The Great Indian Architecture - Frontline + CCRT exclusive rohit1681March 13Guys,

Needless to say that culture and environment has been a bane for Prelims examination. Most of us tend to take the highway route on culture and let it go.Last year (IAS 2014), we had some very whacky architecture (temples, shrines, holy places) based questions which sent most of us looking for a cover!

Frontline's March issue has a very nice story done on Indian Architecture by Binoy K. Behl. He is a film-maker, art historian and photographer from India, who lives in New Delhi.I am trying to make it a bit more palatable to our senses so that we may find something interesting about these grand old heritage point and remember when we face the UPSC monster!

But first, a few last years' (CSAT 2014) questions which begged us to take notice -

Q1. Match the Famous shrine & Location

1. Tabo monastery and temple complex - Spiti Valley?2. Lhotsava Lhakhang temple, Nako - Zanskar Valley?3. Alchi temple complex - Ladakh?

Hint- There is no way in hell we could have remembered this! But there was an article in Frontline where it said that Lhotsava Lhakhang, Nako is in Himachal Pradesh. Zanskar Valley is in Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore #2 is wrong pair.Link-http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2921/stories/20121102292106100.htm

Q2. With reference to the cultural history of India, the term Panchayatan refers to

1. an assembly of village elders2. a religious sect3. a style of temple construction4. an administrative functionary

Hint-http://ccrtindia.gov.in/templearchitecture.phpPanchayatana a temple that has a central shrine surrounded by four other shrines.

I hope if we can generate a wee bit of interest towards these might structure or places by knowing stories around, it will stay with us for long! I am planning to pour in juicy bits from Frontline... Let me know if someone can take up CCRT as well.

The aim is to make it as "less boring" as we canLet's start with Buddha and related places - This is UPSC's favorite.

Mahabodhi temple, Bodhgaya Bihar

1. This temple was built in mid 5th century AD at the site where Buddha gained enlightenment. It is the OLDEST standing GRAND structure in India.2. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien recorded that the site contained several statues and monuments. (Just in case they ask which Chinese banda had visited the place?)3. In 2002, UNESCO declared the Mahabodhi Temple a World Heritage Site.4. This is one of the 4 holiest places for Buddhists.

The other 3 are -Lumbini : NepalSarnath : Uttar Pradesh, IndiaKushinagar : Uttar Pradesh, India

What's so big about Kushinagar? We have the Mahaparinirvana Temple at this place.In Buddhism, the term parinirvana is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained nirvana during their lifetime.

Buddha's death is called Mahaparinirvana.Speaking of Kushinagar, here is the temple's pic (The gilded statue). See how the mighty Buddha relaxes like a boss.

Did you know?Kushinagar finds mention in epic Ramayan as the city of Kusha the son of Ram, the famous king of Ayodhya.

Anyway, moving on. Let's discuss a hybrid temple - The Apsidal Durga Temple

1. The early Chalukya kings built the temples during the fifth and eighth centuries.2. Geographically, this region (Aihole in Karnataka) is a gateway between north and southern regions of India & so ideas from different parts of the country were simultaneously used.

So how did it affect the shape and architecture?1. The Durga temple is an apsidal temple.2. Apse is a part of a building, usually the rear that is semicircular in plan.3. This shape is also calledgajaprastha meaning a shape that resembles the back of an elephant.4. Some historians think that apsidal form is of a Buddhist origin.But this is disputed. I have an older article saying that it was a pre-existing pan indian style of architecture BUT Binoy Behl mentions that it is inspired from Buddhist culture.5. The vimana or tower over the sanctum is of the north Indian style.

PS - Interestingly, the name Durga is misleading.The temple is not dedicated to Goddess Durga but to Surya.

Speaking of Kushinagar, here is the temple's pic (The gilded statue). See how the mighty Buddha relaxes like a boss.

Did you know?Kushinagar finds mention in epic Ramayan as the city of Kusha the son of Ram, the famous king of Ayodhya.

The gilded statue is ofParinirvana. It is the completed nirvana, usually understood to be within reach only upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening ( bodhi ). It is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice. No re-birth after this , free from the cycle of re-incarnation.An incessant toska :| rohit1681March 13^ Okay. That makes sense. Also -

The parinirvana of the Buddha is described in theMahaparinibbana Sutta. Because of its attention to detail, thisTheravada sutta, though first committed to writing hundreds of years after his death, has been resorted to as the principal sourceof reference in most standard studies of the Buddha's life.Promoter @civilsdaily's android app. rohit1681March 13Moving on to Sanchi - the oldest extant Buddhist sanctuary.Although it is said that Buddha never visited the site during any of his former lives or during his earthly existence.

1. It would be safe to assume that we all know about the Great Stupa that is located at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of M.P. - It is the oldest STONE structure + was commissioned by Emperor ASHOKA.2. Stupa 1 = Great Stupa (erected by Ashoka's queen)3. AfterAshokan times- more structure was added bySunga and Andhra-Satvahanas4. From the second to fourth century AD Sanchi and Vidisha came under theKushanas and Kshatrapasand subsequently passed on to the hands of theGuptas.

The Gupta kings built some temples as well &so Sanchi displays harmonious co-existence of Hindu and Buddhist faiths.

Fun fact- When it was discovered in 1818 by General Taylor, Sanchi had lain abandoned for 600 years - was overrun with vegetation! Excavations began in somewhat disorganized fashion until the Archaeological Survey of India stepped in and took control.

PS- The Archaeological Survey of India was eventually formed in 1861 by a statute passed into law byLord Canning with Alexander Cunningham as the first Director-General.

Links -http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_sanchi.asphttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/524Let's turn to a temple which was in news just about a day ago @ The Hindu.

The Virupaksha Temple in Hampi

1. This temple is located on the south bank of the river Tungabadra. Its an important pilgrimage centre for the worshipers of Lord Shiva (virupaksha)2.The Ministry of Culturehas chosenHampiand 24 other monuments in the country to be grantedAdarsha Smaraks tag.3.Adarsh Smarak tagis given to the monuments which have highest number of tourists visiting besides giving them special attention in order to boost international tourism.4. Virupaksha is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Few words on the temple's architecture -1. The progressively diminishing superstructure is made with brick and mortar.2.Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous kings of theVijayanagara Empirewas a major patron of this temple.3.The central pillared hallis believed to be his addition to this temple.

Link-http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/vittala-virupaksha-temples-may-get-adarsh-smarak-tag/article6986291.eceThe grandeur of Pallavas - Shore temple & Kailasanatha Temple

Shore Temple, Mamallapuram, TN

1. Shore Temple comprises three shrines,mainly dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.Lord Vishnu resting on the Sheshnaga!2. The Shore Templeoverlooks the Bay of Bengal(Mamallapuram was the port city of Kanchipuram, the Pallava capital).3. Shore Temple is also acknowledged for beingthe first stone structure made by Pallavas.4.Before this, the monuments used to be carved out of the rocks or stones.

PS - The temple was designed to grasp the first rays of the rising sun and to spotlight the waters after sunset.In the words of Percy Brown, Shore Temple served as "a landmark by day and a beacon by night". Picking up on the Kailasanatha temple.

You would be reasonably awed to know that this famous temple was built forpersonal worship of Narsimha Varman || (Pallava ruler).The same ruler who built the Shore temple.

Reminds me of "She sells sea shells on the seashore". We can associate Shore and Kailasanatha with Pallava by a mnemonic now

1. The structure contains 58 small shrines which are dedicated to various forms of Shiva(Gangadhar Shiva - Ganga bearing Shova)2. The temple was built atKancheepuram - The pallava capital city.3.The temple has a circumambulatory passage.It is believed that making the circumambulation round the various deities would usher the same blessings as visiting paradise. rohit1681March 14The Monolothic temples of Mahabalipuram

1. Also called the Pancha Ratha (but that's more like a misnomer).2. The naming of these ratha, after Pandavas and their wife, the heroes of epic Mahabharata, is simply a local tradition.3. They are the uniquecontribution of the Pallavas to Indian Art.

At this point, since we have studied about Pallava architecture in this thread,let's pause over the richness of their architectural prowess -

On the basis of their architecture, temples can be classified into three broad typescave temples, monolithic temples carved out of a single rock, and structural stone temples.

Most of the temples found in Mamallapuram were built by Rajasimha.We learnt about the Shore temple (Vishnu and Shiva) & Kailasanatha Temple (Gangadhar Shiv).Promoter @civilsdaily's android app. rohit1681March 14Kashmir chalo! While we are on Lord Shiva, let's quickly go up north -

Siva Temple, Pandrethan (near Srinagar)

1. Pandrethan - located 5 km from the present Srinagar. It was theancient Srinagari established by Asoka Maurya in the 3rd century BC. Asoka was a Hindu then and had not embraced Buddhism then.2. The arches seen here were derived fromGandhara& the triangular gables arereminiscent of Byzantine & Syrian buildings.3. It is a square temple with a pyramidal roof. There are some sculptures, one representing Lakulisa with a Lakuda (Shaft) in hand. This tells that its a Shiva temple.

PS -The temple is now under an Army cantonment. It is being protected by the Indian Army due to its historical significance and they maintain it.Promoter @civilsdaily's android app.Moving ahead with the temple business... While we are still around Kashmir,Binoy Behl helps us explore another marvelous piece of history!

The majestic Martand Sun temple

Let's get started with a masala fact first. Remember the movie Haider?A committee of displaced Kashmiri Pandits has sought a ban on the film.WHY?The song Bismil has portrayed the ancient Martand Temple (Sun Temple) of Kashmir as the den of devil.

1. The Sun Temple, build in 370 AD, has historic and religious significance for the Hindu community as it is one of the only two Sun Temples in India, with the other one in Konark in Odisha.2. The Sun Temple in Kashmir is facing West which attains greater significance in the Hindu scriptures.3. It can be said it was an excellent specimen of Kashmiri architecture, which had blended theGandharan, Gupta, Chinese, Roman, Syrian-Byzantine and Greek forms of architecture.

PS - The temple appears in the list of centrally protected monuments as Kartanda.

Ref -http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/kashmiri-pandits-seek-ban-on-film-haider-for-misrepresenting-ancient-temple/Promoter @civilsdaily's android app. rohit1681March 15The temples of Kashmir have a remarkable architectural style of their own,quite unlike the Nagara and Dravida styles of northern and southern India respectively.Late Hellenistic and Central Asian influences are seen in the triangular pediments, enclosing a trefoil arch.Promoter @civilsdaily's android app. rohit1681March 15Rock Cut temple, Masrur (Himachal)

1. The grand Siva temple of Masrur, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.2. This is one of the grandest temples of North India and is the only vast rock-cut temple of the region.3. According to the art historian Michael Meister,the temple was the conceptual model for the vast "temple mountains" of Cambodia.

PS - When we say temple mountains of Cambodia,remember Angkor Wat.Promoter @civilsdaily's android app. rohit1681March 16Lest this thread becomes boring, this is to remind us to plod on!

If youre going to try, go all the way. Otherwise dont even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And youll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.from Factotum

HERITAGE

A SACRED PLAN FOR PEACE WITHINTEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHLThe ecstasy of aesthetic experience lies at the heart of the Buddhism that came to Tibet and the Indian trans-Himalayas. In these vast and bleak desert lands, the Buddhist temples are like an oasis of colour.

Colossal Maitreya relief, Kartse, circa 7th century.The earliest colossal Buddhas were seen in the Kanheri and Ajanta caves, in the 5th-6th centuries. This is a tradition that became very popular in the Himalayan regions and in Central Asiaand China.Vajrayana Buddhism was born out of centuries of dynamic intellectual search at the great universities of eastern India and Kashmir. It is believed to have the clarity and indestructible nature of a diamond as well as the striking nature of a thunderbolt. Its purpose is to free us and to dispel the veils of ignorance with the force of a clap of thunder.By the 4th century, in the Buddhist centres of Kashmir the Yogachara school of thought had developed. It believed that the most effective method to attain the Truth was meditation or Yoga. The different aspects of the wisdom of the Buddha were personified as the five Dhyani (meditation) Buddhas: Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi and Vairocana. Mandalas were also conceived in Buddhist practice and are seen from the 5th century. The path to enlightenment was visualised as a movement through various levels of spiritual growthfrom the outer spheres towards the illumined centre and the moment of the realisation of the Truth or Buddhahood.In the 10th century, Abhinavagupta in Kashmir took the Indian philosophy of aesthetics to rare heights of development. This was in a climate deeply imbued with the thoughts of Kashmir Shaivism, which saw the beauty of the world as a reflection of the glory of the divine. The experience of beauty, the ecstasy of the aesthetic experience, was considered to be akin to the final bliss of salvation itself.This experience of aesthetics and of joy lies at the heart of the Buddhism that came to Tibet and the Indian trans-Himalayas. In these vast and bleak desert lands, the Buddhist temples are like an oasis of colour. The architecture, the sculpture and the paintings are all a part of a unified, sacred plan. Their purpose is to move us and to transport us, far from the cares and confusions of the material world: to the peace to be found within.

COLOSSAL BUDDHA, 8TH-9TH CENTURY, MULBEK, LADAKH. Many "brhad", or colossal, Buddhas were made by Kashmiri artists in the 8th and 9th centuries in Ladakh. The best known are at Mulbek, on the road from Leh to Kargil. These are all about 30 feet (nine metres) high and display the characteristics of Kashmiri art. This relief at Mulbek is that of the Chamba, or Maitreya, Buddha, who is yet to come.The Cham dance of the Lamas signifies the victory of knowledge over ignorance. In Buddhist thought the greatest evil is the ego. It is that sense of the self that is the greatest illusion that we must lose in order to gain true knowledge.The masks are very important. For, on the sacred ground it is not the individual Lamas who are supposed to dance. They have to forget themselves; they have to obliterate their own personalities to become the deity, who will then dance. The masks present qualities of the deities within them. There are peaceful masks and those with wrathful expressions. Finally, both symbolise the emptiness of the ultimate nature of all appearances.Benoy K. Behl is a film-maker, art historian and photographer who is known for his prolific output of work over the past 34 years. He has taken over 35,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made over a hundred documentaries on art history. This series carries photographs from his photographic exhibition on Buddhist Heritage of the World, which is currently on display in Nara in Japan and in the French Reunion Island. It was also displayed earlier this year in London, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Leh, New Delhi and at the International Buddhist Conclave in Varanasi. The series has photographs taken in 19 countries/regions across Asia and in one part of Europe which has a 300-year-old Buddhist heritage.

BUDDHAS CARVED AT PADUM, ZANSKAR, LADAKH. In ancient times, Zanskar was a thriving centre of Buddhism. Carvings on a massive boulder next to the Lungnak river in Padum display the artistic style of Kashmir.

PHUGTAL MONASTERY, ZANSKAR. It is in a very remote part of the beautiful Zanskar valley. Until recently, there was no motorable road and it was a wonderful two-day journey on horseback, up and down craggy mountains. This is among the monasteries known to have been founded by the Lotsawa, or Great Translator, of Zanskar, in the 11th and 12th centuries.

SUMTSEK, ALCHI, LADAKH, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY. Sumtsek means three-storeyed temple. This was one of the principal Kashmiri architectural forms followed in the monasteries of the Second Diffusion. This sumtsek has some of the best paintings of the Alchi complex.

SHRINE, DUKHANG, ALCHI, 11TH CENTURY. The dukhang, or assembly hall, has a beautiful shrine for Vairochana, with numerous deities and joyous figures made around him. From the 8th-9th century until around the 12th century, the system of yoga tantra was predominant in Buddhism in eastern India and Kashmir. It then spread to Nepal, Tibet, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. The texts of the yoga tantras were translated by Rinchen Zangpo, who took them from Kashmir to Ladakh and Tibet. These texts formed the basis of the sculptural programme and paintings in many monasteries, including this dukhang.

CLAY SCULPTURES, TSUGLAKHANG, TABO, SPITI, HIMACHAL PRADESH, LATE 10TH-EARLY 11TH CENTURY. The Tabo monastery is situated in a village of the same name at an altitude of about 10,850 feet (3,307 metres). In the main temple, called the Tsuglakhang, the assembly hall is an architectonic Vajradhatu Mandala with sculptures and paintings representing the many deities of the mandala.

VAJRALASYA, CLAY SCULPTURE, TABO, 11TH CENTURY. This deity expresses the quality of grace, which is at the heart of all that there is in the world. The art strips away the veils of illusion to present this inherent quality. As we perceive the gentle graciousness of the deity, we awaken that same quality within us.

MAITREYA, BASGO, LADAKH, 16TH-17TH CENTURY. This is a gilded, two-storeyed, 45-foot (13.7 metres)-high statue the Maitreya-the Buddha who is yet to come-in the temple of Basgo. This beautiful statue is known to have inspired many generations of sculptors in Ladakh.

VAJRARAKSHA, CLAY SCULPTURE, TABO, 11TH CENTURY. On the walls of the dukhang (assembly hall) are many deities who surround us. Coming into this assembly hall signifies entering the Vajradhatu Mandala itself. The purpose of this wonderfully peaceful and benign deity is to awaken within us the qualities he represents.

MANDALA DEITY, MURAL, NAKO, KINNAUR, HIMACHAL PRADESH, 11TH-12TH CENTURY. Mandalas are painted on the walls of the Lotsawa Lhakhang (Translator's Temple) of the Nako monastery. They include finely painted small figures such as these, made in roundels of about six inches (15.24 centimetres) diameter. A sense of dynamic movement is blended with joyousness in this exquisite representation.

RIDERS ON MYTHICAL CREATURE, MURAL, SUMTSEK, ALCHI, 12TH CENTURY. Such mythical creatures with riders, trampling upon fierce animals, are a constant motif in the medieval art of all Indic faiths. They represent the courage within us, with which we must face the demons of ignorance and confusion.

DETAIL, MURAL, SUMTSEK, ALCHI, 12TH CENTURY. The painters from Kashmir have left us many images of the life and culture of the valley. This one appears to be a Kashmiri prince on a hunt with his retinue. The colourfully designed textiles point to the fact that this region was on an artery of the Silk Route.

DETAIL OF MANDALA, MURAL, NAKO, 11TH-12TH CENTURY. Nako village, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, lies at an altitude of 12,000 feet (3,657.6 metres) high above the Spiti river valley. Paintings of the early monasteries of the trans- Himalayas show the exquisite lines and grace of the art of their Kashmiri painters.

CHAM, MASKED MONASTIC DANCE OF THE LAMAS, LADAKH. Guru Padmasambhava is known to have performed a dance to scare away evil spirits from the land and to establish Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan areas. The Cham dance is performed even today to keep the land free of evil.

CHAM DANCE, HEMIS MONASTERY, LADAKH. The Cham is one of the most important forms of meditation of the Lamas. They perform puja for many days before the event so as to awaken within themselves the deity they wish to become on the day of the Cham. The wrathful deities represent the vigour within us, with which we face the demons of ignorance.

PADMASAMBHAVA, CHAM DANCE, HEMIS MONASTERY. Guru Padmasambhava was from Nalanda University. He swept across Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh in the 8th century and established Vajrayana Buddhism in this region. He is still worshipped across the trans-Himalayas as the Second Buddha.

RUMTEK MONASTERY, SIKKIM. Located near Gangtok in Sikkim, this monastery is an important centre of the Kagyupa sect, which traces its Buddhist teachings to Tilopa (988-1089), the great teacher from the eastern plains of India.

GORSEN CHORTEN (STUPA), TAWANG DISTRICT, ARUNACHAL PRADESH, 16TH CENTURY. The mountains of Arunachal Pradesh represent the eastern frontiers of the lands transformed by Guru Padmasambhava. Eyes are painted on all four sides of this chorten in a style similar to the chortens in Nepal and Bhutan. They watch out for the evil of ignorance.