Wood has little place in the ‘concretized’ contemporary Indian architecture other than interiors and shuttering work etc. It however plays an important role in forming the basis of Indian temple and monastery architecture. When permanent structures in stone and in caves etc began to be built, the masonry of wood was replicated in the construction.
The replication was not a co-incidence. It was a deliberate attempt to maintain the sanctity of wood even in stone. A threshold in a temple built out of stone is not a structural requirement. It is necessarily a requirement in wooden masonry. In spite of that it is replicated in all ancient Hindu temples. Buddhist monasteries till date replicate wood in their column and pillars, thresholds, doorways, lintels and window frames etc in their construction. Ancient Buddhist caves like those at Karle follow similar principals.
The great Stupa at Saanchi has an intricately decorated torana which was very typical of a wooden torana. The entire stupa is circumambulated by a stone fence which is exactly like a wooden picket fence.
Why this religious adherence to wood? Probably because wood was one of the first materials of structural construction apart from stone and sun burnt bricks. It however was considered the most pure of the lot. Probably because it was natural and not man made like bricks. Also, it was a lot easier to use while constructing temporary, quick to erect shelters around shrines as compared to stone.

Water Water everywhere!

A friends enquiry regarding water in Indian Mythology and architecture set me thinking…
Water- Indeed an inseparable element of our lives, the very sustainer of our lives and everything around us. It is then impossible to negate its influence in Mythology and various rituals integral to Indian culture.
An interesting contrast- Buddhists never build their monasteries next to running water. It is said to take all the good luck away from the monastery downstream. Hindus prefer to build their temples next to running water and rivers. For them it’s a symbol of purification and sustainability of life. The Ganges is not only present in Banaras to purify tainted souls. It resides on the threshold of the sanctum sanctorum of every ancient Hindu temple through various symbols related to water. A symbol of purifying yourself before you enter the abode of god. Islamic architecture does not bear much influence of water. Probably because the religion originated in regions scarce in water. The extensive and huge water bodies we see as part of the landscape in many Islamic monuments in India were in fact added much later on by the colonial rulers.
Coming to micro levels, water becomes a part of the religious motifs in a lot of coastal cultures. The ‘Aalponaa’ of Bengal incorporates symbols and motifs derived from fish and flowing water for every auspicious occasion. Interestingly, in Bangladesh the prosperity of a person was not measured by the amount of gold or land a person owned. It was through the number of ponds he owned. More ponds meant more fish and hence more prosperous a person!
Water in wells has not only utilitarian implications but has social and religious symbology attached to it as well. Stepped wells of Gujarat and Rajasthan were like public baths, each level reserved for a class of society. Each well also had religious values attached to it. More often than not a temple would be standing next to the stepped well. Each well is designed adhering to strict vastu principles including the number of steps that it incorporates!
In modern times, walking a bit away from India, Architect Tadao Ando’s water temple is a unique homage to water in architecture!

Shakti..the feminine power

India's new comic revolution by Marvel comics tries to bridge the gap between renderings on celluloid and renderings on paper. Shekhar Kapoor has launched his own vrsion of mythology in the comic series 'Devi'. Devi is the personification of combined powers of the pantheonto give rise to an invinsible entity with a female manifestation... conjured solely for the destruction of Lord Bala.. A god gone evil and fallen from grace of the pantheon.
The story has many borrowings from hindu mythology. The very creation of Devi bears resonance with the birth of 'Shakti' the Goddess which rose when the powers of all gods combined.
Ever noticed that in most myths especially the pagan ones the supreme power to destroy evil is a feminine manifestation... Why so? One might wonder.
Hindu mythology symbolises power as a feminine entity. The words synonymous to the meanings of power are all 'streeling' or of female gender. What can be the possible reason?

Myths Galore

Mythology has always fascinated me. Hence this blog. Been five years since I have been reading bout myths n mythology of the Indian subcontinent...the revelations have been eye openers!