| |
Hindu
Architecture
 Hindu
architecture concentrates immensely on the religious and
spiritual. While Islamic architecture remained constrained to
monuments, Hindus incorporated idols into their art, a feature
unseen during Islamic rule since their religion forbids idol
worship.
Hinduism is a religion based on religious worshipping of thousands
of deities, and for each one of them there exist thousands of
temples.
The Ancient Hindu Architecture
Talking about dimensions, the Mughals built the Red Fort in Delhi
and it still amazes everyone today. Way back in 300BC,
Chandragupta Maurya’s fort along the Ganges in Bihar stretched
for an impossible nine miles long and a mile and a half wide! Made
chiefly of wood, the fort housed a palace too. In comparison, the
Red Fort is about 2.5kms in diameter.
However, only a couple of measly teak beams have survived from
Chandragupta’s `wooden’ fort. The architecture of the
Maurya’s was embalmed in timber, for rock and stone were not as
freely in use then. The Mauryan period was also responsible for
perfecting the art of polishing, so much so that wood glistened
like a mirror.
Hindu Temple Architecture
However, Hindu temples are what Hindu religious architecture was
all about. They are not merely places of worship; they are the
very abode of the god inside in spirit, soul and body. After a
period of decay while Buddhism was the popular religion, the
revival of Hinduism in the 5th century AD gave a new
boost to sculptors. Sheer rock was widely available, and sculptors
carved out massive temples out of a single rock face. Technical
skill required was high, and the cave temples in Ajanta and Ellora
are perfect examples of the heights Hindu art could go to. Under
orders from the rulers of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, sculptors
carved out temples from gigantic solid stone after moving them
away from the mountainside!
Kanchipuram Temples
From the 7th to 9th century AD, the Pallava kings were busy in the
Tamil area building Kanchipuram, a cluster of over a hundred
religious Hindu shrines. Each one these shrines consisted of a
sanctuary with a rising stepped tower. Early temples were mostly
dedicated to Shiva, and were sparsely adorned in the interiors.
Later, however, pillars bore the brunt of the carver’s tool, and
these came to be richly adorned with scenes from the Ramayana and
the Mahabharata.
Thanjavur Temple
In Thanjavur, the capital of the Cholas in the 10th
century, there stands a temple made entirely of granite. 207 feet
high, the Thanjavur Hindu religious temple is famous for its
bronze and stone sculpture and for the narrative murals in the
interior. Dynasties after the Cholas continued building temples,
adding to the standard set by the Cholas and striving to build
higher than before. Gopuras were massive temples, twice as high as
they were broad with uneven storeys which diminished as they
ascended. The construction of the temple itself was a complicated
one, with carved and painted exteriors and interiors. Unlike
Muslims, Hindus emphasized on liberal usage of images of gods,
goddesses, their vehicles and even their devotees. This was mainly
true for temples in southern India, while northern temples were
lesser decorated as compared to their southern counterparts.
The Khajuraho Temples
The temples in Khajuraho (950-1050AD), while dedicated to gods,
are splattered with images of a sexual nature. Perhaps these
explicit images were carved into stone to ensure magical
protection through sexual energy. The belief was that lightning,
or the God of Thunder, would never strike a couple locked in
sexual embrace, be it of stone or flesh.
The Chariot Temples of Southern India.
The most amazing aspect of Hindu architecture in the 15th
century would probably be the chariot temples in southern India.
These religious temples inevitably feature massive rock cut
chariots dedicated to the 2nd century BC Aryans. The
Aryans were the first users of the wheel, and their chariots
carried them to glorious victories throughout northern India.
These huge chariots are drawn by elephants, although in comparison
these stone animals are not even one tenth the size of the
vehicle.
The 16th century saw the revival of Hindu temple
architecture, especially in the south. Apart from the main deity,
this time round there were images of a thousand gods, goddesses
and mortal beings on the outside walls. Musicians, lesser gods,
demons, armed guards, birds, cows; name it and you could find it
on a temple facade. Beasts right out of folklore could be found in
niches, carved out with such detail that they seemed almost alive.
The Pattern of Temple Construction
The construction of Hindu temples whether in the North or in
the South essentially followed a similar pattern.
There’s the sanctuary or the vimana of which the upper and outer
pyramidical and tapering portion is called the shikhara, or
pinnacle. The vimana is a rather dark and gloomy place and houses
the divine deity. This small area is called garbha griha,
literally meaning `womb house’. The entrance is through a
doorway, normally from the eastern side. The doorway is reached
through a mandapa or pillared hall, where devotees congregate for
prayers.
However, earlier temples may have had the mandapa at a little
distance from the main Hindu temple (the Shore Temple in
Mamallapuram near Chennai, circa AD 700), although this practice
was done away with in later constructions. Later it became
necessary to unite both buildings, making way for the antarala or
intermediate vestibule. A porch or a smaller room called ardha
mandapa leads up to a hall (mandapa), which in turn goes into a
maha mandapa.
The most perfect example of a temple on this structure are the
Khajuraho temples. Here, each chamber has its own separate
pyramidical roof rising in gradual steps so that the final
sanctum’s roof towers up, surrounded by smaller spires, finally
forming a graceful, rising stepped pyramid.
The Roof Architecture
In some parts of India, the ascending pyramid roof format was not
followed. The roof in such temples was still pyramidical, but was
formed of layers which gradually became narrower as they rose. A
courtyard was built around the religious temple, and sometimes a
wall would be constructed to ensure seclusion. The outside walls
were treated by carving in an orderly group of repetitive
miniatures. The shikhar or tapering roof was specifically based on
this design which may have originated from the domed huts of
central and eastern India.
CLICK
HERE FOR PRINCIPLES AND TIPS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
CLICK
HERE TO KNOW OUR SERVICES AND CHARGES
Languages  English Français Español Deutsch Italiano Portugues
|
