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Questions and Answers
What does the term 'Dharma' primarily refer to in the context of Hindu beliefs?
What does the term 'Dharma' primarily refer to in the context of Hindu beliefs?
Which group within the Hindu caste system is primarily associated with religious rituals and scholarship?
Which group within the Hindu caste system is primarily associated with religious rituals and scholarship?
What characterizes Brahmanism as it evolved in post-Vedic India?
What characterizes Brahmanism as it evolved in post-Vedic India?
Which of the following deities is associated with the fierce form and transformation in Hinduism?
Which of the following deities is associated with the fierce form and transformation in Hinduism?
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Which religion is considered to have originated from Hinduism?
Which religion is considered to have originated from Hinduism?
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What is the primary material used for steps, walls, and ornamental carvings in Indian architecture?
What is the primary material used for steps, walls, and ornamental carvings in Indian architecture?
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Which type of marble is known for being used in the construction of the Taj Mahal?
Which type of marble is known for being used in the construction of the Taj Mahal?
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Which of the following is a hardwood found in the river valleys of northern India?
Which of the following is a hardwood found in the river valleys of northern India?
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What defines India's secularism in the context of its Constitution?
What defines India's secularism in the context of its Constitution?
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Which ancient civilization is associated with the Indus region?
Which ancient civilization is associated with the Indus region?
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What type of construction material is usually found in the Deccan Plateau?
What type of construction material is usually found in the Deccan Plateau?
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Which material is predominantly used for facing work and columns in Indian architecture?
Which material is predominantly used for facing work and columns in Indian architecture?
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Around which year did Hinduism begin to emerge with the arrival of Aryan tribes?
Around which year did Hinduism begin to emerge with the arrival of Aryan tribes?
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What distinguishes Dholavira from other Harappan sites like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro?
What distinguishes Dholavira from other Harappan sites like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro?
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Which of the following was a significant contribution of the Maurya Dynasty during Ashoka's reign?
Which of the following was a significant contribution of the Maurya Dynasty during Ashoka's reign?
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What was the primary purpose of rock-cut sanctuaries initiated by Emperor Ashoka?
What was the primary purpose of rock-cut sanctuaries initiated by Emperor Ashoka?
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Which of the following elements is a symbolic form commonly found in Buddhist art and architecture?
Which of the following elements is a symbolic form commonly found in Buddhist art and architecture?
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In which area would one find the rock-cut temples known as Chaityagrihas?
In which area would one find the rock-cut temples known as Chaityagrihas?
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What are the two storm water channels that flank Dholavira?
What are the two storm water channels that flank Dholavira?
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Which unique feature characterized the structure of Dholavira as a Harappan site?
Which unique feature characterized the structure of Dholavira as a Harappan site?
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What was a common feature of rock-cut sanctuaries constructed during the reign of Ashoka?
What was a common feature of rock-cut sanctuaries constructed during the reign of Ashoka?
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What is the primary function of the Chatra in a stupa?
What is the primary function of the Chatra in a stupa?
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Which part of the stupa is crowned by an apex known as the yatsi?
Which part of the stupa is crowned by an apex known as the yatsi?
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What does the ANDA of a stupa symbolize?
What does the ANDA of a stupa symbolize?
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How does the Medhi serve the faithful in relation to the stupa?
How does the Medhi serve the faithful in relation to the stupa?
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What is the purpose of the TORANA in a stupa?
What is the purpose of the TORANA in a stupa?
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What is the typical architectural material used in constructing the VEDIKA?
What is the typical architectural material used in constructing the VEDIKA?
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What is the significance of the clockwise motion during circumambulation of the stupa?
What is the significance of the clockwise motion during circumambulation of the stupa?
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Which structure serves as the stairs leading to the stupa's terrace?
Which structure serves as the stairs leading to the stupa's terrace?
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What is the significance of the Sikh surname 'Kaur'?
What is the significance of the Sikh surname 'Kaur'?
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Which of the following best describes Mount Meru in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology?
Which of the following best describes Mount Meru in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology?
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What era is referred to as the 'Golden Age' of India?
What era is referred to as the 'Golden Age' of India?
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Which architectural feature is NOT associated with Hindu temples?
Which architectural feature is NOT associated with Hindu temples?
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What is the primary purpose of a Gurdwara in Sikhism?
What is the primary purpose of a Gurdwara in Sikhism?
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In Hindu architecture, what does the term 'Prasada' refer to?
In Hindu architecture, what does the term 'Prasada' refer to?
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Which purpose does the design and construction of Hindu temples NOT serve?
Which purpose does the design and construction of Hindu temples NOT serve?
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What does the Nishan Sahib symbolize in Sikhism?
What does the Nishan Sahib symbolize in Sikhism?
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Study Notes
Indian Architecture
- The Indus Region was home to one of the four ancient urban civilizations
- The Indian Peninsula and portions of Asian mainland are referred to as Bharat, including Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Bharat is derived from King Bharat and Varsa, which means a division of the earth or a continent.
Materials Used In Ancient India
- Sandstone: used in steps, facing work, columns, flooring, walls, road metal, ornamental carving, etc.
- Marble: Makrana marble is a type of white marble popular for sculpture and building decor used in the Taj Mahal
- Granite: Found in the Deccan Plateau
- Soapstone: Volcanic potstone, also known as soapstone, is a metamorphic rock of talc schist found in Halebid, central, and southern parts
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Timber: Used along the Indus and Ganges valleys due to the lack of building stone. Examples of timber used include:
- Teakwood: Burma
- Softwood deodar: Northern mountain ranges
- Shisham (Indian Rosewood): Hardwood found in the river valleys of the north
- Bricks & Terra Cotta: Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab
Religion
- Secularism: The Constitution of India declares it as a secular state with no state religion
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Hinduism: Polytheistic religion brought around 1500 BCE by invading Aryan tribes.
- The Vedic tribe is connected to the name Bharat.
- Veda (knowledge) is the scripture of the religion
- Vedism - polytheistic sacrificial religion involving the worship of numerous male divinities.
- Brahmanism - complex sacrificial religion that emerged in post-Vedic India under the influence of the dominant Brahman priesthood.
- The supreme god of Brahmanism is Brahma.
- Hinduism is derived from the Indus river and is referred to as Santana Dharma.
- Sanskrit is the sacred language.
- Dharma: Moral order, duty, and right action.
- Reincarnation: Rebirth, kharma: misfortunes are the result of misdeeds in a previous life, ahimsa: non-violence and respect for all living things
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Saktas: one of the most debased Hindu sects with erotic and sensual imagery.
- Durga: portrayed as a beautiful woman with a gentle face, rides a lion with 10 arms holding weapons to vanquish the demons who threaten the dharma.
- Kali: portrayed as dripping with blood, carrying a sword and a severed head, and wearing a girdle of severed hands and a necklace of skulls symbolizing her aspect as the destroyer of evil.
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Caste System (VARNA): Social group based on occupation
- Kshatriyas: Kings and Warriors
- Brahmins: Priests
- Vaisyas: Merchants and Farmers
- Sudras: Workers
- Untouchables: Outcasts
- Jainism: established in the 6th century BCE by Vardhamana, called Mahavira "the Great Hero" or Jina (Victorious One)
- Buddhism: Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) in the 6th century BCE, but declined in succeeding centuries and was nearly extinct by the 13th century.
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Sikhism: Emphasis on the equality of all humans and rejects discrimination.
- Sikh males adopt the surname "Singh", meaning a lion, and women use the surname "Kaur" meaning princess.
- The Sikh place of worship is called Gurdwara.
- The Nishan Sahib, a saffron-colored triangular flag bearing the khanda, is the symbol of the Sikh faith.
- Islamic: The majority Muslim districts in these areas were awarded to Pakistan and the majority non-Muslim to India.
Mount Meru – Sacred Mountain
- Mount Meru is considered to be the center of the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual universes
- Known as the "middle of the earth", connecting Heaven and Earth.
Architectural Character
- Monolithic, monumental, free-standing construction, and rock-cut buildings. - Laid down by Brahmanism (Barabar) and by Jainism (Udayagiri and Khandagiri) - Buddhist - magnificent development and artistic character.
Gupta Dynasty
- Largest political and military empire in India
- Ruled most of northern India and eastern Pakistan, parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan
- Golden Age: Education, inventions and discoveries, culture, art, architecture, music, and literature.
Temples
- Mandir: Hindu or Jain temple
- Devalaya: Temple (going to the gods)
- Prasada: Hindu religious offering
- The Hindu Temple is meant to encourage reflection, facilitate the purification of one's mind, and trigger the process of inner realization
Design Principles of Temples
- They follow a set of principles of design and construction for art and architecture based on their scriptures
- Metaphysical plan of a building that incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and supernatural forces
- Symbol of the purusha or primordial man
- Mandala: A plan or chart which symbolically represents the cosmos, an expression of sacred geometry.
Dholavira
- Located in Kutch District, Gujarat State, India
- UNESCO WHS (2021)
- Made almost entirely of stone (Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are made of brick)
- Flanked by two storm water channels: Mansar (north) and Manhar (south)
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Three divisions:
- Citadel/Acropolis
- Middle town
- Lower town
Mauryan Dynasty
- First Indian Empire founded by Chandragupta
- Ashoka (273-232 B.C.) was the greatest Mauryan king and spread Buddhism throughout India
- India became a great centre of learning with universities at Nalanda and Takshasila attracting scholars from China and Southeast Asia
Buddhist Art And Architecture
- Designed for congregational use
- Monumental and sophisticated
- Symbolic forms:
- Lotus: Divinity and Man's salvation
- Wheel: Cycle of life, death, and rebirth, teaching of Buddha
- Four animals: 4 quarters of the compass
- Lion: Sakyamuni Buddha known as the Lion of the Sakya Clan
- Elephant, Horse, etc.
- Tree: Enlightenment
Rock-Cut Sanctuaries/Cave Temples
- Emperor Ashoka initiated the first rock-cut technique
- Easier to excavate a rocky mountain than pile up stone
- The Barabar and Nagarjuni caves were hewn out of granite rock
- Rock-cut sanctuaries of Karli, Ajanta, and Elephanta in the Western Ghats
- Rhats (rock-cut temples) in Mamallapuram and Ellora
- Consist of:
-
Chaityagrihas/ Chaitya: Place of worship, assembly halls.
- Parts include:
- Ornamental façade, with a small rectangular door
- Central vaulted hall with an apsidal end divided by 2 colonnades into a nave and 2 side aisles
- Rock-cut stupa at the rear end of the hall for circumambulation (pradakshina patha)
- Parts include:
- Vihara - Monasteries for monks
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Chaityagrihas/ Chaitya: Place of worship, assembly halls.
Stupa Parts
- Chatra: parasol umbrella protecting from harmful forces and symbolizing high rank.
- Harmika: Square pedestal on top of the hemisphere known as the "dwelling place of the Gods"
- Anda: Hemispheric cupola/ mound, known also as egg, womb, or the fertile earth. Contains the seed or the relic.
- Medhi: Upper passageway/ terrace; raised 4.87 m. from the ground.
- Vedika: Railing around the Harmika and Medhi.
- Sopana: Staircase.
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Torana: Ceremonial / ornamental gateways.
- Pradakshina-patha: Circumambulation around the stupa to pay homage to the Buddha.
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Description
Test your knowledge about Indian architecture, focusing on the ancient urban civilizations of the Indus Region and the materials used in construction. Explore the significance of sandstone, marble, granite, and timber in India's architectural heritage.
