The secular buildings of later date are mostly halls and palaces. The Mohammedans revived the art of the dome, which had perished shortly after the Buddhistic period. A hall at Bijapur has a dome with a diameter of 100 feet, resting on columns without any support. There is not a piece of wood or steel in the whole structure, and it is constructed out of brick and mortar. The dome has been standing for at least 400 years, and is as good and strong as if it were built yesterday. Except in the wealth of detail, which varied with different centuries, the principles of India architecture have undergone no modification.
The art of statuary in India consists prin cipally of casting the figures of the deities in bronze and similar alloys, and cutting the figures in stone. An elaborate science of statuary was built up, and at one time it appears to have been a serious study; but craftsmanship in India has always been a tradition, handed down from father to son. With the elaborate develop ments of the caste system, artistic knowledge became the possession of a body of people whose claim was based on birth. The technique of the art was considered a secret and kept in the family, as it were. As the religion allowed free play to the art of statuary, and as the kings and people of wealth considered building temples a passport to heaven, there was room for any number of images of deities. Later Hindu texts, especially the Puranas, gave room for the in finite play of fancy. Gods and goddesses in all shapes and forms were introduced, and imagi nation had the freest play. For instance, Siva, the favorite deity of the south, is represented with several hands and feet. Art critics of Europe have considered these statuaries — monstrosities ; but recently the symbolism is being better understood. The Hindu considers his gods as being without human limitations, and the only way in which he could express this thought was by the creation of extraordinary attributes. Once this symbolism is understood, statuary in India will take a very high place in art. The making of alloys was known in India long before it was known in other parts of the world. The Iron Pillar at Delhi is a
striking example of the engineering skill of ancient India.
Ancient works show that in ornamental work in gold and silver ancient Indians were adept. We have, however, not many examples of these at present, principally because the jewelry of the temples in the north has been looted by the invaders. Even the tools appear to have been lost, although at present, some of the works by gold and silver-smiths are in no way inferior in design and finish to those made in Europe or America.
For a number of centuries, painting in India has remained a lost art. The frescoes in the cave temples are recognized by art critics as representing a very high stage of development of the atilt of painting. There is a very long gap until we arrive at the Mohammedan period, during which time, .noteworthy saw the light. The special characteristic of Indian painting has been its magnificent detail, although some consider it a fault that a great number of subjects and figures should be crowded in a single canvas. It has also been customary to paint, on the walls of temples, the mythological stories. As a rule, these paintings have not been of high order.
Recent developments in painting have been very satisfactory. A distinctive school has sprung up in Bengal, and it shows traces of European influence. The most noteworthy painters are Nandalal Bose and Ganguly, who have also gone for their principal subjects to Hindu mythology. Most of the principal centres have native India artists, who are suc cessfully developing a new school. Owing to the want of support, and the ignorance about Indian art, progress is very slow at present.
Coomarasamy, Dr. A., vakarma) (London 1914) ; Elwin, E. F., (India and the Indians> (London 1912) • Ferguson, T., of (London, new and revised edition, 1911) ; Hall, H. F., The Soul of a People> (London 1902) ; Have11, E. B., (London 1913) ; and Architecture) (London 1913) ; Hunter, Sir W. W., of British (London 1899 1901) ; Quatremere, Historique d'Architecture> (1825); Smith, Vincent, (His tory of Fine Art in India> (Oxford 1911).