Manasara Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Manasara-Shilpashastra; III. Manasara on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Manasara: Translation; V. Architecture of Manasara: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v6.c41.s18.9

v6.c41.s18.9

A king of the Sailendra dynasty of the kingdom of Śrīvijaya in Sumatra is stated to have built, in Central Java, the temple of Kalasan, of the Mahāyāna divinity Tārā. ‘These Sumatran monarchs built on a grand scale in Java rather than in Sumatra.’¹ Thus, in Sumatra itself, no trace of Hindu monuments of religious character were found and recorded by the early visitors. Perhaps whatever monuments may have been there were of perishable materials and were easily destroyed by the Moslem invaders. But the existing civil architecture of the vast island must have been based upon the old tradition. So far as the peculiar horned houses of Sumatra are concerned, it will be noticed that their foundations on bamboo-pole or harder wood have their counterpart in the thatched houses in many parts of India. The horn itself may be seen in varying degrees in thatched houses in Bengal in particular. Their angularity increases in houses of those places where strong and stormy wind blows periodically. The interior arrangement and accommodation differ in accordance with the local conditions and the varying requirements of the occupants.