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INDIAN ART - ARCHITECTURE, LITERATURE AND MUSIC
Architecture is the chief art of India, and it has always been distinguished by the same highly decorative style which gives such unique beauty to Indian metal work, jewellery, pottery, and textile patterns. Because most of the early Hindu buildings were of wood and clay, India contains no relics of architecture such as have been left to us in Egypt and Greece, and it is open to doubt whether the early Brahman faith encouraged the building of temples.
With the advent of Buddhism and Jainism, monasteries and shrines sprang up over the land-When to these early styles Mohammedan influences were added from the llth century onward, India developed a varied art of building which gave to the world some of the most beautiful structures in existence. The distinctive feature of Indian architecture is the delicacy and elaborateness of its details. Some of the temples are covered with mazes of carved figures in unbelievable profusion. Many of the shrines are cut out bodily from the rock, such as the famous underground temples on the island of Elephanta in Bombay harbour. For sheer elegance and grace nothing can compare, however, to the buildings put up by the Great Moguls, such as the world-famous Taj Mahal, and those erected by their Rajput rivals, including noted palaces built on the islands of Lake Pichola in Udaipur
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Hindu painting, occupied as it has always been with a grotesque religious imagery, makes no profound appeal to Western eyes. Sculpture suffers from the same fault, and while many of the pagan gods
are impressive because of their size and ornamentation, they cannot be called truly artistic. Much more fascinating is the work of the Indian craftsmen, such as the enamelling done by the Sikhs, and the damascening of metal objects in gold and silver wire, which is practised in Cashmere, in various parts of the Punjab, and in the state of Hyderabad.
The earliest Hindu literature consists of the Vedic hymns, of which the "Rig-Veda " is the most ancient collection. This consists of 1,017 short poems, giving a definite picture of a high civilization existing about the time the Aryan invaders had reached the banks of the Indus and were fighting the "dark people" to the south. To the Vedic poems were attached prose works called "Brahmanas," explaining the duties of the priests; then were added the " Sutras," telling of laws and ceremonies; and later the "Upanishads," treating of God and the soul; the "Aranyakas," giving directions for leading a holy life; and finally the "Puranas" or sacred traditions.
During the period from the 1st to the 8th century a.d. were composed a number of Sanskrit epics and dramas filled with adventure and romance. The old Hindu fables of animals, which were translated into the Persian as early as the 6th century a.d. and so found their way into Europe, are said to be the basis of many of the familiar nursery stories that have charmed the children of England and America. A New National Literature
Under the influence of modem education many Hindu writers are developing a new and interesting national literature. Most conspicuous among these is Sir Rabindranath Tagore (bom 1861), who has attempted to embody in his poems, tales, parables, and dramas the advanced ideas of European civilization, while keeping the best traditions of ancient Hindu idealism. In 1913 this eminent Hindu writer was awarded the Nobel prize for literature, and in 1915 he was knighted, but later renounced this honour for political reasons. Among his well-known works are " The Crescent Moon: Child Poems," "The Gardener," and " Gora," a novel.
Indian music is peculiar to Westernears in that it contains no harmony. It is made up of melody and rhythm only. There is no accompaniment to the melody as in Western music. No two different tones are sounded at the same time. Several instruments are rarely used together, and when they are they play in unison. Songs, which are of the greatest importance in Indian life, are sung in unison also. Among instruments, drums and flutes are favoured. There are also stringed instruments, some of ancient origin.
Intellectual Awakening
There is in India, also, a great revival of interest in science. Centuries ago Hindu astronomers and mathematicians were highly honoured and contributed an important share to the development of knowledge. They exchanged ideas with the Greeks at the time of Alexander's conquest, and in the 9th century importantHindu scientific works were translated by the Arabs and so reached Europe, but with the advent of the Mohammedans science declined, and it has remained for the universities of Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Allahabad, the Punjab, Patna, Nagpur, Andhra, Agra, Rangoon, Lucknow, Dacca, Annamalai, and Delhi-and their large number of affiliated colleges to bring back the traditional love of learning to the Indian youth. There is a Hindu University at Benares and a Mohammedan University at Aligarh.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal are also under the Indian administration. The former group, consisting of the I.ittle and the Great Andamans. divided by the Duncan Passage, with a total area of 2,508 square miles, has been used as a penal colony. The natives of these islands are of negrito race and of great, interest to scientists. The Nicobar group consists of 111 islands, 13 of which are inhabited. The total area is 635 square miles,
The French, who were once supreme in India, retain the following stations and trading posts: Pondicherry, Karikal, and Yanaon on the Coromondel coast; Mabe on the Malabar coast, and Chandenagore in Bengal. These possessions, with a total area of 203 square miles, are administered by a governor residing at Pondichorpy. The Portuguese retain some territory on the Malabar coast called Goa (1,169 square miles), the seaport of Damao, which is situated about 100 miles north of Bombay, and the island of Diu on the other side of the Gulf of Cambay.