura shows similarly designed circular stools on top of which cushions were placed (Sharma 1994: Plate XIX).

Other types of stools include more elaborate versions with legs (Plate 57). In the same plaque described immediately above, another woman is depicted seated on a square stool the top of which is decorated by a dotted motif similar to the dotted design depicted on a cushion on one of the circular stools.

On one plaque, a man is depicted seated in a typical virasana pose[3] on a large seat (Plate 138). The back of the seat is solid and seems to have carried a design of four-petalled flowers on one side. The center of the lower part of the chair is also solid and carved in a diagonally striped and notched design. The chair is supported by round, vase-like legs on the belly of which is a design of petals. The legs end in a small and thin two-stepped platform. A similarly shaped, slightly larger bench is presented on another plaque from the same series (Plate 136). Two women are depicted seated on the chair the lower part of which consists of a solid center and vase-shaped legs which rest on a small platform. In this example, a rectangular footstool is added in front. This type of seat also appears in larger versions supported by three vase-shaped legs in front (Plate 134); the back is no longer visible. These may have been types of beds or backless benches.

In another series of plaques, pairs of women are depicted within square frames, one or both sitting on a bed (Plates 12- 20). The top of the bed is made up of a criss-cross design and from the front edge fringes hang, indicating that the bed was covered by a spread. The use of a decorative spread also can be seen in another plaque depicting a woman seated on an elaborately carved chair (Plate 73).

Most of the furniture described above is decorated with a criss-cross or diagonally shaped pattern. Although in some cases this seems to have been the decorative pattern of a spread, in most cases, as in the examples of the small circular stools with openwork, it seems that the patterns were meant to suggest that this furniture was made of wicker or bamboo, with only the solid legs for support.

The most important items carried by many of the figures depicted on the Begram carvings can be divided into three main categories: household items; musical instruments; and weapons (Fig.100).

The household items include different types of cups, bowls and vases (Fig.100f-q). The top of an elaborately carved footstool (or table) depicts four women, two of whom are holding up round deep bowls in one of which fruit is shown (Plate 57). In the right scene, a woman is depicted on her knees holding up a bowl to a woman seated on an elaborate stool. The latter figurine holds up and is looking into a mirror in her left hand while adjusting or touching an earring with her right hand.

Musicians are depicted in a small plaque in which dancers are also shown . The musical instruments include a large oval drum and a horn (Plate 166). In other plaques women are depicted dancing and holding different types of tambourines above their heads (Plate 139).

The third main category of paraphernalia are arms. In various hunting scenes men are depicted bearing bows and arrows, lances and spears with which they are attacking wild animals (Plates 180- 195). But not only the men are armed; in various scenes involving women, several of them are depicted as guardians who carry lances and spears (Plate 154). Other types of arms include swords and daggers (Fig. 100).

In addition to these main three categories, several plaques depict a mahout or elephant keeper holding an ankusa in his hands (Plates 178-179). The ankusa is a hooked instrument which the elephant-keeper uses to control the animal.

As mentioned above, the general modes of transportation for humans seem to have been on animal mounts, either actual, such as the horse and elephant, or mythological, such as the Sardula and winged lion. However, in one heavily damaged Begram plaque, two carts are shown, one small and one larger one which may have been used as a carriage (Plate 176). In the far left of this plaque, a small elephant is depicted pulling a cart supported by a large spoked wheel. Since the center of the plaque is destroyed, it is not clear whether another animal was depicted pulling the second, larger cart, or if a different wagon was pulled by the elephant in front in a caravan of carts.

Another, extraordinary type of ‘vehicle’ is represented on three incised pairs of plaques from Begram (Plates 191, 193, and 195). The plaques depict two male figures seated or standing on the side of a platform. One pair depicts the two figures carrying bow and arrow with the man in front shown just having released the arrow from his bow (Plate 193). The arrow is imbedded in the back of a small winged feline in the accompanying plaque (Plate 194). In the second pair of plaques, two men are holding a long rope which continues onto the accompanying plaque where it is tied around the neck of a bovine (Plates 195-196). Two other plaques in the same series depict, respectively, two hunters and two elephants, one of which has an arrow in its chest (Plates 191-192).

It is not discernable how the platform on which the men are seated is powered. In the plaque where the men are holding a rope tied around the neck of the bovine, it is conceivable that the cow was pulling the platform. However, this is not the case in the other plaques of this series.

These scenes are evidently not earthly but from the sphere of the semi-divine beings, as suggested by the lack of an animal pulling the platforms, the presence of the winged creatures on these plaques, and by comparison to the depiction, in another plaque of the same style, technique and size (Plate 341), of kinnaras (see section 3.1.2), the heavenly singers and musicians. The wavy, floating decor in which the scenes are set is very suggestive of clouds, and for all these reasons the men could very well be considered “heavenly hunters”.

Finally, there is a category which may be characterized as inanimate decorative motifs. These include a wave-like design used in several plaques as the border of a main scene (Plate 149). Although probably used purely as decoration like many of the floral designs, the waves may instead indicate the presence of water around the compound in which the scenes take place.

Another motif which may be either decorative or representative of an auspicious sign is the wheel or cakra . In some cases it is shown in a repeating series, separating scenes which depict winged creatures (Plates 319, 320 and 321), and other times it is shown (Plate 407) in combination of auspicious symbols, such as the purnaghata, sankha and srivatsa, discussed in section 3.3.

The conch or sankha, too, can be considered an auspicious motif when it appears individually in combination with other symbols mentioned above (Plates 406-407). However, in other plaques a series of conches are depicted alongside a wavy branch, in a way in which it seems dispersed into a decorative motif devoid of any symbolic content (Plate 405).

Finally, some of the decorative motifs consist of geometric designs. In one plaque a series of four-stepped pyramids is shown facing the center (Plate 368). Another geometrical design consists of a row of diamond-shaped and triangular pieces (Plate 369). Although most geometric designs are merely decorative, in one plaque the central scene is surrounded by a geometric design which one could take to suggest some type of enclosure within which the central scene takes place (Plate 57). However, since there are no openings in the design, the idea of an enclosure may not be supportable. (The types of enclosures depicted in the Begram ivory and bone carvings will be further addressed in section 3.4.)

[1] The plaque is too damaged to make out the design.

[2] This type of design is found not only in Begram examples but also in ivory carvings from Dalver’zin-tepe, Uzbekistan and Tillya-tepe, Afghanistan, which will be discussed at length in section 4.1.

[3] Said to symbolize valor and courage (Ramachandra Rao 1988, vol.I:159).

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Begram Ivory and Bone Carvings