Ancient Indian Architecture
Introduction
• Architecture began with the beginning of mankind. In the beginning Man had very
basic needs; hence the built environment or the architecture style was minimalistic
and basic.
• The history of Architecture is classified as eras outlining the time period of man’s
existence.
• The first stage or era of architecture is the Pre-historic period.
• The description about the noteworthy early Indian architecture provides a textual
connection for architectural forms and iconography of the period starting with the
Mauryas, and Renou used the descriptions of the constructions accompanying
Vedic ritual to visualize the form of the house in an earlier period.
Archaeology has unearthed urbanisation
phase from early Harappan in Kalibangan
to the late Harappan phase when
urbanisation declined but was preserved
in few pockets. The urbanisation in the
Gangetic plains began as early as 1200 BC
with the emergence of fortified cities and
appearance of Northern Black polished
ware."
The Mahajanapada period was
characterised by Indian coins and use
of stone in the Indian architecture.
Nagara and Dravidian Architectural Styles
• Developed in the early medieval period with the rise of Hindu revivalism
and predominant role of Hindu temple architecture in the Indian
Subcontinent.
• It is assumed that the beginnings of Indian architecture are to be traced
to the early Sūtra texts that speak of primitive structures.
• For Coomaraswamy (one of the historian and philosopher), the Jātakas
and the Epics provide textual evidence of the plans of cities and city-
gates, palaces, and huts and temples.
Significance and influence of the era
(Vedic / Pre – Vedic)
• The Harappan period gave us an idea about the sacred geometry and we have
evidence of archaeological forms from the period that appear to be according to
Vedic norms.
• A significant building has been found in Mohenjo-Daro that has a central
courtyard and a symmetric arrangement of rooms.
• The historic era has shown that the Atharvavedic descriptions of the structure, that
have long been taken to describe the typical Vedic house, actually deal with the
temporary shed that is established in the courtyard of the house in connection
with householder’s ritual.
• It summarised and gave evidence related to the Vedic ideas of sacred geometry
and its transformation into the classical Hindu temple form. This helped us explore
the connections that tie the details of the temple form and its iconography to
fundamental Vedic ideas related to transformation.
Symbolism and Science
• A Hindu temple is a symbolic structure that represents certain
fundamental concepts of Hindu philosophy about the nature of cosmos,
and the formal characteristics of the temple are the outcome of this
symbolic representation (Trivedi, 1993).
• The Rig Veda used a subtle system of symbolism, so that in later Indian
thought its meaning was always open to interpretation at several levels
(Michell, 1977, 1988).
• The symbolism of temple buildings sometimes seems to refer to the
structure of the world and sometimes to the religious relationship of men
to the gods (Saussaye, 1891)
• The architecture of Hindu Temples is basically based on the Vastu Shastra.
• Vastu Shastra is the texts that contain the information about design,
layout, measurements, ground preparation, geometry and space
arrangements. It provides the procedural rules and directions for the
design and layout of the buildings.
• At first, the plan is made in the form of geometric design called Vastu-
Purusha-Mandala.
• Vastu meaning dwelling, Purusha meaning universal essence and mandala
meaning circular. Hence, Vastu-Purusha-Mandala is symmetrical, self-
repeating structure based on the Hindu texts, cardinality, and
mathematical principles.
1) Sun temple, Konark Odisha
Temples
• The main architectural features of Odisha temples are classified in
three orders, i.e., rekhapida, pidhadeul and khakra. Most of the
main temple sites are located in ancient Kalinga—modern Puri
District, including Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri
and Konark.
• The temples of Odisha constitute a distinct sub-style within the
nagara order. In general, here the shikhara, called deul in Odisha,
is vertical almost until the top when it suddenly curves sharply
inwards.
• The ground plan of the main temple is almost always square,
which, in the upper reaches of its superstructure becomes circular
in the crowning mastaka.
• This makes the spire nearly cylindrical in appearance in its length.
Compartments and niches are generally square, the exterior of the
temples are lavishly carved, their interiors generally quite bare.
2) Sibsagar Temple, Assam
• An old sixth-century sculpted door frame from
DaParvatia near Tezpur and another few stray
sculptures from Rangagora Tea Estate near Tinsukia in
Assam bear witness to the import of the Gupta idiom in
that region.
• This post-Gupta style continued in the region well into
the tenth century. However, by the twelfth to
fourteenth centuries, a distinct regional style
developed in Assam.
• The style that came with the migration of the Tais from
Upper Burma mixed with the dominant Pala style of
Bengal and led to the creation of what was later known
as the Ahom style in and around Guwahati.
3) Sun Temple, Modhera Gujarat
• The temples in the north-western parts of India including
Gujarat and Rajasthan, and stylistically extendable, at
times, to western Madhya Pradesh are too numerous to
include here in any comprehensive way.
• The most exuberant and famed is the manipulatable soft
white marble which is also seen in some of the tenth to
twelveth century Jain temples in Mount Abu and the
fifteenth century temple at Ranakpur.
• The Sun temple at Modhera dates back to early eleventh
century and was built by Raja Bhimdev I of the Solanki
Dynasty in 1026.
• There is a massive rectangular stepped tank called the
surya kund in front of it. Proximity of sacred architecture to
a water body such as a tank, a river or a pond has been
noticed right from the earliest times. By the early eleventh
century they had become a part of many temples.
4) Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha Ellor
• Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha Ellora But the most
noteworthy of all is the one depicted on the left wall of
Kailashnath temple (Cave No.16) at Ellora.
• It is a colossal sculpture and is considered as one of the
masterpieces of Indian sculpture. It depicts the episode
of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha when Lord Shiva
along with Parvati and others were on the mountain.
• The depth of carvings of the multiple hands brings out
the effect of three-dimensional space. Ravana’s body is
angular pushing one leg inside. The hands are
expanded on the sides of the inside chamber created
by the image of Ravana.
• The celestial beings above Shiva and Parvati witnessing
the event are shown in frozen movement. Protrusion of
volume and recession in the space are important
landmarks in the images of the Ellora caves.
Summary
• Architecture began with the beginning of mankind. In the beginning Man had very basic needs; hence
the built environment or the architecture style was minimalistic and basic.
• The first stage or era of architecture is the Pre-historic period, the era before history began to be
documented. This era spanned the time period of 1,000-1500 BC.
• The description about the noteworthy early Indian architecture provides a textual connection for
architectural forms and iconography of the period starting with the Mauryas, and Renou used the
descriptions of the constructions accompanying Vedic ritual to visualize the form of the house in an
earlier period.
• Archaeology has unearthed urbanization phase from early Harappan in Kalibangan to the late Harappan
phase when urbanization declined but was preserved in few pockets. The urbanization in the Gangetic
plains began as early as 1200 BC with the emergence of fortified cities and appearance of Northern
Black polished ware."
• The Harappan period gave us an idea about the sacred geometry and we have evidence of
archaeological forms from the period that appear to be according to Vedic norms.
• The main architectural features of Odisha temples are classified in three orders, i.e.,
rekhapida, pidhadeul and khakra. Most of the main temple sites are located in ancient
Kalinga—modern Puri District, including Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri and
Konark.
• Assam: An old sixth-century sculpted door frame from DaParvatia near Tezpur and another
few stray sculptures from Rangagora Tea Estate near Tinsukia in Assam bear witness to the
import of the Gupta idiom in that region.
• The theme of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha has been depicted several times in the caves
of Ellora. But the most noteworthy of all is the one depicted on the left wall of Kailashnath
temple (Cave No.16) at Ellora.
Thank You
GROUP MEMBERS
Aayushi Agarwal
Aditi Agarwal
Darwin Variava
Deval Buddhadev
Pragya Jain
Harshit Agarwal
