Indian Architecture PDF

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE HISTORY Third great civilization to emerge in a fertile river valley Indus river 2500 BC, present-day Pakistan and Northwest India Major cities were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa Each city was ruled by priest-kings, citadels atop the city Lasted only 800 years 1500...

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE HISTORY Third great civilization to emerge in a fertile river valley Indus river 2500 BC, present-day Pakistan and Northwest India Major cities were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa Each city was ruled by priest-kings, citadels atop the city Lasted only 800 years 1500 BC Aryans from the north moved into India Set-up 16 separate kingdoms all over Most powerful, the Magadha kingdom, conquered all other kingdoms Established the Mauryan Empire in 300 BC under King Ashoka RELIGION Hinduism Main religion of India Along with Judaism, the worlds oldest surviving religion From indigenous Dravidians and Aryan invaders Chief gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva Belief in reincarnation, the soul comes back to life in a different body Caste system: priests, warriors and nobles, farmers and traders, laborers and servants, untouchables Buddhism Many people disliked the way Hindu society divided people into castes Gautama Siddhartha 563 – 483 BC, gave up his princely life to search for wisdom After 6 years of wandering, he found enlightenment through a deep thinking process called meditation Overcome human weakness including greed and anger Salvation or nirvana Buddhist Structures STAMBHA or LATHS STUPAS Buddhist memorial mound erected to enshrine a relic of Buddha, to commemorate special events or mark a sacred spot Regarded as symbols of the universe Based on the pre-historic funerary tumulus Artificial domical mounds raised on a platform With processional paths, rails, gateways, crowning umbrella called a chattri VIHARAS Buddhist monasteries often excavated from solid rock Central pillared chamber or quadrangle surrounded by verandah Small sleeping cells on the sides In front stood the courtyard containing the stupa CHAITYA WAT Buddhist Monastery or temple in Thailand and Cambodia Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia, located on a site measuring 162.6 hectares GOMPA Dechen Choekhor Mahavihara Monastery in Kullu HINDU TEMPLES Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu), located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. The Meenakshi temple complex of Madurai, mostly built between 1623 and 1655 CE, a large complex in the Dravidian architecture of South India, dominated by gopuram gatehouse towers. The two main shrines are much smaller, with gold tops.