South Asian arts

South Asian arts

Table of Contents

Introduction
Literature
- Sanskrit, Pāli, and Prākrit literatures: 1400 bc–ad 1200
  - Sanskrit: formative period (1400–400 bc)
  - Sanskrit: epic and didactic literature (400 bc–ad 1000)
    - Mahābhārata
    - Rāmāyaṇa
    - Harivaṃśa and Purāṇas
  - Pāli and Prākrit literature (c. 200 bc–ad 200)
    - Buddhist texts
    - Jaina texts
  - Classical Sanskrit kāvya (200–1200)
    - The mahākāvya
    - The short lyric
    - The theatre
    - Narrative literature
- Dravidian literature: 1st–19th century
  - Early Tamil literature (1st–10th century)
    - Śaṅgam literature
    - Eighteen Ethical Works
    - Epics
    - Bhakti poetry
  - Period of the Tamil Cōḷa Empire (10th–13th century)
  - 14th–19th century
- Indo-Aryan literatures: 12th–18th century
  - Hindi
  - Bengali
  - Assamese
  - Oriya
  - Marathi
  - Gujarati
  - Punjabi
  - Kashmiri
- Islāmic literatures: 11th–19th century
  - Arabic
  - Turkish
  - Regional languages
  - Persian
  - Urdu
    - Qasīdahs
    - Ḥaju and shahr-āshūb
    - Mars̄iyeh
    - Mas̄navī
    - Ghazal
- Sinhalese literature: 10th century ad to 19th century
- Modern period: 19th and 20th centuries
  - Bengali
  - Assamese
  - Hindi
  - Gujarati
  - Marathi
  - Punjabi
  - Rajasthani
  - Tamil
  - Malayalam
  - Kannada
  - Urdu
  - English
  - Sinhalese
Music
- Folk, classical, and popular music
  - Rural areas
  - Classical music
  - Nonclassical music of the cities
- Antiquity
  - Vedic chant
    - Compilation of hymns
    - Chant intonation
  - The classical period
    - Qualities of the scales
    - Mode, or jati
- Medieval period
  - Precursors of the medieval system
  - Further development of the grama-ragas
- The Islamic period
  - Impact on musical genres and aesthetics
  - Theoretical developments
- The modern period
  - Rhythmic organization
    - South India
    - North India
  - Musical forms and instruments
    - South India
    - North India
  - Interaction with Western music
Dance and theatre
- The performing arts in India
- Indian dance
  - Classical dance
    - The dance-drama
    - Techniques and types of classical dance
    - The bharata natyam school
    - The kathakali school
    - The kathak school
    - The manipuri school
    - The kuchipudi school
    - The odissi tradition
    - Other classical dance forms
  - Folk dance
  - Modern Indian dance
  - Dance-training centres
- Indian theatre
  - Classical theatre
  - Folk theatre
  - Modern theatre
- Sri Lanka
  - Dance
    - Tovil dance
    - Kandyan dance
  - Masked drama
- Dance and theatre in Kashmir
- Pakistan
  - Folk dance
  - Performing arts in the Punjab
  - Theatre in Pakistan
    - Parsi theatre
    - Radio and television plays
- Bangladesh
Visual arts of India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- General characteristics of Indian art
  - The unity of Indian art
  - The materials of Indian art
  - Indian and foreign art
  - Indian art and religion
  - The artist and patron
  - The appreciation of Indian art
- Indian architecture
  - Indus Valley civilization (c. 2500–1800 bc)
  - The Maurya period (c. 321–185 bc)
  - Early Indian architecture (2nd century bc–3rd century ad)
  - The Gupta period (4th–6th centuries ad)
  - Medieval temple architecture
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of Orissa
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of central India
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of Rājasthān
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of Gujarāt
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of Karnataka
  - Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style of Kashmir
  - Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style
  - Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Tamil Nadu (7th–18th century)
  - Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Karnataka
  - Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Mahārāshtra, Andhradeśa, and Kerala
  - Islāmic architecture in India: period of the Delhi and provincial sultanates
  - Islāmic architecture in India: Mughal style
  - European traditions and the modern period
- Indian sculpture
  - Indus valley civilization (c. 2500–1800 bce)
  - Mauryan period (c. 3rd century bce)
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce: relief sculpture of northern and central India
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce: relief sculpture of Andhradesha
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce: relief sculpture of western India
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce: relief sculpture of Orissa
  - Indian sculpture in the 2nd and 1st centuries bce: sculpture in the round and terra-cotta
  - Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries ce
  - Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries ce: Mathura
  - Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries ce: Gandhara
  - Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries ce: Andhradesha
  - Indian sculpture from the 1st to 4th centuries ce: terra-cotta
  - Gupta period (c. 4th–6th centuries ce)
  - Gupta period: Mathura
  - Gupta period: Sarnath
  - Gupta period: central India
  - Gupta period: Maharashtra
  - Gupta period: other regions
  - Gupta period: terra-cotta
  - Medieval Indian sculpture
  - Medieval Indian sculpture: North India
  - Medieval Indian sculptures: southern India
  - Medieval Indian sculpture: Maharashtra and Karnataka
- Indian painting
  - Prehistoric and protohistoric periods
  - Ancient wall painting
  - Eastern Indian style
  - Western Indian style
  - Transition to the Mughal and Rajasthani styles
  - Mughal style: Akbar period (1556–1605)
  - Mughal style: Jahāngīr period (1605–27)
  - Mughal style: Shāh Jahān period (1628–58)
  - Mughal style: Aurangzeb and the later Mughals (1659–1806)
  - Company school
  - Deccani style
  - Rajasthani style
  - Rajasthani style: Mewār
  - Rajasthani style: Būndi and Kotah
  - Rajasthani style: Mālwa
  - Rajasthani style: Mārwār
  - Rajasthani style: Bīkaner
  - Rajasthani style: Kishangarh
  - Rajasthani style: Jaipur (Amber)
  - Pahari style
  - Pahari style: Basohlī school
  - Pahari style: Kāngra school
  - Modern period
- Indian decorative arts
  - Pre-Islāmic period
  - Islāmic period
- General characteristics of Sri Lankan arts
  - Sri Lankan architecture
  - Sri Lankan sculpture
  - Sri Lankan painting

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South Asian arts

Written by Pramod Chandra, Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, C.M. NaimSee All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

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Category: Arts & Culture

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South Asian arts, the literary, performing, and visual arts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Despite a history of ethnic, linguistic, and political fragmentation, the people of the Indian subcontinent are unified by a common cultural and ethical outlook; a wealth of ancient textual literature in Sanskrit, Prākrit, and regional languages is a major unifying factor. Music and dance, ritual customs, modes of worship, and literary ideals are similar throughout the subcontinent, even though the region has been divided into kaleidoscopic political patterns through the centuries. The close interrelationship of the various peoples of South Asia may be traced ...(100 of 82044 words)

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