|
Architecture 170A |
Next Lecture |
|
||
|
Angkor Wat Borobudur Konarak Khajuharo Mahabalipuram Prototypical Lalibala |
|
Buddhist and Hindu Temple Architecture in South Asia I. Peaceful spread of Indian culture including religion through trade rather than conquest. Stone temple architecture as a mandala (diagram of the cosmos). Hinduism: an pantheistic religion older than Buddhism with three principal (Shiva, Vishnu, and Shakti) deities and many minor ones. II. The Hindu temple in India. Monumental stone architecture begins only after Buddhism is beginning to die out in India. Association with carving into live rock clear in first stone monuments from south India at Mamallapuram (port city of the Pallava kings also known as Mahabalipuram). Includes the Pancha Rathas, c 650, five small monolithic shrines cut out of live rock, and constructed double-shrine of Shore Temple, first quarter 8th century, built by King Rajasimha. Temple elements: garbhagriha (womb-chamber; cave-like sanctuary housing the image of the deity), and shikhara (mountain-like tower). Forms borrowed from Buddhist architecture (amalaka) and wood construction (shala, now used as decoration). Elaboration of this model in sites such as the Chandella capital at Khajuraho: Lakshmana Temple, 10th century. Extension of shikhara, addition of prayer halls (mandapas) and ambulatory, and proliferation of mouldings. Richness of figural decoration. Daily priestly ceremonies versus annual festivals (also a focus for pilgrimage) in which image is paraded around temple. Cart in which image is carried commemorated in Surya Temple, Konarak, c 1250, built by King Narasumtha, and fronted by a dance pavilion. III. South-east Asian mandela-plans: Buddhist (Sailendra) dynasties on island of Java (Indonesia) responsible for temple of Borobudur, c775-860. Elaboration and addition of narrative to basic stupa plan of Sanchi. Tiers of galleries or platforms whose sculpture recounts life of Buddha and his followers, surmounted by rings of stupas. No interior spaces. Physical recreation of path towards enlightenment. The Khmer empire (9th-14th centuries) and its capital city of Angkor (Cambodia). Indian, Chinese, and Indonesian influence: centralized Hindu state. Temple complex of Angkor Wat, c 1113-50, by King Suryavarman II wrapped in moats which are part of the larger irrigation system provided by royal patronage whose rule it in turn legitimized. Entrance avenue and series of gated, walled terraces leading to five central pyramids. Decoration with bas-relief sculptures illustrating sacred stories. Architecture as an attempt to impose cosmic harmony upon human experience of space. |
