Science and Golden Ratios in Mandala Architecture

by Rekha Rao

"Indian temples are a rich repository of the religious, cultural, and artistic life of the society. Of special importance here are the circular, intricate, and artistic patterns called the mandalas, which are placed in the bhuvaneshvari of the temple that is conceived as the microcosmic representation of the cosmos in a temple. The study of the significance of the mandalas are based on the aspects like symbolism, fractals, numerology, and sacred geometry that are used as codes to reveal the mystery of the universe and the eternal laws that govern the order of the universe. The diagrams of mandalas, concealing vast and grandest knowledge of science and spirituality in an amalgamation, are condensed to simplest graphic designs so that the knowledge of science was accessible to the commoners. The study presents the structural, philosophical and scientific perspectives of some mandalas belonging to the early Calukya, late Calukya and the Hoysala temples of south India. The research work also explores the study of the Golden ratios on which the mandalas and the divine images of the temples are designed. The book will prove extremely absorbing to scholars concerned with the study of the art and architecture of the ancient divine sculptures."

284 pages, Hardcover

Published September 28, 2011