Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c48.s2.3

v1.c48.s2.3

We have thus trodden a very long path noticing (though very briefly indeed) as many as six standard manuals of Hindu architecture. What have we gained? Firstly our architectural traditions have retained a character, a changeless back-ground, the Ādhāra and allowed a changing edifice, the Ādheva. This is truely Indian. Secondly all these texts owe their origin to a common fountain, a neo-religious upsurge as propogated by the Purāṇas and Āgamas in both the parts of our land, the North and the South. Consequently our architectural traditions are not only religious in their origin but also mystic in their evolution. This mysticism is the philosophy of architecture what is the martix of Indian architecture and its perfection as well. This is a general estimation of our architectural lore as is presented by these representative texts.