apah sasea art vocab

ashlar masonry

carefully cut and grooved stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry

cenotaph

an empty tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person

chahar bagh

“fourfold garden” a garden often divided into quarters by divisions of water

chamfered corner

a flattened corner of two buildings, often at 45 degrees

chhatri

elevated, domed tower

corbelled arch

constructed by offsetting successive courses of stone so that they project towards the archway’s center from each supporting side, until the courses meet at the apex of the archway

hasht bihisht

refers to a specific type of floor plan common in mughal architecture where the plan is divided into 8 chambers surrounding a central room

jali

perforated and decorated screen, usually with calligraphic or geometric ornamentation

nimbus

a circle or oval shape surrounding a religious figure representing spiritual light or glory

panchayatana

hindu temple where the main shrine is surrounded by four smaller shrines

pietra dura

term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images on a neutral colored stone

tantric

referring to transcendence, often used to describe deeply meditative and intimate sexual activity

urna

red dot on the forehead of buddhist figures

yakshi

female and male fertility figures in buddhist and hindu art