wat the hell is rampurva bull capital.......? please plz plz plz plz plz plz..... temme....
Bull Capital Rampurva Maurya 323 - 185 BCE
The 8’9" Rampurva Bull capital comes from one of a pair of pillars found at the same site on the Gandak river, about half way from Pataliputra, the Maurya capital and Lumbini the Buddha’s birth place. It is carved in the light-coffee-colored sandstone of Chunar and likely carried from there. Its design is divided into the lotus bell base a narrow abacus of floral forms and the great bull zebu above. It was once finished in a fine polish, but years of weathering and possibly the time lying in bog where it eventually fell has worn off most.
The lotus bell is a highly refined shape we find in a good number of other capitals and destined to become a stable of later Indian design. It is a full round shape bulging gently but firmly above to produce a double-curving silhouette. Its outer surface is finished in a set of ridges that alternate abstractly between angled ribs surrounded by rounded ones. Above the bell is a narrow necking finished in the form of a twisted rope. Above this is a wide abacus carrying a repeat pattern of three spread out flower and rosette forms.
It is John Irwin’s contention that such animal capitals were originally made in wood or copper and then lashed with ropes to the tops of wooden pillars. If that is so this design may preserve in its alternating ribs the form of the ropes circling the base of the animal on top and hooking around pegs on the pole below.
Atop the design we find the great bull. It has lost its horns and its neck folds, but otherwise stands in relatively fine shape after two-and-a-quarter millennia. The bull stand majestically erect. All four legs are planted firmly on the platform. The stone between its legs has been left intact. Its genitals marked strongly in relief. If it is an idealized image in its symmetrical precision, it is also a relatively naturalistic one with its careful attention to realistic proportions and anatomy. All in all the swelling of the belly and its contrast against the ridge of the haunch behind and the soft swelling of the shoulders and hump in front are quite effective.
So what does Lee mean when he goes on to compare it with Hittite and Persian bulls? Why compare them to something from so far away in time and space? One of the Orientalist principles is to trace Indian designs to other supposed sources. The suggestion being that Indians could not create on their own. Since the Hittites were a thousand years earlier we can do best to see how this image compares with the Persian bulls, of the style that the Mauryas do actually share.
The Achaemenid Persians used animals in saddle linked pairs as architectural motifs. These pillars always had molded bases and usually fluted sides. They commonly also had polish. When they had bull capitals here is what the bull looked like.
Twenty miles east of this site lies Rampurva where two of the pillars are believed to have fallen soon after their erection. One of them was inscribed and was surmounted by a lion while the other was uninscribed and carried a bull capital.-
Nixie,
Make sure you don't quote or paraphrase from this explanation without finding out the source. It's been copied and pasted from a website somewhere.
Conduct an advanced search in Google to find it.
=)
In addition, Nixie, please note that there is no need to use socially unacceptable language on these message boards. We'll all appreciate good, clear, clean English in the future.
Thanks.
=)
The Rampurva Bull Capital is a significant artifact from ancient India. It is one of a pair of pillars found at the Gandak River, located between Pataliputra (the Maurya capital) and Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha). The capital is made of light-coffee-colored sandstone and has a height of 8'9". It consists of three main parts - the lotus bell base, a narrow abacus with floral designs, and the bull sculpture on top.
The lotus bell base is a rounded shape with ridges alternating between angled and rounded ones. Above the bell is a twisted rope design, followed by an abacus adorned with three flower and rosette patterns. The bull stands majestically erect on top, with all four legs firmly planted on the platform. Although the bull has lost its horns and neck folds over time, it still retains a relatively naturalistic and symmetrical form. The sculpture emphasizes realistic proportions and anatomy, with attention to details like the genitals, belly, haunch, and shoulders.
Comparisons have been drawn between the Rampurva Bull Capital and the bull capitals used by the Achaemenid Persians. The Achaemenids often used animal motifs, including bull capitals, in their architecture. These pillars had molded bases, fluted sides, and were usually polished. The bull capitals used by the Persians were similar in style to those seen in the Maurya period.
To find more information about the Rampurva Bull Capital, you can conduct an advanced search on Google using relevant keywords. However, please remember to cite and give credit to the original source when quoting or paraphrasing information obtained from websites or other references.