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Hinduism
Polytheistic religion (worship many gods and goddesses)
Goal is to achieve moksa--by praying, worshipping (darsana) and giving offering to gods
Each god has a female companion and rides on vehicle such as bull (Nandi), lion, goose; each holds some attributes (Siva: tridents and Vishnu: conch shell and wheel)
Triad
Brahma-God of Creator Vishnu-God of Preserver (has many
incarnations such as Rama and Krishna)
Shiva-God of Destroyer (also the protector of animals)
Devi-goddess (e.g., Laksmi (“Good Fortune”) and Parvati); symbolizing beauty, benevolent, and wealth as well as power and wrath
Vastu-purusa mandala
A myth explains the symbolic diagram (mandala): the gods in seeking to impose order on chaos, forced the primeval man, Purusa, into a square grid, the vastu-purusa mandala, whose basic unit is the square pada
Hindu temple is the dwelling of the gods. It is based on the grid systems of 64 (8x8) and 81 (9x9) squares.
Square is the prefect shape for the ground plan.
Priests perform ritual of consecrations which connect between sexual rites and fertility in Hindu architecture.
Hindu temples The temple is a holy site (tirtha), where they
practitioners can perform circumambulation (pradaksina). They also perform the pious act of gazing at the deity (darsan) and offering prayers, flowers and food (puja). The temple is never a meeting place for a congregation, but it came to be a focal point of the community.
The heart of the temple is the dark hall called garbha grha (womb hall), where the most important icon is placed. It is the most important area.
Pillared halls (mandapa) and porticos were added to the garbha grha, which was surmounted with a tower (sikhara)--center of the universe (axis mundi).
Media and ornaments Many varieties: wood, brick, terracotta, and variety of
stone (e.g., schist, chlorite, marble)
Temples required to be heavily ornamented (things lacking in ornament were considered imperfect or incomplete.
Motifs: narrative reliefs, animal motifs, floral and vegetation motifs.
Dravidian architecture Stone used as medium for funerary monuments
Religion developments, particularly bhakti cult, played an important role
Early phases of architecture consisted of rock-cut monuments
Later phase is dominated by structural buildings; Gopuras became larger than the main building
The emphasis is on horizontality lines; one or more stories, topped with stepped-pyramidal shikhara and a mushroom cap
Mamallapuram
Large remains of Pallava period, 7th century
Most of the monuments are rock-cut, carved out of the boulders and cliffs in the area.
Descent of Ganges River or Arjuna Penance
Rathas
Kailasanatha temple (Ellora 16)
The Descent of Ganges
Mid-7th century, Mamalla I at Mamallapuram
30 meters in length; 50 meters in height
Contains animals and other objects
Approximately life-size scale
Sculptures were done in realistic manner
Rathas, Mamallapuram
Mid 7th C, Mamalla I period
Consists of five free-standing rock-cut structures: Draupadi (dedicated to Durga), Arjuna, Bhima (to Vishnu), Dharmaraja, and Nakula-Sahadeva ; three free-standing animals: lions, bull, and elephant
Rajareshvara Temple (Great Temple),Thanjuvar (Tanjore)
Chola period (9th-13th centuries) Centered at Thanjuvar (Tanjore) Rajarajeshvara or Brihadevara temple to
Shiva at Thanjavur (Tanjore), c. 1000 CE Temples made of bricks and stone (for
base) Rectangular enclosure Large gateways (Gopuras) Niches: 30 representations of Siva in his
Tripuramtaka (Destroyer of three Cities)
Minakshi Temple at Madurai
Nayak period (16th-18th centuries) Dual shrines dedicated to Siva (known
locally as Sundaresvara, “Handsome One,” and Minakshi “Fish-Eyed One”
Hall of thousand pillars Gopuras (gate): S was built by a wealthy
landowner (197 feet) is covered with over 1500 plaster figures of gods and demons