Category Ancient India

          Alexander the Great was the King of Macedonia in Ancient Greece. His father, King Philip, was a brilliant military commander and politician. He had built up a strong army, and dreamt of invading Persia. Philip was assassinated on the eve of his invasion of Persia. His son, Alexander, took over the reins of both his father’s army and kingdom when he was just nineteen! He carried out his father’s invasion plans at once.

          Schooled in war and politics by his father and in everything else by the legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was filled with knowledge of the world, and ambition for conquering it. In 331 BC, he defeated the Persian King Darius, and conquered Persia. However, Alexander was not satisfied. He wanted to conquer the world, and moved towards India. He entered India through the Khyber Pass. Astonishingly enough, Alexander brought with him a flotilla of war boats to cross the Jhelum River and his determination to succeed brought him victory after victory.

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          The Ajanta caves in Maharashtra are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC. They are famous for their magnificent paintings and sculptures that are considered masterpieces of Buddhist art.

          The paintings of Ajanta are vibrant with life, and are richly coloured. These paintings show the everyday life of the people as well as kings and courts, animals, birds, musicians and warriors. It is believed that highly skilled monks made these paintings to spread the teachings of Buddha, and to guide people in a righteous way.

          Do you know how these caves were discovered? Way back in1819, a party of British army officers was on a tiger hunt in the forest of the Western Deccan. They suddenly spotted their prey, on the far side of a loop in the Waghora River. The hunting party saw the tiger, silhouetted against the carved facade of a cave. On investigating, the officers discovered a series of carved caves, each more dramatic than the other. There are 29 caves in all. Five of them were temples and 24 were monasteries, thought to have been occupied by some 200 monks and artisans. The cave complex was continuously built until about AD 650. Today, the Ajanta caves have been recognized by UNESCO as one of the world’s greatest historical monuments.

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          The oldest university in the Indian subcontinent was Takshasila, or Taxila. It was the capital of the Budhhist kingdom of Gandhara and was located west of Rawalpindi in what is now Pakistan. The University of Taxila was a great centre of learning in the ancient world. Scholars came from all over the world to study here.

          It was famous for its schools of Brahminical studies, Buddhist philosophy, medicine, sciences and arts. Great scholars like Panini, Charaka, and Kautilya are believed to have taught there. Many of its students became great leaders, thinkers and scientists. The university came under Persian rule, and in 326 BC, it was surrendered to Alexander the Great. King Ashoka made it an important Buddhist centre in BC 261. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 5th century AD.

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          You must have read tales known as the Jataka Tales. The Jatakas are the tales about the former lives of the Buddha. Before he attained enlightenment, Buddha had been born as Bodhisattva. It is said that he was born again and again 547 times, sometimes in a human form, and sometimes as a bird or beast or fish.

          The Jataka deals with these lives of Buddha. These tales always begin with an incident in the life of the Buddha, usually a sermon he is giving, which he illustrates with a story from one of his previous lives. The Jatakas are primarily moral tales, illustrating the wisdom and goodness of the Bodhisattva figure.

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          All religions have their sacred scriptures upon which their doctrines are founded. For example, Christianity has the Bible, Islam, the Koran, and Hinduism, the Vedas.

          The sacred scriptures of Buddhism are the Tripitakas. They are written in the Pali script, and are made up of three parts, which are referred to as ‘baskets’. In fact, the very word ‘Tripitakas’ means ‘three baskets.’ One part is called the Abhidhamma Pitaka or the Basket of Dharma. It explains the principles of Buddhism. Another part is called Vinaya Pitaka or the Basket of Discipline. It deals with the rules to be observed by the monks. The largest and most important part is the Sutta Pitaka, or the Basket of Stories. It consists of the sermons and sayings of Lord Buddha. The number of volumes in the Tripitaka, which were compiled at various times differs, and is without parallel in any other religion.

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          Lord Buddha did not want his followers to worship his image, and so, for a long time, no figures of Buddha were drawn or carved.

          The earliest representation of Buddha was made through the stupas or mounds erected on the relics of Buddha. These mounds had external decorations on them, tracing various events in the life of Buddha. Symbols like a foot, sacred tree, holy seat or altar were also widely used to represent Buddha. The first Buddha statues were carved in stone in Mathura, near Delhi. The noteworthy characteristics of the Buddha statues were that the figures were always standing free or seated in the regular cross-legged religious posture.

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          The Buddhists began the practice of  creating temples by hollowing out rock faces. The monks needed places where they could pray and hold discussions in peace, and caves were ideal for this purpose. Gradually, these caves became temples or monasteries where the monks lived.

          The earliest Buddhist cave temple was found in Maharashtra, at Bhaja near Pune. It is more than 2000 years old. Instead of images, the presence of Buddha was indicated only by a stupa or mound in the early cave temples. In the later cave temples though, like the ones at Ajanta, many images of Buddha can be seen. The distinguishing feature of all the temples is a huge arched window that is found over the main entrance. The Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, and the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai, are other famous cave temples of this era.

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        Vajrayana Buddhism emerged in Tibet about the 7th century AD. Its prominent symbol is the ‘Vajra’ which means a diamond, or thunder bolt. It was the latest phase in the development and evolution of Buddhism.

        Vajrayana’s main claim is that it enables a person to reach Nirvana or freedom from suffering in a single lifetime, rather than passing through countless lives before achieving salvation. Vajrayana promises the ‘fast path’ to Buddhahood-a path that, in some Vajrayana traditions, brings magical powers.

        Vajrayana Buddhism lays great emphasis on mantras or incantations, mudras or hand gestures, and mandalas or diagrams of deities and other cosmic forces. It also involves for the first time, worship of female deities, of which the most important of all is Tara.

        Vajrayana Buddhism developed out of Mahayana teachings in Northwest India. It is also known as Tantric Buddhism, due to its reliance on sacred texts called tantras.

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          Buddhism does not believe in the existence of gods, in elaborate rituals, in the caste system, or in the worship of images. It teaches that everyone is equal, that nothing lasts forever, and that nothing happens by chance. Its aim is to attain ‘Nirvana’, which is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

          Buddhism is divided into two major sects – Hinayana and Mahayana. The Hinayana sect regarded Buddha as a great teacher, not a god.

          They believed that the only way to attain Nirvana was by leading a monastic life, and abandoning all worldly pleasures. The Mahayana sect worshipped Buddha as God. They believed that enlightenment would come to all those who followed the path of righteousness, irrespective of their status in society. The Mahayana Buddhists also believed that love and compassion are as important as knowledge. Mahayana Buddhism became very popular in India, China, Tibet, Japan and Central Asia. Hinayana Buddhism spread more in Burma, Sri Lanka and the countries of South East Asia.

          The teachings of Buddha had not been written down during his lifetime. So, six months after he died, or attained Nirvana, the first Great Buddhist Council was held at Rajgir, under the patronage of King Ajatashatru. Its objective was to preserve Buddha’s sayings, and to lay down monastic discipline or rules. In the centuries that followed, four Buddhist councils were held to discuss Buddha’s teachings. It was during the fourth council that the division of Buddhism into two sects was finally accepted.

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