The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c14.11

c14.11

I must leave others to enlarge upon the inferences to be drawn from the appearance of Aryan Vishnu, and Siva symbols, or their prototypes, in the royal tombs of Nineveh in the eighth century b.c. The most significant point to be noticed is that the juxtaposition of Vishnu's sikhara and Siva's stûpa, or the symbols of Life and Death, is exactly what occurred so frequently in ancient and medieval India. Fergusson's description of the former as “Hindu and Indo-Aryan” and of the latter as “Buddhist and Dravidian” not only misled himself, but gave to others entirely false clues to the history and chronology of Indian art.