The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c6.4

c6.4

I must leave the interpretation of the parable to my readers. The present work only deals with city building incidentally, as part of a much greater subject—the history of the civilisation introduced into India by the Aryan race and its relation to empire-building. It does not profess to give more than an outline of its fundamental ideas. The materials dealt with are mainly those furnished by the ancient and medieval monuments of India—an open book for those who can read it, but one which has remained closely sealed for Europeans even to the present day. Fergusson, in his great pioneer work, "The History of Indian and Eastern Architecture," made an attempt to interpret it at a time when the difficulties of the subject were immeasurably greater than they are now. It says much for his genius as a historian that he seized at once the great cardinal truth stated so admirably in his introduction—one that cannot be repeated too often: "Architecture in India is still a living art, practised on the principles which caused its wonderful development in Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; and there, consequently, and there alone, the student of architecture has a chance of seeing the real principles of the art in action. In Europe, at the present day, architecture is practised in a manner so anomalous and abnormal that few, if any, have hitherto been able to shake off the influence of a false system and to see that the art of ornamental building can be based upon principles of common sense; and that when so practised the result not only is but must be satisfactory. Those who have an opportunity of seeing what perfect buildings the uneducated natives of India produce, will easily understand how success may be achieved; while those who observe what failures the best educated and most talented architects in Europe frequently perpetrate, may by a study of Indian models easily see why this must inevitably be the result. It is only in India that the two systems can be seen practised side by side—the educated and intellectual European failing because his principles are wrong, the feeble and uneducated native as invariably succeeding because his principles are right.”