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INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
ewan k
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which countries are included in the architecture of India? | Present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. |
| What do these countries share despite political boundaries? | A common cultural heritage. |
| What does Indian architecture comprise? | A blend of ancient and varied native traditions, with building types, forms, and technologies from west, central Asia, and Europe. |
| How has Indian Architecture influenced the surrounding regions of the world? | Especially eastern Asia, due to the spread of ideas with Buddhism. |
| What are some Indian architectural features that have become famous symbols of Hindu-Buddhist culture in East Asia and Southeast Asia? | Stupa, sikhara, pagoda, and torana. |
| What is the story of early Indian architecture? | The story of how powerful and popular religions celebrated their beliefs through monumental design. |
| What forms a barrier on the North of Indian architecture? | High mountain ranges including the Hindu Kush, Pamirs, Karakorams, and the Himalayas. |
| What boundaries surround the area of Indian architecture? | The sea to the east, south, and west. |
| Which rivers in the north provided trade ways for Indian architecture? | The Indus and Ganges, along with their tributaries. |
| Where were many of the important cities of Indian architecture founded? | Along the Indus and Ganges rivers. |
| What influenced architecture in the Indus and Ganges Valleys from the earliest times? | The lack of building stone and the easily available timber floated down the rivers from the mountains. |
| What type of stone is easily available in Rajasthan for facing materials? | Good white marble. |
| What type of stone is available in Agra for facing materials? | Fine red and cream sandstone. |
| Which geological features made contributions to the development of regional characteristics in the center and south of India? | The 'trap' and granite of the Deccan and the volcanic portstone of Halebid. |
| What geological feature made the rock-cut sanctuaries of Ellora, Ajanta, and Elephanta possible? | Horizontal rock strata in the Western Ghats. |
| What type of rock formations were the rock-cut temples, known as 'RATHS', hewn out of? | Amygdaloidal trap formations. |
| Where is hard teak found? | In Burma and in the eastern and western mountains. |
| What is the variation of temperature between summer and winter in the East? | Small variation. |
| When does the monsoon season occur in the East? | May to August. |
| What type of climate does the East generally have? | Warm and humid but not excessively hot. |
| What happens to temperatures in the North during the summer months? | They rise high. |
| When does the winter solstice occur in the North? | Winter months (May to July). |
| What received more attention than winter comfort in the North-west? | Protection against heat. |
| What are the general features of Indian architecture to exclude sunlight and heat? | Pierced or latticed windows, canals, reservoirs, and tanks. |
| How did the high angle of the sun and frequency of sunny days influence external carved decorations in Indian architecture? | It helped produce the characteristics of external carved decorations which takes much of its effect from the contrast of light and shade. |
| What type of roof is almost universal in Indian architecture for summer sleeping? | Flat roof. |
| In which region of India are steep pitched roofs found in architecture? | In the East, where the need to deal with heavy and continuous rain produced steep pitched roofs. |
| What is the earliest defined civilization in the Indian sub-continent? | The Indus Valley Harappan culture. |
| To which culture was the Indus Valley Harappan culture related? | Sumerian cultures of Western Asia. |
| What were the influences that brought about art and architecture into contact with Indian culture? | Aryan, Persian, Graeco-Roman, Sassanian, Muslim, Portuguese, French, and English. |
| According to many scholars, what is considered the world's oldest religion? | Hinduism. |
| What is the rank of Hinduism in terms of world's largest religions? | Third, behind Christianity and Islam. |
| Why is it difficult to trace the origin and history of Hinduism? | Because the religion has no specific founder. |
| What makes Hinduism unique? | It's not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies. |
| What doctrines do Hindus believe in? | Samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and Karma (the universal law of cause and effect). |
| What is the origin of the Hindu religion? | A combination of the faiths of the indigenous Dravidians and Aryan invaders. |
| How is Hindu worship described? | Essentially an individual act, with communal worship being foreign to it except on certain specified occasions. |
| What is the basic difference between the Hindu temple and the Muslim mosque? | The communal worship aspect. |
| Who has the authority to officiate during major occasions in Hinduism? | The Brahman priesthood. |
| Which other Indian religions is Hinduism closely related to? | Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. |
| When did Buddhism originate? | 2,500 years ago in India. |
| Where did the Buddhist religious buildings become concentrated? | In monasteries and in shrines where relics of those who had achieved salvation (NIRVANA) were deposited. |
| What form did the shrines in Buddhism take? | They took the form of 'stupa,' or domical mounds which, grouped with their rails, gateways, professional paths and crowning 'umbrella,' came to be regarded as symbols of the universe. |
| What were the monasteries in Buddhism? | They became places of international pilgrimage and dissemination of learning. |
| What do Buddhists believe is the way to achieve enlightenment? | Meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior. |
| What do Buddhists believe human life is a cycle of? | Suffering and rebirth. |
| Who was the first person to reach the state of enlightenment in Buddhism? | Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). |
| Do Buddhists believe in any kind of deity or god? | No. |
| What is the ultimate goal for Buddhists to escape the cycle of suffering and rebirth? | To achieve a state of enlightenment. |
| What is the term for the state of enlightenment in Buddhism? | Nirvana. |
| What are the supernatural figures in Buddhism believed to do? | Help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment. |
| What did the Buddha teach about in relation to Four Noble Truths? | Suffering (Dukkha), Origin of Suffering (Sumadaya), Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha), and Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga). |
| What does the first Noble Truth, Suffering (Dukkha), teach? | It teaches that everyone is suffering in some way. |
| According to the second Noble Truth, Origin of Suffering (Sumadaya), where does all suffering come from? | It states that all suffering comes from desire (tanha). |
| What does the third Noble Truth, Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha), state? | It says that it is possible to stop suffering and achieve enlightenment. |
| What is the fourth Noble Truth, Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga), about? | It is about the Middle Way, which are the steps to achieve enlightenment. |
| What are the core values of Jainism? | Nonviolence above all else. |
| What do Jains believe causes bad karma? | Harming living things. |
| What is the goal of Jains? | Salvation through successive rebirths, with the ideal being rigid asceticism and the avoidance of injury to every living creature. |
| How do Jain temples differ from Hindu temples? | Jain temples are distinguished by the extraordinary richness and complexity of their sculptural ornament. |
| Who are worshipped in Jainism? | Mahavira (Great Hero) and twenty three (23) other Jinas (Tirthankaras). |
| What is the Buddhist Stupa? | A dome-shaped monument used in India as a commemorative monument associated with storing sacred relics. |
| Where was the Great Stupa, Sanchi, India originally built? | In the 3rd century BCE by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. |
| What is the purpose of the Stupa architecture in Southeast and East Asia? | It became prominent as a Buddhist monument used for enshrining sacred relics. |
| How were temples constructed in Buddhist architecture? | Using brick and timber, and built on elliptical, circular, quadrilateral, or apsidal plans. |
| Who is believed to have built the Great Stupa, Sanchi, India? | The Mauryan emperor Ashoka. |
| What is the central structure of the Great Stupa in Sanchi, India? | A hemispherical dome (ANDA) on a base, with a relic chamber deep within. |
| What does the dome of the Great Stupa symbolize? | The dome of heaven enclosing the earth. |
| What does the squared railing (HARMIKA) on the Great Stupa represent? | The world mountain. |
| What does the central pillar (YASHTI) of the Great Stupa symbolize? | The cosmic axis and supports a triple umbrella structure (CHATTRA) representing the Three Jewels of Buddhism. |
| What is the purpose of the circular terrace (MEDHI) surrounding the dome of the Great Stupa? | To allow the faithful to circumambulate in a clockwise direction. |
| During which period did the first wave of construction of Indian rock-cut architecture finish? | Gupta period. |
| When did the second wave of construction of Indian rock-cut architecture begin? | In the late 5th century. |
| Where is the Ajanta Caves located? | Maharashtra, India. |
| What are the Ajanta Caves? | Ancient monasteries (Chaityas) and worship-halls (Viharas) of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre wall of rock. |
| How many rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments are there at Ajanta Caves? | Approximately thirty. |
| What is the time range of the rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta Caves? | From the second century BCE to about 480 CE. |
| To which Hindu god are the Elephanta Caves predominantly dedicated? | Shiva. |
| What type of sculptures are predominantly found in the Elephanta Caves? | Rock cut stone sculptures, mostly in high relief. |
| What is the material from which the Elephanta Caves are hewn? | Solid basalt rock. |
| What kind of ideas and iconography show syncretism in the sculptures of Elephanta Caves? | Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography. |
| Where are the Ellora Caves located? | Maharashtra, India. |
| What is special about the Ellora Caves? | It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world. |
| What is the period of artwork dating in the Ellora Caves? | 600 – 1000 CE. |
| Which cave features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world? | Cave 16, featuring the Kailash temple. |
| To which god is the Kailash temple in Cave 16 dedicated? | Shiva. |
| What does 'Mahabodhi' mean? | Great Awakening. |
| What event is the Mahabodhi Temple said to mark? | The location where the Buddha attained enlightenment. |
| According to Buddhist tradition, what is the significance of Bodhimanda? | It is the last spot to disappear at the end of a kalpa and the first to appear when the world emerges into existence again. |
| What is the legend regarding the lotus at Bodhimanda? | It will bloom there, and if a Buddha is born during the new kalpa, the lotus flowers in accordance with the number of Buddhas expected to arise. |
| What legend is associated with the day Gautama Buddha was born? | A Bodhi tree sprang up on the day he was born. |
| What is the inner sanctuary in Hindu temple architecture called? | Garbha Griha or womb-chamber. |
| What is housed in the inner sanctuary of a Hindu temple? | The primary Murti or cult image of a deity. |
| What crowns the garbhagriha on the exterior in Hindu temple architecture? | A tower-like Shikhara or Vimana. |
| What is the purpose of the ambulatory in the shrine building of a Hindu temple? | For parikrama (circumambulation). |
| What are the additional components that may be included in the shrine building of a Hindu temple? | One or more mandapas or congregation halls, and sometimes an antarala (antechamber) and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. |
| Where is the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple located? | Madhya Pradesh, India. |
| What does 'Kandariya Mahadeva' mean? | 'The Great God of the Cave'. |
| What is the significance of the Kandariya Mahadeva temple? | It is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval period. |
| During whose reign was the Kandariya Mahadeva temple built? | Vidyadhara (r. c. 1003 - 1035 CE). |
| What is an Amalaka in Hindu temple architecture? | A segmented or notched stone disk that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower. |
| Who is the LINGARAJA TEMPLE dedicated to? | Shiva. |
| Where is the LINGARAJA TEMPLE located? | In Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, India. |
| What is the height of the central tower of the LINGARAJA TEMPLE? | 180 ft (55 m). |
| What are the four components of the Deula style of the LINGARAJA TEMPLE? | Vimana, jagamohana, natamandira, and bhoga-mandapa. |
| Who is believed to have built the LINGARAJA TEMPLE? | Kings from the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers. |
| What is the architectural similarity between Jain temple architecture and Hindu temple architecture? | Jain temple architecture is generally close to Hindu temple architecture. |
| What is the basic layout of a Hindu and most Jain temples? | Consists of a small garbhagriha or sanctuary for the main MURTI or cult images, over which the high superstructure rises, then one or more larger mandapa halls. |
| What is the difference in placement of figures between Jains and other religions? | Jains placed large figures of one or more of the 24 tirthankaras in the open air rather than inside the shrine. |
| How were the statues of tirthankaras positioned in the open air? | Normally standing nude figures in the KAYOTSARGA meditation position. |
| What is Palitana also known as in historic texts? | Padliptapur of Kathiawad. |
| How many small shrines and large temples are there in Palitana? | Over 800. |
| What is the significance of Palitana in Jainism? | It is one of the most sacred sites of Svetambara tradition within Jainism. |
| When were the Palitana temples built? | In and after the 11th century CE. |
| Who is the main temple in Palitana dedicated to? | Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara. |
| What is the preferred material of construction for the Palitana temples? | Marble. |
| Where is the Ranakpur Jain Temple located? | Rajasthan, India. |
| What is the significance of the Ranakpur temple in Jain culture? | It is one of the largest and most important temples of Jain culture. |
| What are some of the temples included in the Ranakpur temple campus? | Chaumukha temple, Surya temple, Suparshvanatha temple, and Amba temple. |
| Who constructed the Ranakpur temple and when? | In 1439, Deepaka, an architect, constructed the temple at the direction of Dharanka, a devoted Jain. |
| Where is the Chaturmukha Temple located? | In the midst of a forest. |
| What material was used to build the Chaturmukha Temple? | White marble. |
| Why is the Chaturmukha Temple named so? | Because of its design of chaumukha, with four faces. |
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