The moving communities of janas of the Vedic age entered upon the well defined areas called janapada states for settlement. Janapada state synchronizes with the literature that refers to it viz. Brahmanas, Strutas, Sutras, Pali Tripitaka, Jaina Agamas and Ashtadhyayi of Panini who gives a detailed picture of the Janapada units as well as of their ruling aristocracies called janapadins.
The intellectual activity was evolved by the Vedic charanas. Learning was the highest order in which foundations of many sciences or vidya, study, were laid beside the elaborate development of the Vedic and domestic rituals.
Expert professions and crafts began even in Vedic age as shown by the Sata Rudriya chapter of Yajurveda. The prior traditions of silpa was established in this period. Several branches of arts and crafts developed under the general names of Silpa, viz. Gandharva Veda, Aturveda, Dauveda, Vastuveda.
Silpa or art and crafts received wide attention and were cultivated in many professions by expert craftsmen. During Janapada period the most important profession amongst craftsmen was carpenter and chariot making. They formed a separate class. Carpenters were busy with making sacrificial yupas, pillars for buildings and other wooden utensils. The art of goldsmiths was highly developed in the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic period. Same tradition continues in this period when swarnakara and manikara artists were called upon to manufacturing many kinds of ornaments.
Palace and town architecture and other allied arts and crafts were developed in the Janapada age. Description of palaces of Chakravarti kings referred to in Mahabharata, Ramayana and Jataka gives a vivid account of the buildings of the city Pali literature and Jaina Agamika literature being of the same age, the picture of art and architecture presented by it is almost similar. These literatures give a rich architectural description of palaces, city and city gates.
The main material for building was timber. The special account mentions of small and big gateways, city wall, garbha sala, assembly hall, judgement hall, agana and hathisala,. The palaces had one or more often several storeys or bhumika or tala. A building or three tala was usual. The royal resident in which there were quarters for the queens, princesses and other ladies, collectively called antahpur. The palace was surrounded by outer wall and outer gate house.
The pillars formed an important element of the house or palace. They were made of pillars, staircase, cross bars, copying, rooms with golden silver, ivory and crystal beds, doors, double railing round the palace. Wooden pillars covered with beaten sheet of copper. The rich repertoire of the carved figures on railing pillars, panels and cross bars as listed in Jaina texts are almost the same as we find on the stone railing and gate ways of Bharhut and Sanchi, pointing to the pre existing wooden prototypes. The actual remains are few because of the frail and perishable nature of the material used but most of these stylistic elements continued in Mauryan and Sunga periods with transition from timber to stone and brick.
There is also a story behind the construction of golden Lanka of Ramayana. When Lord Siva married Parvati, he asked Vishwakarma to build a beautiful palace for them to reside. Vishwakarma put up a palace made of gold. For the housewarming ceremony, Siva invited the wise Ravana to perform the “grihapravesh” ritual. After the sacred ceremony when Siva asked Ravana to ask anything in return as “dakshina”, Ravana, overwhelmed with the beauty and grandeur of the palace, asked Siva for the golden palace itself! Siva was obliged to accede to Ravana’s wish, and the Golden Lanka became Ravana’s palace.
Crafts and painting
Digha Nikaya gives a list of 25 silpas which includes pesahkara (embroidery), mani lakhkhana (of gem) vastu karma (practical art of building) vastu parikarma (painting and decorating of buildings).
The art of painting also developed in this period and the number of motifs illustrating scenes from heavenly life and mythical beliefs are actually mentioned both in Buddhists and Jaina literature. Ramayana and Mahabharata also give us various pictures of the art and crafts of that period which has preserved in traditional forms as current in memory and folklore.
In real rajkul or palace beautiful decorations are made. In the principal hall painters made a variety of paintings. The motifs are Sakka vilasa Indrapuri’s enjoyments, sineru paridhanda beautiful designs, sagara maha sagra small and big ponds with lotus, watery birds, and aquatic animals, chatur mahadvipa four continents of jambudvipa as given in Jaina Jivabhigama Sutra, himavanta the great Himayaya and Anotata the Mansarovara Holi lake described by Jaina Buddhists and Bramhanical literature. Other paintings are mano silatala the great throne, Chanda suraj, chatum maharajika the four maharajika gods, and chhakama sagga six heaven’s sensuous/ luxurious pleasures.
Chapter 229 0f the Book 1 (Adi Parva) of Mahabharata talked about Maya in 61 times. Maya belonging to the Maya tribe is praised as a great architect and creator of many technological illusions. One architect Maya’s construction is a wonderful assembly hall for the Pandava king Yudhishtir. The palace that Maya built consisted of columns of gold, and furnished with such golden walls and archways, and adorned with so many varied pictures, and was withal so rich and well-built,
Art forms
Semi gods
The art fashioned in this period whether Buddhist, Hindu or Jain, show the spirit of the new age. To give an idea of heaven on earth the idea of semi gods emerged. All heavenly figures like gandhavas, yakshas, apsaras, gana, vidhyadharas and kinnars were brought down to the earth. The semi gods and ganas are mentioned in early Indian literature. They are connected with Indra in Vedic times (Basham, AL, The Wonders that was India, p. 320) According to Dr. Gupte these semi divine beings can be traced from the Indus Valley (Gupte, The iconography of the Buddhist Caves of Ellora p. 121). They are regarded as attendants of devas, who entertained the devas with music.(Trevon- A dictionary of Buddhism, Calcutta, 1981, p. 104).Vidhyadharas are seen offering flowers or garlands to Buddha. gandarvas and apsaras are seen together floating in the air. kinnars are seen with musical instruments playing music and making atmosphere pleasant and full of music. These celestial beings gained popularity during the Vakataka period as they were carved abundantly in all later caves temples.
Animals
We find in Indian literature two headed animals (RV4.58.3), bird faces animals fabuous animals, mythical, and grotesque forms with one or more heads. It has many common elements from the early Indian art. Early Indian art has invented a number of fanciful figures as simhavyala, asvavyala, naravyala, meshavyala sukavyala mahisavyala in which particular head was joined to a different body. The meaning of these motifs in Indian literature is they are so many attendants (gana pramatha ) of one Rudra. Each individual although born as a human being carries in his face the physiognomy of a bird or an animal, the different forms being called Ihamriga animal of fancy or fabulous creature. The germ of this idea is met with the Rigveda (VII.104.22) where the mythical forms are called yatu and six illustrative names are given. These are associated in Rigvda with Indra, as the Puranic ganas with Rudra and they are called asura (Bramha Purana213.93, 99), danavas in (Matya purana 163. 1-4: Harivamsa 3.45) also nisachar gana.
We have beautiful paintings describing the art and craft of that period.