HOA - So

Soma

(Drink of strength) libation of liquor made of vegetable matter

Brahma

the chief god, the omnipresent one who is father of the Brahman Trinity.

Theravada

(the lesser vehicle) - remains faithful to ancient rules Maha

Mahayana

(the greater vehicle) - worship of bodhisattvas or creatures of charity

Emperor Ashoka

3rd most powerful Mauryan emperor, who created the first panIndian empire (273 - 232 BCE) promoted Buddhism during the 3rd c. BCE, but it declined in succeeding centuries and was nearly extinct by the 13th c.

SIKHISM

The all-pervading spirit - the concept of "God"

MEHRGARH

Neolithic site considered as the first urban civilization of South Asia in 6500-6000 BCE

Harappa

West Punjab

Mohenjo-daro

Sindh

Harappa, Punjab

The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Cemetery H culture and the Indus Valley Civilization

Mohenjo-Daro, Sindh

Built around 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements. Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout based on a street grid of rectilinear buildings.

Lothal

Most extensively researched Harappan coastal site.

Vedic Period

Emerged during the early centuries after the intermingling of Indo-Aryan and Dravidian cultures

HINDU TEMPLE

Sacred structure and abode of their GOD
CRADLE of Knowledge, Art and Architecture

MANDIR (Temple)

Enlightenment

Artha

(prosperity, wealth)

Kama

(pleasure, sex)

Dharma

(virtues, ethical life)

Moksha

(release, self-knowledge)

Shilpa Shastras

Arts and Crafts
icons, stone murals, painting, carpentry, pottery, jewelry, dying, textiles, etc

Vastu shastra

(Science of Architecture) building houses, forts, temples, apartments, village and town layout, etc

Sthapatis

temple architects; commissioned to design and construct the temple according to the sacred architecture found in the Agamic scriptures

MANDALA

Visualized in the basic plan of a Hindu temple

sun

is the giver of life. It brings joy and happiness and is the watchful eye of the "Cosmic Being."

Vimana

sanctuary as a whole

Garbhagriha

Inner sanctum, the womb-chamber, where the primary idol or deity is housed along with Purusa.

Shikhara/sikhara

Tower above the garbha griha

Padrakshina Patha

Ambulatory passageway for circumambulation

Dravidian Temples

(Southern Style)
South-Indian Hindu temples are often like miniature towns

Gopuram

(sculptured gateway) is the significant feature of Dravidian Temples

BRIHADISHWARA

World's 1ST completed granite temple

AMALAKA

Cushion type or flattened fluted melon shaped massive stone member crowning the top of shikhara

MANDAPA

Pillared Outdoor Hall in front of the garbhagriha, for the assembly of the devotees.

ANTARALA

Vestibule or the intermediate chamber. It unites the main sanctuary and the pillared hall of the temple.

ARDHAMANDAPA

Front porch or the main entrance of the temple leading to the mandapa

GOPURAMS

watch tower/gateways

TORANAS

typical gateway of the temple mostly found in north Indian temple

Nagara Temple

(Northern Style)
Use of a square, star or cruciform plan but the walls are sometimes so broken up that the tower often gives the impression of being circular.

Parasuramesvara temple

at Bhubaneswar in Orissa - consisting only of a shrine and a hall

Bada

Lower portion of the human body, composed of horizontal mouldings ensuring stability of the structure.

Gandi

Main body of the human being, decorated with the motifs of miniature

Mastaka

Corresponds to the head portion of the human body. Crown is decorated by a amalaka

STUPA

Dome-shaped mound similar to the funerary mounds used to mark the graves of great kings

temple 40

include the earliest known traces of structural shrine (chaitya-griha), apsidal inside, rectangular outside.

Anda

Hemispheric cupola/ mound or solid dome, known also as egg, womb or the fertile earth.

HARMIKA

Square pedestal on top of the hemisphere said to be the "dwelling place of the Gods"

VEDIKA

Wooden or stone railing enclosure

Sopana

staircases going to the terrace

CHAITYAS

Temples of worship - sacred place
Assembly halls to accommodate those who congregate to pay homage.

VIHARAS

Residence of Buddhist priests and meant for their congregational prayer, with a shrine. Consist of one main or smaller halls or open courtyard surrounded by rows of cells excavated in the walls on three sides.

Stambhas or Lats

Pillar symbolizes the world axis

Square shape houses

dug into the ground 50-80 cm. deep on square form with a slant slope leading to the cave from the ground.

Round shape houses

most built on ground with small wooden pillars on all sides closely lined as walls with slanted roofs to help drain the rain and snow.

Yurt

traditional dwelling houses of inner Mongolians

Jian

the rectangular space defined by four columns used in the wooden framework.

Wood framework

this kind of system for Chinese homes and other buildings were standardized by the Ming Dynasty

Chuandou System

Pillars-and-transverse-tie-beams system under construction in Sichuan province
Often used in the south where the houses are deeper.

Zhengwen

They were statuettes placed along the ridge line of official buildings of the Chinese empire.

DOUGONG

Dovetail joints between the house body and roof, on top of the beam which is place on the column.

QIN DYNASTY

Built by tamping earth between board frames. As such, only walls of plain earth or earth with gravel inside were built. Some of the walls were even made only from piles of crude stones.

HAN DYNASTY

used local material. Earthwork construction, and with large brick and lime as new materials

MING DYNASTY

Bricks were used in a lot of areas as well as materials such as tiles

Da Du

Imperial palace established by Genghis Khan

Beifung Fu

Ming capital constructed on top of the Mongol City- for observation and protection

Hall of Supreme Harmony

The original hall was built in 1406 during the Ming dynasty, destroyed seven times by fires during the Qing dynasty, and rebuilt for the last time in 1695-1697

Corner Tower

for observation and protection

Zhai gong

Where the emperor lives before he presents himself at the rites of Heaven worship

PAILOU/ BAILOU/ PAIFANG

Derived from Indian toranas

HUABIAO

Architectural ornament, often seen on the grounds of palaces, imperial gardens and mausoleums

Bulguksa

built on a stone platform at the foothill of Mt. Toham near Gyeongju, is the oldest existing temple in Korea. The temple was first founded early in the sixth century and was en

shrine

rectangular anteroom lined with large stone slabs carved with the figures of the protectors of Buddhism on each side of the walls and at the entrance passageway to the main chamber

Palsang

the series of painted murals depicting the eight stages in the life of the historic Buddha, Sakyamuni

Pungsu

the living energy of Earth made by wind and water

Hanok

It is a term to describe Korean traditional houses.

'Ondol (Gudeul)

a floor-based heating system

Daecheong

a cool wooden-floor style hall

Cheoma

is the edge of Hanok's curvy roofs.

Ken

is a traditional Japanese unit of length, equal to six Japanese feet (shaku).

Shoji

It is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo

Ranma

panels found above shoji or fusuma that are designed to let light into rooms.

Genkan

It is the main entrance to a house that has a lower level floor where you remove your shoes. This area is considered extremely dirty

Byobu

They are folding screens, often decorated with art that are used to partition rooms for privacy

Gorintō

It is the name of a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid-Heian period.

Hōtō

It is a pagoda consisting of four parts: a low foundation stone, a cylindrical body with a rounded top, a four-sided roof and a finial.

Muhōtō

It is a pagoda which usually marks the gravesite of a Buddhist priest

Kasatōba

It is simply a square stone post placed over a square base and covered by a pyramidal roof.

Japanese gardens

traditional gardens that create miniature idealized landscapes, often in a highly abstract and stylized way.

Bot/Ubosot

Consecrated ordination hall of a Wat, where new monks take their vows.

Viharn

Sermon hall and is usually the busiest building in a Wat and open to everyone.

Pan Lom

Bargeboard that covers the end of the gable, preventing the tiles from falling off.

Chofas

Horn or bird-like finials seen on the roof ridges of temples.

Naga

Representation of a mystical serpent that according to the holy scripts sheltered the Buddha while he was meditating.

Colonettes

They were narrow decorative columns that served as supports for the beams and lintels above doorways or windows.

Minaret

a slim tower which is a distinctive traditional feature of a mosque

Squinch

A structure, such as a section of vaulting or corbeling, set diagonally across the interior angle between two walls to provide a transition from a square to a polygonal or more nearly circular base on which to construct a dome

Kiswa

a black silk and gold curtain which is replaced annually during the Hajj pilgrimage

Jannah

was an orchard with palms, oranges, and vines irrigated by canals.

Rawdah

referred in particular to the vegetable garden that produced foods for the cooks.

anito

spirits of the dead who must be consulted before anything important is done.

Papangkol

two panels of vertical-split bamboo are clamped together for the panels to grip each other, keeping the rain from coming in