The Hindu Temple (2 Vols.)

The Hindu Temple is the sum total of architectural rites performed on the basis of its myth. The myth covers the ground and is the plan on which the structure is raised. It explains in detail the religious and spiritual significance of the temple b4y means of copious references to Sanskrit texts„both sacred and scientific. It depicts the Hindu Temple as not merely a heap of brick, stone or wood but a visible symbol of aspirations of pious men and women, the throbbings of their hearts in religious fervor and their endeavor for the attainment of salvation. The first four parts of this volume are devoted to the philosophy of temple architecture. Part V deals with the origin and development of the temple from the Vedic fire altars to the latest forms. Part VI discusses the pyramidal and curvilinear superstructures in the main varieties of the _ikhara, the

_ikhara enmeshed in Gavaksas and the composite _ikhara. Part VII described the proportional measurements and the rhythmic disposition of the garbha-grha and the vertical section. It discusses the proportions of the Mandapa and the types of temples described in the ancient sanskrit texts like the Brhatasmhita and the Samarnganasutradhara.

This most comprehensive and authoritative treatise of ancient Indian Temple Architecture will prove of immense help to the students of ancient Indian culture.

This two-volume work explains in detail the religious and spiritual significance of the temple by means of copious references to Sanskrit texts--both sacred and scientific. It depicts the Hindu Temple as not merely a heap of brick, stone or wood but a visible symbol of aspirations of pious men and women, the throbbings of their hearts in religious fervor and their endeavor for the attainment of salvation.

The first four parts of the work are devoted to the philosophy of temple architecture. Part V deals with the origin and development of the temple from the Vedic fire altars to the latest forms. Part VI discusses the pyramidal and curvilinear superstructures in the main varieties of the Sikhara, the Sikhara enmeshed in Gavaksas and the composite Sikhara. Part VII describes the proportional measurements and the rhythmic disposition of the garbha-grha and the vertical section. It discusses the proportions of the Mandapa and the types of temples described in ancient Sanskrit texts like the Brhatsamhita and the Samaranganasutradhara.

This most comprehensive and authoritative treatise of ancient Indian Temple Architecture will prove of immense help to the students of ancient Indian culture.

Contents (Vol. 1)

PART I: The Site, Part II: The Plan, Part III: Plan and Supernal Man, Part IV: The Substances of which the temple is built, Names and Origins of the Temple, Part VI. The Superstructure, Part VII: Proportionate Measurement and Varieties of the Temple (Volume 2) Part VIII: The Images of the Temple, Explanation of Plates, Appendix, Sources, Index, Plates I-IXXX.

Review(s)

About the Author(s)

STELLA KRAMRISCH was professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Curator of Indian Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. She was also previously Professor of History of Indian Art at the University of Calcutta. Her books on Indian Art are now considered classics.