Bharhut

Structure The Bharhut stupa may have been first built by the Maurya king Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, but many works of art, particularly the gateway and railings, were apparently added during the Shunga period, with many reliefs from the 2nd century BCE, or later. Alternatively, the sculptures made have been added during the reign of the Sughanas, a northern Buddhist kingdom. The inscription reads: If the attribution is to be taken as "Shungas", since King Dhanabhuti was making a major dedication to a Buddhist monument, and on the contrary the Shungas are known to have been Hindu monarchs, it seems that Dhanabhuti himself was not a member of the Shunga dynasty. Neither is he known from Shunga regnal lists. Cunningham explained that the Kharosthi letters were found on the balustrades between the architraves of the gateway, but none on the railings which all had Indian markings, summarizing that the gateways, which are artistically more refined, must have been made by artists from the North, whereas the railings were made by local artists. According to some authors, Hellenistic sculptors had some connection with Bharhut and Sanchi as well. The structure as a whole as well as various elements point to Hellenistic and other foreign influence, such as the fluted bell, addorsed capital of the Persepolitan order, and the abundant use of the Hellenistic flame palmette or honeysuckle motif. Besides the origin of its contributors however, the gateway retains a very strong Indian character in its form. The great gateway was built later, circa 100–75 BCE. Joseph David Beglar, Cunningham's assistant, continued the excavation and recorded the work through numerous photographs. A pillar capital in Bharhut, dated to the 2nd century BCE during the Shunga Empire period, is an example of Bharhut architecture thought to incorporate Persian and Greek styles, with recumbent animal (in the style of the Pillars of Ashoka), and a central anta capital with many Hellenistic elements (rosettes, beads-and-reels), as well as a central palmette design, in a style similar to that of the Pataliputra capital. The complex in Bharhut included a medieval temple (plate II), which contained a colossal figure of the Buddha, along with fragments of sculptures showing the Buddha with images of Brahma, Indra etc. Beglar also photographed a 10th-century Buddhist Sanskrit inscription, about which nothing is now known. The ruined stupa—nothing but foundations of the main structure (see Gallery)—is still in Bharhut; however, the gateways and railings have been dismantled and reassembled at the Indian Museum, Kolkata. Some years ago a pre-Devanagari inscription, from the time of King Balaldev, was found on Bharhut mountain. The sculptures and reliefs were removed by Alexander Cunningham and were being transported to London Museum for an exhibition on SS Indus from Clacutta to London via Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, the ship ran aground in 1885 near the town of Mullaitivu in northeastern Sri Lanka. The ship wreck was lost for more than a hundred years, being re-discovered in 2014. ==As representative of early Indian art==

In conformity with the early aniconic phase of Buddhist art, the Buddha is only represented through symbols, such as the Dharma wheel, the Bodhi tree, an empty seat, footprints, or the triratana symbol. The style represents the earliest phase of Indian art, and all characters are depicted wearing the Indian dhoti, except for one foreigner thought to be an Indo-Greek soldier, with Buddhist symbolism. The Bharhut carvings are slightly later than the Sanchi Stupa No.2 reliefs and the earlier Ajanta frescos. An unusual feature of the Bharhut panels is the inclusion of text in the narrative panels, often identifying the individuals. ==Inscriptions==

The Monumental Prakrit inscriptions found at Bharhut are of considerable significance in tracing the history of early Indian Buddhism and Buddhist art. 136 inscriptions mention the donors. These include individuals from Vidisha, Purika (a town somewhere in the Vindhya mountains), Pataliputra (Bihar), Karhad (Maharashtra), Bhojakata (Vidarbha, eastern Maharashtra), Kosambi (Uttar Pradesh), and Nasik (Maharashtra). 82 inscriptions serve as labels for panels depicting the Jatakas, the life of the Buddha, former Manushi Buddhas, other stories and Yakshas and Yakshinis. ==Structure and details==

==Survival in 11-12th century==

A Buddha sculpture datable to 11-12th century was also found, in addition to a Sanskrit inscription, belonging to a vihara structure. But the monuments of Bharhut were ultimately destroyed and most of the remains were used by local villagers as building material. ==Recently found Buddhist remains in region near Bharhut and Sanchi==

Several minor Stupas and Buddhist statues have been discovered in the region near Sanchi and Bharhut dating up to 12th century CE. They demonstrate that Buddhism was widespread in this region and not just confined to Sanchi and Bharhut, and survived until 12th century, like the Sanchi complex itself, although greatly declining after 9-10th century. These include: • Banshipur village, Damoh • Madighat in Rewa district • Buddha Danda, Singrauli • Bilahri, Katni • Kuwarpur, Sagar Dist/Bansa Damoh Dist • Damoh Museum Buddha • Deur Kothar, Rewa • Devgarh, Lalitpur • Khajuraho (Museum) • Mahoba, 11-12th cent. sculptures ==Gallery==

File:Bharhut yavan.jpg|Bharhut excavation, with the Bharhut Yavana File:Statue at Bharhut Stupa.JPG|The Yaksha relief at Bharhut being worshipped as Hanuman by local villagers File:Bharhut Stupa.JPG|The ruined Bharhut Stupa; seen behind it is the Lal Pahadi (Red Mountain) File:Bharhut inscription1.png|Inscriptions File:Bharhut inscription2.png|Inscriptions File:Bharhut inscription3.png|Inscriptions File:Bharhut inscription4.png|Inscriptions File:Railing - 2nd Century BCE - Red Sand Stone - Bharhut Stupa - Madhya Pradesh - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2012-11-16 1853.JPG|Railing section at Indian Museum. ==See also==