-
Science and Golden R...
Science and Golden Ratios in Mandala Architecture
by: Rekha RaoThe book throws light on the structural, philosophical and scientific perspectives of mandala designs of temples, and explores the relationship between spiritual ideas and the ideas of scientific advancement as exhibited in the mandalas of ancient temples.
₹810.00
ISBN: 9788124605875
Year Of Publication: 2011
Edition: 1st
Pages : xxi, 284 p
Bibliographic Details : 48 Colour & b/w photographs, Glossary; Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23
Weight: 600
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.
Preface
World of Mandalas
Introduction
1. The Basics of the Mandala
The Central Axis of the Temple
The Purpose, Structure and Meaning of a Mandala
Wave Pattern in a Mandala
Graphic Symbols and Geometric Patterns of the Mandala
Lotus Bud and the Koshas — the Sheaths Enveloping the Soul
Lotus Designs
Shape of Lotus Petals
Pancayatana and Bhadra Mandalas
Kirtimukha: The Face of Glory
Number Symbolism
Fractals: An Interpretation and Representation
Iconographic Representation of Pancabhutas, the Five Elements
2. The Structure, Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives of Mandalas in Temples
Laws of Motion in the Svastika Mandala of Badami Cave
The Dissolution of the Universe – The Crunch in the Matsya Mandala of Badami Cave No. 2
The Source of Energy: Naga Mandala at the Badami Cave
Mandala of the Cosmic bi-unity at the Somanathpur Temple
Rhythm of Life in the Mandala of Keshava Temple, Somanathpur
The Birth of the Universe in the Mandala of Belavadi Viranarayana Temple
The Astronomical Time Cycles of Ancient Hindu Philosophy in the Mandala of Belavadi Viranarayana Temple
Manifestation of Sound in the Mandala of Virabhadra Temple, Keladi
The Power of Light in the Mandala at Belur Cennakeshava Temple
Mandalas in Square Grids
The Significance of the Astadikpala Mandala at Marale Siddheshvara Temple
Mandala of Square Grids in Marale Siddeshvara Temple
3. Golden Ratios in Mandalas: And their Application in Hindu Divine Sculptures
Golden Ratios and Geometry in the Mandala of Ittagi Mahadeva Temple
Golden Ratios in the Mandala of the Hoysaleshvara Temple at Halebid
Application of Golden Rectangles in the Hindu Divine Sculpture of Tirupati Venkateshvara
Golden Ratios in the Nataraja Sculpture of Cidambaram
Divine Proportions (Golden Ratios) in the Sculpture of Gommateshvara at Sharavanabelgola
Golden Ratios in the Buddha Image at Saranath
Epilogue
Illustrations
Glossary
List of illustrations
Bibliography
Index
-
Sale!ABIA ₹1,890.00
Volume four contains 1344 records on South and Southeast Asia selected out of 1800 records from the ABIA South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index database. Volume four has been compiled by the ABIA project team at IGNCA New Delhi. It includes all forms of scholarly publications, ranging from survey works to small but important articles in composite books and journals published in India between 2006 and 2011. Subjects include pre- and protohistory, historical archaeology, ancient art history, modern art history, material culture, epigraphy and palaeography, numismatics and sigillography (seals). The bibliographic descriptions (with the original diacritics), keywords and annotations have made this reference work a reliable guide to recently published scholarly work in the field.
-
Sale!Amarushataka ₹3,150.00
Amarushataka is considered to be one of the finest poetic creations in Sanskrit in ancient India and is a watershed development in the genre of Shringara Rasa. We do not know who the poet Amaru was, but a number of legends abound and it is believed that he lived in the seventh century. In Amarus poetic gems love is not measured but experienced, it is not evaluated socially but felt in the deepest recesses of the mind and heart. He paints the varied moods and nuances of love with words that evoke vivid colours and rhythms that are sonorous with music. Amarushataka basks in a sunlit space, fragrant with the aroma of love, brilliant with the hues of a throbbing heart and within the minute compass of the few lines of a verse we are privy to a whole universe of romance. Amarus lovers inhabit a non-descript space, so that our attention is entirely on them and not on the surroundings. Amarus lovers are driven by desire, devoid of guilt, finding their fulfilment in a passionate embrace or a loving gaze. Using traditional Prakrit romantic idioms Amaru prepares us for the feast both for the eyes and the ears that is to follow, for the muktakas of Amaru create an emotionally charged world, where every nuance of romantic love is explored, where the pangs and pleasures, pathos and poignancy, of amorous dalliances are sensitively portrayed, where neither the restraint of dharma nor the restriction of samsara is allowed to interfere with a glorious celebration of love. Whatever its origins, for 1,300 years this work has retained its reputation in India as one of the foundational collections of poetry. Poets and critics still use its verses as a template against which to consider other poems. Such was the impact of Amarushataka, especially in Malwa of the seventeenth century, that it was transformed into miniature paintings in the evocative Malwa style. The one room chamber with strong monochromatic colours and robust figures marks the painting. The book also traces the history of Malwa painting. An interesting side light of the book is an attempt to demonstrate that the verses of Amaru were also perhaps responsible for amorous sculptures in Khajuraho and other temples. The book is richly illustrated, has the verses of Amaru in Sanskrit and English and is a source book of Shringara Rasa for scholars and students alike.
-
Sale!Explorations in Indian Philosophy ₹495.00
Any discourse on Indian philosophy has to be taken out of the box in which it was confined for ages using obsolete methods for evaluating thinking patterns. In the traditional way of analysing Indian philosophy there was an inimical approach to each other between the philosophers and the philologists, and between the Sanskrit tradition-oriented philosophers and modern English/vernacular-based philosophers. This friction is evident in the hesitation of the traditionalists in giving philosophers like Daya Krishna and K.C. Bhattacharyya their due share.
The twelve essays in this volume address many a question about the characteristics of Indian philosophical traditions and Indian-ness. Indian philosophy is essentially not Sanskrit based alone, there is a significant contribution to it from the South Asian languages and English, and the cultures of the subcontinent. It attempts to provide provocative insights in sharing the author’s penetrative acumen both in his traditional and modern approaches to South Asian intellectual systems. It therefore addresses the prejudice between the East and the West, and traditional and modern, and the concerns of South Asian diaspora in the Western countries.
As far as this anthology is concerned, the icing on the cake is the Foreword by Dr Mrinal Kaul, who critically analyses the major developments taken place in the realm of Indian philosophy in the last few decades, critically appreciating the contents. -
Sale!Buddhist Art of Kausambi ₹2,250.00
The Upanishads capture the quintessence of Indian spiritual wisdom unfolding deepest, highly perceptive reflections on human existence and how it is related to the mysterious cosmos. Authored by enlightened seers over the period of 1500-200 bc., the Upanishadic message is a magnificent vision that raises human consciousness to sublime heights. One of the major centres of Buddhist art in ancient times, Kausambi provides evidence of an uninterrupted art tradition spanning centuries. Pointing to the scant attention Kausambi has received from scholars in the past, this work attempts to highlight its art treasures through a study of its stone sculptures. Based on scrutiny of stone sculptures found at various sites in Kausambi and its vicinity and housed in different museums, it presents perhaps the first extensive documentation of the Buddhist art of the region from the Mauryan to post-Gupta period. It examines in detail over 300 stone sculptures, paying special attention to their iconographic features, types of stone, techniques of carving, grinding and polishing and their aesthetic appeal. All this comes with a background throwing light on the history of Kausambi and its association with Buddhism, the early archaeological explorations in the region, and the individuality and uniqueness of Kausambi art as compared to Mathura and Sarnath schools. The book presents over 225 black-and-white and over 50 coloured photographs of Buddhist sculptures which are neatly classified and systematically analysed. It would prove invaluable to scholars and students of Buddhist art.
-
Sale!An Introduction to the Study of Indian Poetics ₹540.00
The book aspires to do for Indian poetics what Hudson’s book, An Introduction to the Study of English Literature did for English literature, though in a totally different manner and style. It provides the student with the essential knowledge about almost all aspects of Indian poetics. Based on the original Sanskrit sources, it presents the necessary information lucidly in precise and clear terms. Each chapter is self-contained and complete in itself, with explanatory notes, and a bibliography of relevant works. The Sanskrit terms used in the text are invariably explained or provided with English equivalents.
For quick reference, “A Glossary of Sanskrit Literary Terms” is given in the Appendices, which contain also “A List of Noted Indian Poeticians (including commentators) and Their Works” and “Notes on Major Texts in Indian Poetics”.
This handy volume, with its unique features, will prove invaluable to those who are going to embark on the study of Indian poetics, especially the ones who have no Sanskrit background. To a devoted student, it will prove a useful companion during his/her further studies.
