INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

• ARCH. M.GAMALINDA
 HINDUISM

Hinduism is the major religion of the

Indian subcontinent, particularly of Nepal and
India.
Hinduism includes a wide spectrum of laws and
prescriptions of "daily morality" based on karma,
dharma, and societal norms.
Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world.
 HINDUISM

It has no single founder, no single scripture,

and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
Hinduism as 'a way of life' or 'a family of
religions'
The word Hindu is derived (through Persian)
from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the historic
local appellation for the Indus River in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.
 BELIEFS
Hinduism conceives the whole world as a
single family that deifies the one truth, and
therefore it accepts all forms of beliefs and
dismisses labels of distinct religions which
would imply a division of identity.
The concept of God is complex and depends
upon each individual and the tradition and
philosophy followed.
 BELIEFS
Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include
(but are not restricted to), Dharma
(ethics/duties), Samsāra(the continuing cycle
of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action
and subsequent reaction), Moksha(liberation
from samsara), and the various Yogas (paths
or practices)
 BELIEFS

Hinduism
originated around the Indus Valley near the
River Indus in modern day Pakistan.
About 80% of the Indian population regard
themselves as Hindu.
Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God,
whose qualities and forms are represented
by the multitude of deities which emanate
from him.
 BELIEFS
Hindus believe that existence is a
cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by
Karma.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through a
cycle of successive lives and its next
incarnation is always dependent on how the
previous life was lived.
 BELIEFS

The main Hindu texts are the Vedas and their

supplements (books based on the Vedas).
Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning
'knowledge'. These scriptures do not
mention the word 'Hindu' but many
scriptures discuss dharma, which can be
rendered as 'code of conduct', 'law', or 'duty'
Hindus celebrate many holy days, but the
Festival of Lights,Diwali is the best known.
 NINE BELIEFS OF HINDUISM

Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive

Supreme Being who is both immanent and
transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest
Reality.
Hindus believe in the divinity of the four
Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture,
and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed.
These primordial hymns are God's word and
the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal
religion.
Hindus believe that the universe
undergoes endless cycles of creation,
preservation and dissolution.
Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause
and effect by which each individual
creates his own destiny by his thoughts,
words and deeds.
Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates,
evolving through many births until all karmas
have been resolved, and moksha, liberation
from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a
single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
Hindus believe that divine beings exist in
unseen worlds and that temple worship,
rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals
create a communion with these devas and
Gods.
Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or
satguru, is essential to know the
Transcendent Absolute, as are personal
discipline, good conduct, purification,
pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and
surrender in God.
Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be
loved and revered, and therefore practice
ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and
deed.
Hindus believe that no religion teaches the
only way to salvation above all others, but
that all genuine paths are facets of God's
Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
TRIMURTI OF HINDUISM

Text
 DEITIES

GANESHA
SHIVA
KRISHNA
RAMA
HANUMAN
VISHNU
LAKSHMI
DURGA
KALI
SARASWATI
INDIA
The Union of India is
the seventh largest
country in the world
covering an area of
32,87,590 square
kilometers and it is
an important
country of south
Asia.
 INDIA
India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism
and Buddhism. A huge majority — 84 percent
— of the population identifies as Hindu.
About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim,
making it one of the largest Islamic nations in
the world
The culture of India is among the world's
oldest, reaching back about 5,000 years.
Many sources describe it as "Sa Prathama
Sanskrati Vishvavara" — the first and the
supreme culture in the world.
Indian religions, also known as Dharmic
religions are a major form of world religions
along with Abrahamic one. Today, Hinduism
and Buddhism are the world's third and
fourth-largest religions respectively, with
over 2 billion followers altogether.

According to a 2002 census of India, the religion of

80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practised by
around 13% of all Indians. The country had over 23
million Christians, over 19 million Sikhs, about 8
million Buddhists
 INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

Indian architecture is that vast

tapestry of production of the
Indian Subcontinent that
encompasses a multitude of
expressions over space and
time, transformed by the
forces of history considered
unique to the sub-continent,
sometimes destroying, but
most of the time absorbing.
 INFLUENCES
GEOGRAPHIC
a great triangular
peninsula of Southern
Asia, covering an area
fifteen times the size of
Great Britain, is
bounded on the north
by the Himalaya
Mountains and their
lateral spurs, and on
east, west, and south by
the sea.
INFLUENCES

GEOLOGICAL
Pink marble, trap
and granite,
sandstones, volcanic
potstone, alluvial
soil, terra-cotta, lime
 INFLUENCE
CLIMATIC
two principal seasons, wet
and dry, divide the year.
The use of the great fan or
punkah.
Pierced screen or lattice
window
Canals, reservoirs, and tanks
 INFLUENCE
RELIGION
HINDUISM
BUDDHISM
JAINA
 INFLUENCES
SOCIAL
The Non-Aryan tribes or
aborigines ; (b) the Aryan or
Sanskrit-speaking race, which
includes Brahmans and Raj puts
; (c) Hindus, a mixed population
formed of the above ; (d)
Mahometan invaders
 INFLUENCES
HISTORICAL
Alexander's conquests in North-
West India (B.C. 327) (p. 67)
brought that country into touch
with European and West Asiatic
art ; thus Greek, Assyrian, and
Persian influences are apparent
in the architectural detail of that
region.
 HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
The existence of a very
modern urban civilization
with expert town planning
and engineering skills.
very advanced drainage
system along with well
planned roads and houses
show that a sophisticated
and highly evolved culture
existed in India
Main features of Harappan remains are:
1. The settlements could be traced as far
back as third millennium BC.
2. Some important settlements were
excavated on the banks of the river Indus
particularly at the bends that provided water,
easy means of transportation of produce and
other goods and also some protection by
way of natural barriers of the river .
All the sites consisted of walled cities which
provided security to the people.
The cities had a rectangular grid pattern of
layout with roads that cut each other at right
angles.
The Indus Valley people used standardised
burnt mud-bricks as building material.
There is evidence of building of big
dimensions which perhaps were public
buildings, administrative or business centres,
pillared halls and courtyards, There is no
evidence of temples.
Public buildings include granaries which
were used to store grains which give an
idea of an organised collection and
distribution system.
Along with large public buildings, there is
evidence of small one roomed
constructions that appear to be working
peoples quarters.
The Harappan people were great engineers
as is evident from the public bath that was
discovered at Mohenjo daro.
At some sites a dominant citadel was
excavated in the western part containing the
public buildings including the granaries. This
can perhaps be treated as evidence of some
kind of political authority ruling over the cities.
There is evidence also of fortifications with
gateways enclosing the walled cities which
shows that there may have been a fear of
being attacked.
Lothal, a site in Gujarat also has the remains of
a dockyard proving that trade flourished in
those times by sea.
EARLY HISTORIC PERIOD
An important phase of Indian architecture
began with the Mauryan period. The
material prosperity of the Mauryans and a
new religious consciousness led to
achievements in all fields
In the Mauryan period (322-182
BC)especially under Ashoka architecture saw
a great advancement. Mauryan art and
architecture depicted the influence of
Persians and Greeks.
STUPA- mound-like or semi-hemispherical structure
containing Buddhist relics, typically the ashes of Buddhist
monks, used by Buddhists as a place of meditation.
Relic stupa - relics or remains of the Buddha, his disciples and lay
saints
Object stupa - items belonged to the Buddha or his disciples
Commemorative stupas - built to commemorate events in the lives
of Buddha or his disciples.
Symbolic stupa- to symbolize aspects of Buddhist theology
Votive stupas - constructed to commemorate visits or to gain
spiritual benefits, usually at the site of prominent stupas
The Stupas of Sanchi and Sarnath are symbols
of the achievement of Mauryan architechture.
Rich ornaments, custumes drapery were used
to impart physical beauty.The sculptures were
in stone, terracotta, cement like material and
clay.
The Great Stupa was
built at Amaravati in
the Lower Godavari
region. The walls of
the stupa are adorned
with bas relief, had
carved medallion and
decorative panels
The Gupta period marks
the beginning of the
construction of free-
standing Hindu temples.
An example of this is the
temple at Deogarh (Jhansi
district) and the temple at
Bhitrigaon (Kanpur
district) are two fine
examples of this period.
CAVE ARCHITECTURE

The Ajanta Caves in

India are 29 rock-cut
cave monuments
which date from the
2nd century BCE. The
caves include paintings
and sculptures
considered to be
masterpieces of both
Buddhist religious art.
Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. The caves are located in the
Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon.