Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c56.76

v1.c56.76

I have already said before, that Temples have formed special fascination of the king, who as a great devotee himself has written with devotion on the devotional architecture devoting more than half of the work to the un-paralleled delineation of the Prāsāda Vāstu. I, therefore, without any detailed introduction or digression therefrom, must point out the basic point of view, of the analysis of this topic. As a matter of fact, the greater part of this Part is an analysis of the same topic—the development of the Temple Architecture. But the parts may be distinct so that the whole becomes integrated, not a mere jumble. For example, the development in the categories (i.e. Jātis) and varieties, the divisions and classifications of numerous temples as has been done in the work will form a separate chapter. The development of the temple from the point of view of styles—Nāgara and Drāvida together with an additional list of several others—a special contribution of this work, will form a separate chapter. The development of the temple architecture in relation to sculpture and ornamentation—the decorative art has formed a sub-heading of another chapter. This is an outline of the development in relation to the matter. The transcendental, or more correctly the metaphysical and spiritual development forming the true genius of the Hindu Temple as a great institution, must also be spoken of somewhere and this forms a part of another chapter under the planning of the Prāsāda. Therefore, the delimitation of the topic is a natural consequence. Here, in this chapter, I have to view the structural development—the development of the body of Prāsāda, the nucleus of which has already been found out in the different origins of the Prāsāda, the Vedic altar, the Citi, the Sad, the shed of initiation, the dolmen, the Tabernacle and the image of the mountain. Herein I shall have to occupy myself with the two principal types of structural development of the temple—the pyramidal shape and the superstructure thereof and the curvilinear shape, the Śikhara and the superstructure thereof.