Indian Architecture

Copyright 2023 by the UST College of Architecture HOA3 Sub-cluster Lecture Notes based on those by Arch. C. Avendano and updated in 2023 by Arch. C. Paredez Santillan

Indus Region

Home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations

Indian peninsula + portions of the Asian mainland;  once included Pakistan and Bangladesh

Bharat

 Indian (English) in Hindi

Bharatas

Vedic tribe

Bharatavarsh

Realm of Bharat is known as _____ in the Mahabharata

Bharata

King Bharat

Varsa

 Dvision of the earth or a continent

Sandstone

steps, facing work, columns, flooring, walls, road metal, ornamental carving, etc.

fine red and cream sandstone in Agra used mainly as facing for rubble walling

Makrana Marble

is a type of white marble, popular for sculpture and building decor. It is mined in the town of Makrana in Rajasthan, India

Marble

Used in the construction of Taj Mahal in Agra

Granite

Found in the Deccan Platea

Soapstone

Volcanic potstone, Metamorphic rock of talc schist, Found in Halebid, central and southern part

Timber

Lack of building stone and the availability of timber along the Indus and Ganges valley

Taekwood

Burma

Softwood Deodar

Northern mountain ranges

Shisham

Indian Rosewood - hardwood found in the river valleys of the north

Bricks and Terracotta

Materials used in Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab

Secularism

The Constitution of India, declares India to be a secular state with no state religion

Secularism

NOT a separation of religion from the state, but a state that supports or participates in a neutral manner in the affairs of all religious groups as well as Atheism, Vedism, and Brahmanism

Secularism

Polytheistic Relgion

Secularism

This religion is brought around 1500 BCE by invading Aryan tribes who gradually conquered the earlier Indus civilization (already in its decline)

Veda

Knowledge - Scripture

Vedism

Polytheistic sacrificial religion involving the worship of numerous male divinities  (and a few goddesses), most of whom were connected with the sky and natural phenomena

Brahmanism

Complex sacrificial religion that emerged in post-Vedic India under the influence of the dominant priesthood (Brahmans), an early stage in the development of Hinduism

Brahma

Supreme God

Hinduism

Vedic Philosophies & Brahmanical Rituals

Hindu

Is derived from the river Sindhu or Indus

Sanatana Dharma

Immemorial tradition - Sanskrit term

Sanskrit

Is the sacred language

Hinduism

Origin of Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism which also shared the concept of dharm,

Dharma

Moral order, duty, and right action

Hinduism

Believes in Reincarnation - rebirth, Karma - person’s misfortune as the result of his or her own misdeeds in a previous life, Ahimsa - non-violence and respect for all living things 

Karma

Person’s misfortune as the result of his or her own misdeeds in a previous life

Ahimsa

Non-violence and respect for all living things 

Saktas

Considered one of the most debased sects of Hinduism, Erotic, sensual imagery, (abundant creativity)

Durga

Beautiful woman with a gentle face, rides a lion with 10 arms holding weapons to vanquish the demons who threaten the dharma

Kali

Fierce Form portrayed dripping with blood, carrying a sword and a severed head, and wearing a girdle of  severed heads and a necklace of skulls symbolizing her as the destroyer of evil, which means transformation

Caste System

Varna, a social group, based partly on occupation which grew up with Hinduism

Brahmins

Highest Order in the Caste System. eg:  priest 

Kshatriyas

Second Highest Order in the Caste System. eg: kings and warriors

Vaisyas

Third Highest Order in the Caste System, eg: merchants and farmers

Sudras

The Lowest Rank in the Caste System, eg: workers

Dalit

Not Part of the Caste System, Untouchables, outcasts

Jainism

Established in the 6th c. BCE by Vardhamana called Mahavira “the Great Hero” or Jina, the “Victorious One”

Vardhamana

Who established Jainism

Mahavira

“The Great Hero”

Jina

“Victorious one”

Jainism

Based on asceticism and ahimsa, theory and practice of non-violence (non-injury to all living things)

Agamas

Sacred Text

Digambaras

“Sky clad” or naked Monks - carry asceticism to the point of rejecting even clothing (even when they appear in public)

Shvetambaras

“White clad” or Monks that wear simple white robes - The laity are permitted to wear clothes of any color

Buddhism

Religion and philosophy were founded in northeastern India in the 5th c. BCE, and based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, a Sakya prince known as “Buddha,” the enlightened one

Siddhartha Gautama

Who is the Sakya prince known as “Buddha,” the enlightened one

Buddhism

Adopted some ideas from Hinduism, the doctrine of karma, but rejected the caste system and all of its gods

Theravada

The lesser vehicle Remains faithful to ancient rules Maha

Mahayana

The greater vehicle Worship of bodhisattvas

Ashoka

Promoted Buddhism during the 3rd c. BCE, but it declined in succeeding centuries and was nearly extinct by the 13th c.

Sikhism

Emphasis on the principle of equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender

Turbans

Believers of Sikhism wear?

Singh

Sikhs adopt this Surname meaning Lion

Kaur

Sikh Women use this Surname meaning Princess

Gurdwara

Sikh place of worship, Has historically served as a refuge for the homeless and the destitute, Displays the Nishan Sahib, the symbol of the Sikh faith

Nishan Sahib

a saffron-colored triangular flag bearing the khanda, the symbol of the Sikh faith

Islamic

The majority of Muslim districts in these provinces were awarded to Pakistan, and the majority of non-Muslim to India

Mt. Meru

Sacred Mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology, Is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual universes

Middle of the Earth

Connection between heaven and earth

Monolithic, Monumental, Free-standing construction, Rock-cut buildings

Architectural Character of India

Brahmanism

Barabar

Jainism

Udayagiri and Khandagiri

Buddhist

Magnificent development and artistic character

Indus Civilization

This Civilization began to develop around the Indus River

Sacred, Universal, Ritualistic

Three Basic Concepts of Indus Civilization

Mohenjo-Daro

A Major Urban Center in the lower Indus Valley, Unesco World Heritage Site

Harappa

A Major Urban Center in the western Punjab region

Ganeriwala

A Major Urban Center in the Cholistan Desert

Dholavira

A Major Urban Center in western Gujarat, Unesco World Heritage Site

Rakhigarhi

A Major Urban Center in Haryana

Mehrgarh

Located in Pakistan, The Neolithic site is considered as the first urban civilization of South Asia in 6500-6000 BCE. Precursor to the Indus Valley Civilization

Mehrgarh

Develop Writing and counting, Built drainage systems that ran into brick-lined sewers and dug canals to irrigate their farms Residents lived in mud brick houses, stored their grain in granaries, fashioned tools with local copper ore, and lined their large basket containers with bitumen (for waterproofing)

Mud Brick Houses

Early Mehrgarh Residents lived in?

Mehrgarh

Is probably the earliest known center of agriculture in South Asia

Harappa

Located in Punjab, Pakistan. A Fortified City with Bastions, ramps, and stairs, Has 23,500 residents, Occupied about 150 hectares with clay brick houses

Grid Plan

Layout in Harappa, Is indicative of an evolved civil engineering principle that had developed at the time, which is not seen in the older towns of Mesopotamia

Harappans

They had traded with ancient Mesopotamia, especially Elam, among other areas

Mohenjo-Daro

Located in Sindh, Pakistan, Mound of the Dead (Sindhi Language), Built around 2500 BCE, it was the largest settlement of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, Estimated population of at least 40,000 people, Abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and was rediscovered in the 1920s, Unesco Whs 1980, Planned layout with rectilinear buildings arranged on a grid plan

Citadel and Lower City

Mehenjo Daro has 2 Parts namely?

Fired and mortared brick, Sin-dried mud-brick and wood

Materials used in Mohenjo-Daro

Lothal

Located in the Bhal region of the Indian State of Gujarat, Construction began at the 2200 BCE, The most extensively researched Harappan coastal site, A bead factory and Persian Gulf seal were found which suggests that this urban area was into trading

Dholavira

Located in the Kutch District, Gujarat State, India, Located on an island in the Great Rann of Kutch, One of the 5 biggest Harappan sites, Estimated to be older than Lothal Unesco Whs 2021, Flanked by two storm water channels

Dholavira

Its most distinguishing feature is its made almost entirely of stone (Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are of brick)

Mansar

Dholavira’s Storm Water Channel in the North

Manhar

Dholavira’s Storm Water Channel in the South

Citadel/acropolis, Middle Town, Lower Town

Three Divisions of Dholavira

Maurya Dynasty

First Indian Empire founded and headed by Chandragupta

Ashoka

The greatest Mauryan king, was converted to Buddhism and spent the rest of his life spreading it

Maurya Dynasty

During this dynasty, India became a great center of learning with universities at Nalanda and Takshashila attracting scholars from China and Southeast Asia

Ashoka

After ______’s death about 232 BC, the Mauryan Empire slowly declined

Chandragupta

The First Indian Empire was founded and headed by?

Lotus

Symbolism; divinity/man’s salvation

Wheel

Symbolism; Cycle of life, death and rebirth, teaching of Buddha

Four Animals

Symbolism; 4 quarters of the compass