Can you build a temple from a text?
Lecture by Dr. Adam Hardy
There are two common - and opposite - preconceptions about the Sanskrit treatises on architecture (vastushastras). One is that they lay down strict rules that architects are obliged to follow, the other that they are abstrusely theoretical and not much to do with actual practice. The reality, which lies somewhere in between, is more complicated and much more interesting. To make sense of these texts you have to make drawings from their instructions. In this talk I shall use drawings to explore the relationship between theory (as represented by the texts) and temple design.
This was part of the course, 'The Indian Temple'
Brief about the course:
The course covers temples that were built across the Indian Subcontinent from the third century BCE to the early modern era. Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contexts of temple-making will be considered; speakers will adopt a range of approaches in the study of these architectural wonders including form, iconography, patronage, socio-cultural milieu, rituals, and the imagining of sacred landscapes. The goal is to showcase the beauty and power of Indian temples and explore their importance in the lives of the people they serve/d.