Tim Green History of the Indian Subcontinent Writing Assignment III Ancient Indian Architecture Help Received: Works Cited Architecture is one of the defining elements of the rich Indian cultural heritage. But what is architecture? Architect Paul Shepheard defines it as “landscapes, buildings, and machines.”1 Percy Brown, a scholar of Indian architecture, adds “viewed historically, architecture remains as the principal visible and material record, through the ages, of man’s intellectual evolution.”2 Both these definitions are useful, but architecture is also a measure of cultural richness, and few histories can compare in cultural richness to that enjoyed by India. Indian architecture was not always so majestic; it sprung up from humble roots. The Indus Valley Civilization, though not without noteworthy achievements in architecture, can boast nothing nearly so grandiose as what would come later. The Harappans, as we now call them, built everything out of brick and wood. It seems they eschewed outside adornment, instead preferring to build in a more utilitarian method. Their great achievements were two things: standardization and the bricks with which they built. All Harappan streets were laid on grids consisting of ninety­degree angles, their directions corresponded to the points of the compass, and they were of uniform widths. As for the bricks, they are so uniform that upon their discovery, the ruins were almost dismissed as having been as recently abandoned as the eighteenth century.3 The impressive uniformity of the Harappan civilization, in combination with its size, stands as a point of pride for any Indian. Upon the discovery of the Harappan civilization, “India’s history had acquired a rich prehistoric pedigree of archaeologically verifiable antiquity.”4 India has been a crossroads for much of its history, allowing for the infusion of ideas from far­flung places. The structural elements of buildings constructed by the Mauryans seem to reflect Persian practices, particularly in the construction of halls and palaces. Fortified cities, such as Kapilavastu, Kusinagara, Uruvilva, and Rajagriha, were built after the Assyrian method: “strongly fortified and surrounded by high walls having battlements with the merlons 1
Paul Shepheard, What is Architecture? (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1994), 40­41 Percy Brown, Indian Architecture: Buddhist & Hindu Periods (Bombay: Taraporevala Sons & Co, 1965), 1 3
John Keay, India: A History (New York: Grove Press, 2000), 7­8 4
Ibid., 5 2
corbel­stepped.”5 Also noteworthy about the Mauryan age is the method of roof timbering; vaulted ceilings would be membered by multiple curved wooden struts placed close together. This method remained prominent until after the Mughal invasion6 With the advent of Ashoka’s rule, Buddhist works saw great proliferation across the continent, particularly in the form of monolithic pillars, stupas, and chaitya halls. A stupa is a domed structure of varying size built for the purpose of housing a religious artifact. A chaitya hall is a Buddhist temple that is of monolithic structure, carved into living rock. Along the walls are alcoves for religious icons, typically statues of local religious ideologues. The columns, arches, and both inside and outside walls are all adorned with sculpted religious art. Many chaitya halls include a small stupa in the back of the hall. Ashoka also ordered that stone pillars be erected throughout his kingdom on sites that were visible and highly trafficked. The effect of all these stone constructions “on the minds of a people hitherto living in a somewhat restricted wooden building tradition was no doubt very great.”7 Ashoka did not press his Buddhist beliefs on his subjects, but hoped that the prevalence of Buddhist themes, made present by all the construction that he ordered, might have a positive effect on his society. It certainly set the stage for Indian art and architecture. It is this great proliferation of construction­as­art by Ashoka to which all subsequent Indian construction can trace its roots. It is no wonder, then, that Ashoka carries the moniker ‘the great.’ It is perhaps through architecture that the greatest degree of Indian unity can be seen. 5
Brown, Buddhist and Hindu Periods, 5 Ibid., 6 7
Ibid., 7­8 6
Bibliography Brown, Percy. Indian Architecture: Buddhist & Hindu Periods. Bombay: Taraporevala Sons & Co., 1965. Keay, John. India: A History. New York: Grove Press, 2000. Shepheard, Paul. What is Architecture? Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1994. Reflective Paragraph Architecture is one of the greatest metrics of zeitgeist in a culture. Through it, people are unknowingly brought together and subconsciously and collectively expressed. I have learned that architecture is one of the great unifying forces in India, going back to Ashoka and possibly farther. It is to these great relics and structures that Indians can point and be proud of thousands of years of history...something that, as an American, I cannot do.