INDIAN ARCHITECTURE NOTES
Introduction:
In Indian Architecture there are many architectural types including:
Temple Architecture-Mughal Architecture- Indo-Saracenic Revival Architecture- Dravidian Architecture- Kalinga Architecture- Sikh Architecture- Vesara Architecture- Cave Architecture- Rock-Cut Architecture
One that caught my eye was ROCK-CUT ARCHITECTURE
– present the most spectacular piece of ancient Indian art specimen.
– Most of the rock-cut structures were related to various religious communities.
– Buddhist and Jain monuments were produced in areas such as Bihar in the east and Maharashtra in the west.
– The rock-cut architecture differs from traditional buildings in many ways.
– The rock-cut art is more similar to sculpture than architecture as structures were produced by cutting out solid rocks.
– The oldest surviving Indian rock-cut caves are the Barabar Caves that are situated in the Makhdumpur Block of Jehanabad district in the Indian state of Bihar.
– approximately 620 – 660 AD.
Pancha Rathas are some of the most surprising structures not only in Mahabalipuram but in the whole Southern India. This group of ornate, monolithic structures was cut from a single stone in the late 7th century.
CAVE ARCHITECTURE
The cave architecture in India is believed to have begun in the third century BC. These caves were used by Buddhist and Jain monks as places of worship and residence. Initially the caves were excavated in the western India. Some examples of this type of cave structure are Chaityas and Viharas of Buddhists.
Temple Architecture
In ancient India, temple architecture of high standard developed in almost all regions. The distinct architectural style of temple construction in different parts was a result of geographical, climatic, ethnic, racial, historical and linguistic diversities. Ancient Indian temples are classified in three broad types. This classification is based on different architectural styles, employed in the construction of the temples.
Bricks used in construction during the Mature Harappa Period were all manufactured in two basic sizes- 7 x 14 x 28 cms and 10 x 20 x 40 cms. The smaller bricks were used for the construction of residences and other smaller houses while the larger ones were used for public buildings, walls, etc. Both the types of bricks followed a ratio of 1 : 2 : 4. There are also rock-cut structures found in Dholavira which shows they were not limited to bricks as a building material.
The Indus Valley civilization had excellent masons who were able to construct load-bearing brick structures up to two stories effortlessly. These houses had a central courtyard and a flat accessible terrace. Almost all the houses in Indus Valley Civilization had bathrooms with access to running water and toilets with sophisticated drainage facilities. This technology is way ahead of its time and is first seen in this civilization.
Konark Temple
One of the most important temples dedicated to the Sun god in India — the Konark Temple — shares the brilliance and the dazzle of the sun with its fascinating architecture, exotic sculptures and intriguing social history of medieval Odisha. Located in Konark, 35 km from Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, this 13th-century temple is a leading Hindu visit centre.
Konark got its name from two Sanskrit words — kona and ark — with the former meaning corner and the latter implying the sun. Experts say the Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is called Konark. Legend has it that after slaying demon Gyasur, Lord Vishnu left all his belongings at several places to commemorate his victory — conch in Puri, disc in Bhubaneswar, mace in Jajapur and lotus in Konark.
Architecture
Designed as colossal chariot on 12 pairs of giant wheels being pulled by seven galloping horses, carrying the Sun god across the heavens, the temple was built by Raja Langula Narasimha Deva of the Ganga dynasty around 1250 AD.
Seven horses pulling the Sun Temple eastwards towards dawn is symbolic of the seven days of the week; a dozen pair of wheels represent the 12 months of the year and the eight spokes in each wheel symbolise the eight ideal stages in a woman’s day.
One can analyze the exact time of the day by just looking at the shade cast by these spokes.
The placement of the main temple and the Sun God had been aligned in such a way that the first ray of the Sun from the coast would cross the Nata Mandir (Dancing Hall) and would fall & reflect from the diamond placed at the crown of the Sun God. (relates to the Egyptian tomb)
The temple consists of a vimana (main temple) for housing the deity, Jagamohana, a prayer and an offering hall for worshippers and a nirtya-mandapa (dancing hall). The main entrance faces the eastern side which faces the sea. Konark Temple is an epitome of Kalinga architecture.
The entrance is guarded by two huge lions, each killing a war elephant and beneath the elephant is a man. While the lions represent pride, elephants represent wealth and both of them consume man akin to the conquest of spiritual power over worldly power and the symbol of ignorance conquered by knowledge.
As per one theory, part of the Konark temple collapsed because of its incomplete structure. The Konark Sum Temple was not completed because of the early death of the king Langula Narasimha Dev who initiated the construction of the temple.
When most of us were growing up, we learned about a handful of man-made wonders of the world such as the pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Great Wall of China. One that may have slipped right past you could have been the Kailasa Temple in Maharashtra, India. This temple is the world’s largest monolithic structure carved out of one single rock. Everyone is trying to understand how the temple was built, cut out of the rocks, without the use of ‘modern’ technology.
Entire Temple covers an area twice the size of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It is one of the largest structures in the world, rivaling even the Taj Mahal in Agra.
The nandi bull is the name of the gate- guardian deity of Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva. He is usually depicted as a bull which also serves as the mount to the god Shiva.
Mugahl King Aurangzeb who destroyed thousands of Hindu temple, also tried to destroy Kailasa temple. In 1682, he ordered that that the temple be destroyed, so that there would be no trace of it. Records show that a 1000 people worked for 3 years, and they could only do a very minimal damage. They could break and disfigure a few statues, but they realized it is just not possible to completely destroy this temple. Aurangzeb finally gave up on this impossible task.