The Hindu Temple - 2 Volume Complete Set

by Stella Kramrisch

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

Genres: History, Gnosticism

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two volumes were very much in detail. You can literally know everything about temple architecture. Historiography well attended to. Various case studies based on regional variables were vividly described.