HINDU ART AND ARCHITECTURE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK George Michell | 224 pages | 30 Oct 2000 | Thames & Hudson Ltd | 9780500203378 | English | London, United Kingdom Hindu Art and Architecture - George Michell - Google книги Only the Brahmins were allowed into the inner sanctum the garbha griha of a Hindu temple, therefore, the mandapa provided the place where devotees could gather while they waited for the Brahmin to perform rituals. Ritual worship is called puja ; Brahmins perform pujas at set times of day, and they also perform them for individual worshippers. An essential part of puja for the devotee is to make a connection with the Divine. The elevation of the Kandariya Mahadeva temples has three horizontal zones. The first zone is a solid basement, which raises the floor level of the temple to thirteen feet above ground. The second zone has a series of walls and interim compartments, a series of projections and recesses to allow for maximum number of sculpted images. Here, three horizontal sculpted bands hold about six hundred and fifty life-size figures in total, carved in high relief. The elevation culminates in a grouping of roofs, reminiscent of a mountain range, that sweep upward towards the tall shikhara above the shrine. Indeed, the shikhara symbolizes the cosmic mountain of the Universe. Because texts for temple decoration during this time specified that images of women were a necessity, more female, mortal figures exist than gods. In fact, images of women have often been used as auspicious emblems throughout the history of Indian art. Here, they are depicted nude to the waist with large breasts, small waists, big hips, and heavy thighs, wearing lots of jewelry. In general, these types of women represent the potential for fertility in both the spiritual and material sense. The carvings also include both depictions of mithuna and maithuna couples, which represent the unity and the duality of male and female energies. Maithuna couples are explicitly shown engaged in sexual intercourse. The Chandellas were patrons of the Kaulas, an esoteric sect that practiced Tantric Hinduism. When looking closely at the maithuna couples, it is apparent that these are not ordinary situations. Often, the couples have attendants and they are depicted in unusual positions. Normally, these things would be highly addictive, but the goal is that if one partakes in them, they will be able to overcome them and achieve enlightenment. This is great point in the lecture to ask your students what it means for Hinduism to accept aspects of life to the extent that it allows images of sex outside of a temple wall. In Southern India, two important dynasties ruled in Tamil Nadu before The Pallavas created the site of Mamallpuram, also called Mahabalipuram, a coastal site about forty miles south of the modern city of Chennai. Mamallpuram contains an enormous amount of unique monuments carved out of natural granite outcroppings, divided into four types: great sculpted cliffs, rock-cut monolithic shrines created out of single boulders, rock-cut caves, and traditional free-standing temples built by masonry. Over half of the monuments are unfinished most likely due to the poor condition of the granite. These monuments were probably built over a period of a hundred years, showing the importance of the site and how the Pallava kings greatly fulfilled their dharma. The relief dates from around the early to mid seventh century ce and is carved out of two granite monoliths with a natural cleft in the center. The boulders measure forty-nine by ninety-eight feet and incorporate a scene of a mountainous abode incorporating elephants at its base. Shiva is depicted twice on the relief: once at top on the proper right and again below in a shrine. A man stands in a tree pose in front of Shiva and is depicted again in front of the shrine. Shiva is shown with his hand in varada mudra , which is the gesture of gift bestowal. The relief could possibly depict both stories, but most accept the interpretation is that it depicts the descent of the Ganges. The site of Mamallapuram is far from the Ganges river and so, by creating this relief, the Pallava rulers brought the Ganges to their territory. Indeed, the snake deities called naga swimming along the natural cleft also emphasize a water theme in this relief. To add to this interpretation, an unfinished carving of the same subject can be found nearby. It was probably abandoned because of the quality of the granite. The production of portable metal images of deities was an important practice during the Chola dynasty mid ninth-thirteenth centuries ce , they also were located in Tamil Nadu. They used a copper alloy of copper with a small amount of lead, tin, gold, and silver—the combination of which they believed had magical properties. The objects were bathed, clothed, decorated with flowers, and kept in separate shrines in temples. The Rajarajeshvara temple built by Raja Raja Chola I in the eleventh century possessed sixty-six metal sculptures according to inscriptions. The metal images were used during festival processions where they would be attached to carts called rathas and taken out of the temple grounds. The idea is that if a devotee cannot go to the god, the god will come to the devotee. This allows for darshan , seeing the Divine and the Divine seeing the devotee. Initially, the image was carved out of wax, then the wax was encased in clay, and the clay fired. While being fired, the wax melted and ran out of passageways left from wax stems, and this left a clay mold. Molten metal was then poured into the mold. Concept Version Learning Objective Differentiate between the northen Nagara and southern Dravidian styles of Hindu temple architecture. Key Points Hindu art represents a plurality of beliefs and has deeply influenced the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Architecture and sculpture are inextricably linked in Hindu temples, which are usually devoted to a number of different deities. A Hindu temple generally consists of an inner sanctum, in which the idol of the deity is housed; a congregation hall; and sometimes an antechamber and porch. Two main styles of temples exist in India: the north Indian Nagara style, characterized by a beehive shaped central tower, and the south Indian Dravidia style, characterized by a graduated tower with multiple layered pavilions. The period between the 6th and 12th centuries was marked by the appearance of a large number of Hindu states and was a productive and creative period for Hindu temple architecture. Hindu Temples A Hindu temple generally consists of a garba griha "womb chamber" , the inner sanctum in which the murti , or idol of the deity, is housed; a congregation hall; and sometimes an antechamber and porch. The Nagara Style In the northern Nagara style, the shikhara takes the shape of a curvilinear beehive. Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa The 11th century Lingaraj Temple is a fine example of the north Indian Nagara style of temple architecture, marked by its curvilinear, beehive-shaped shikhara. Edit this content. Prev Concept Jain Illustrated Manuscripts. Hindu Sculpture. Hinduism has no single founder and is a conglomeration of diverse traditions and philosophies rather than a rigid set of beliefs. Most Hindus believe in a single supreme God who appears in many different manifestations as devas celestial beings or deities , and they may worship specific devas as individual facets of the same God. Hindu art reflects this plurality of beliefs, and Hindu temples, in which architecture and sculpture are inextricably connected, are usually devoted to different deities. Hindu art is also characterized by a number of recurring holy symbols, including the om , an invocation of the divine consciousness of God; the swastika, a symbol of auspiciousness; and the lotus flower, a symbol of purity, beauty, fertility, and transcendence. The garba griha is surmounted by a shikhara , or tower. Two main styles of temples exist in India: the northern Nagara style and the southern Dravida style. In the northern Nagara style, the shikhara takes the shape of a curvilinear beehive. The temple is a square with a number of graduated projections in the middle of each side, giving a cruciform shape with a number of re-entrant angles on each side. The projections in the plan are also carried upwards to the top of the shikhara, giving a strong emphasis on vertical lines in elevation. Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa : The 11th century Lingaraj Temple is a fine example of the north Indian Nagara style of temple architecture, marked by its curvilinear, beehive-shaped shikhara. In the southern Dravidian style, the tower or gopuram consists of progressive smaller stories of pavilions. These temples were square in plan and pyramidal in shape; included porches mandapams and pillard halls chaultris or chawadis ; and contained tanks or wells for water to be used for sacred purposes or the convenience of the priests. The multiple stories are ornately carved. The earliest Hindu temples found in India date back to the Gupta period ca. The period between the 6th and 12th centuries was marked by the appearance of a large number of states, most of which were ruled by Hindu dynasties. This was a deeply productive and creative period for Hindu temple architecture, and many beautiful examples survive to the present day. Although many Hindu temples were destroyed during the period of Muslim rule in India 12th to 18th centuries , Hindu influence on Indian art and architecture has withstood the test of time and continues to shape works of art. Hindu sculpture represents the themes of its religion through its depiction of deities and recurring symbols, such as the lotus flower.