HISTORY

Subject

History
(For under graduate student)

Paper No.

Paper-I
History of India

Topic No. & Title

Topic-9
Post Mauryan Developments

Lecture No. & Title

Lecture-8
Buddhism, Jainism & Cultural
Life
FAQs

1.

When did the sectarian division in Buddhism

occur?
According
divisions

to
in

the

Buddhist

Buddhism,

texts,
the

the

two

Hinayana

broad

and

the

Mahayana, emerged after the fourth and last Buddhist

council or Sangeeti, held in Kashmir during the reign of
Kanishka.

2.

What are divisions of the Hinayana sect?

The

three

divisions

of

the

Hinayana

sect

are

Sthaviravadin, Sarvastivadin and Mahasanghika.

3.

Who is a Bodhisattva?
The Bodhisattva is one who is perfectly capable to
attain

Buddhahood,

or

enlightenment,

through

sadhana, yet he refrains from doing so because he is

full of compassion, or karuna at the misery of other
people,

and

so

he

waits

till

their

miseries

are

ameliorated.
4.

What are the symbols that represent the Buddha?

The Buddha was represented through symbols like the
Bodhi tree, the two feet of the master, the elephant,
the horse, the lion, and also the Wheel of Law or
Dharmachakra.

5.

Why was the Mahayana popular among the rich

and powerful?
The

Mahayana

propagated

that one

can

achieve

emancipation by being generous with ones wealth. So

the Mahayana became popular among the rich and

powerful as they could make lavish donation to the
Buddhist monasteries and thereby proceed towards
salvation, rather than undergo the four stages of
sadhana to attain the same.
6.

Name the three prominent Bodhisattvas.

The three prominent Bodhisattvas are Avalokiteswara,
who is full of compassion, and listens to the miseries of
the people; Manjushree who presides over knowledge
and removes the evil of darkness, and Maitreya who is
the preceptor of the future Buddha.

7.

What were the various kinds of stupas that were

constructed?
There are three types of stupas, consisting of those
where the relics of the master were interred, those that
were associated with the great disciples of the Buddha,
and some commemorative stupas.

8.

Mention some places that have rock cut chaityas.

Prime examples of chaityas from this period can be
seen in the western Deccan in places like Kanheri,
Bhaja, Karle, Junnar, Nasik, and Kondane.

9.

How were the

sculptures different from the

Mauryan art?
The sculptures at Sanchi, Bharhut, Bodhgaya and in
certain areas of Gandhara, show that they were not
dictated by the taste and will of the court as in the
case of Mauryan art. The scenes essentially depict the
endless flow of life of human beings, life in urban
areas, life in villages, the world of flora, fauna, popular
tales, and legends which seem to be unfurled before
the onlooker, like the scroll painter opens up the
Patachitra.
10. How did the Gandhara School represent the
Bodhisattvas?
The Gandhara sculptures show the Buddha and the
Bodhisattvas with oval faces, wonderfully chiseled
sharp nose, and wearing Roman type of sandals, and

heavy drapery of clothes often resembling the Roman

Apollo. It appeared to be greatly influenced by the
Hellenistic traits of sculpture.