Lecture 15- Early Hindu Architecture

The Rise of Hinduism

Around the time of the Gupta Empire: Buddhism merges with pre- Buddhist religious traditions to create Hinduism. Traditional Vedic practices get modernized and written down

Compare/ Contrast: Vedism vs. Hinduism

Main Focus: Vedism focused on primal ELEMENTS: fire, water, air, earth. Hinduism focused on primal DIETIES: creator, destroyer, preserver.

Texts: Vedism had a series of anonymous authorless texts collected over a period of time, Hinduism has epic texts.

Gupta Dynasty

maintained an empire over northern and parts of central and western India from the early 4th to the late 6th century CE

garbhagriha

A small sanctuary housing the main image or emblem of the temple deity (literally womb chamber)

mandapa

A pillared hall in front of the temple and sometimes connected to it; if a temple has more than one mandapa, each is allocated a different function and given a name to reflect its use

antalara

An open or closed vestibule connecting the garbha-griha to one or more adjoining pillared mandapas

mandala

A type of sacred, and often complex, symbolic diagram, used, especially in Tantric ritual, as an aid to visualization and a way of manifesting the deity, or group of deities, represented at its centre. The mandala itself is thought to be a twodimensional representation of the cosmos, and as such can contain potentially anything

shikhara

A superstructure, tower, or spire above the garbha-griha

Site/ Location/ Built

Site: Mahabodhi Temple

Location: Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India

Built: ca. 5th to 6th century CE

Compare: Bhitargaon vs. Mahabodhi Temple

Compare: Buddhist vs. Hindu Cave Temples

both used rock cut architecture 

Site/ Location/ Built

Site: Five Rathas (Pancha Rathas)

Location: Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Tamil Nadu, India

Built: ca. 650–700 CE

Site/ Location/ Built

site: Shore Temple

Location: Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Tamil Nadu, India

Built: ca. 700–728 CE

lingam

Literally, ‘phallus,’ but also ‘mark’ or ‘sign’; the symbol for Shiva

yoni

The symbol of the goddess Shakti, the feminine generative power and, as a goddess, the consort of Shiva

gopura

Tall ornate gateway to a Hindu templeenclosure

Compare: Christian Church vs. Hindu Temple

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Compare: Kailasanathar vs. Virupaksha Temple

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Site/ Location/ Built

Site: Kailasa (Kailasnath) Temple at Ellora

Location: Maharashtra, India

Built: ca. 750–800 CE