Hindu Religious Architecture : Temples

Northern Style: the Vishvanatha Temple at Khajuraho (c. 1000) [1-23]

• UNESCO page
• UNESCO video [SLYT]
• Kandariya Temple, Khajuraho at Asian Historical Architecture
• Information at TempleNet
• Images from Prof. Pritchett's website (Columbia Univ.)
• Information at Great Buildings Online
• Panoramic Image at World Heritage Tours
• Photosynth Image 
• 7 Wonders of India: Khajuraho [SLYT]

Southern Style: the Rajarajeshvara Temple at Thanjavur (c. 1010) [1-22]

• Brihadeeswarar Temple article at Wikipedia
• Bridhadeshvara Temple at Asian Historical Architecture
• UNESCO page about "Great Living Chola Temples"
• Panoramic Image at World Heritage Tour
• 7 Wonders of India: Thanjavur Temple [SLYT}

Buddhist Religious Architecture: The Stupa

• Wikipedia article on Stupa
• Introduction to Stupas from the Stupa Information Page
• Symbolism of the Stupa from Buddhanet
• The Stupa Project for World Peace
• "Rahil Circumambulates Sanchi" [SLYT]

Examples of Stupas:

Second Quiz: Buddha & Shiva

Seated Buddha from Gandhara (Victoria & Albert Museum)

Choose either one of the images here and, in separate paragraphs, describe any three individual symbolic details and their meaning, and then conclude with a paragraph that describes how these three details fit together as parts of  the object's overall meaning. (For those of you counting, that makes four paragraphs.) Quizzes are due & will be collected in class next Wednesday, February 22nd.

Things that matter: a) accuracy of information b) the depth of thought & understanding present in your answer and c) clear and correct language that avoids any hint of plagiarism -- including paraphrasing a source without citation.

Shiva Nataraja (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Shiva Nataraja

Chola Period Shiva Nataraja (Met)

"If a single icon had to be chosen to represent the extraordinary rich and complex cultural heritage of India, the Shiva Nataraja might well be the most remunerative candidate. It is such a brilliant iconographic invention that it comes as close to being a summation of the genius of the Indian people as any single icon can."

Other useful links:

• the Chola Period Shiva Nataraja (shown above) at the Met
• Wikipedia article on Nataraja

More examples (most with good notes) at: 

• the Royal Academy of Arts
•  the Asia Society
• at LACMA  
• at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
• at the Freer / Sackler Galleries  
• at the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts 
• AND at the British Museum

Shiva Maha Deva & Maha Yogi

Symbolic Features to Look For:

• Body covered with ashes
• Matted Hair
• River Ganges
• Crescent Moon
• Third Eye
• Half-Open Eyes
• Ear Rings (Kundalas)
• Snake
• Necklaces
• Mudra 
• Trident
• Drum
• Water Pot
• Bull
• Tiger Skin
• Cremation Ground
• Mountain 
• OM symbol

Shiva in Lingam Form

Wikipedia article on Lingam
TempleNet article on Lingam
Story of Shiva's appearance in Lingam Form

Ice Lingam of Shiva at Amarnath
Website for Amarnath Ji Yatra

Schedule Weeks 5 and 6

Week 5: Indian Art: Representations of Shiva

M: Shiva Trimurti (Mahadeva) (1-18)

W: Shiva Linga and Mahayogi

F:  Shiva Nataraja (1-17 and 1-25)

Week 4:  Asian Religious Architecture 

M:  Buddhist Stupas
W: Hindu Temples
F:  Pagodas 

Shiva (Trimurti)

Shiva Trimurti (Elephanta)

Broad Background:  A good overview of Hinduism at Wikipedia

Details: Wikipedia’s page on Shiva
Wikipedia article on Trimurti


360 Image:  Shiva Trimurti at the Elephanta Cave Temple, Mumbai 
Wikipedia entry on the Shiva Temple at the Elephanta Caves, Mumbai

More Buddha Basics: typical features & Gupta style

Teaching Buddha at Sarnath (1-13)

Gupta Period Sculpture

Note the lakshanas seen here:

- the urna or dot between the eyebrows
- the ushnisha or cranial bump
- the mudra or hand position (here, teaching the wheel of dharma)
- elongated ears
- simple monk's robe
- the asana or posture (here, meditating)
- lotus seat (here the folds of his robe & not an actual lotus)
- wheel symbols on feet
- halo behind the head




Other Resources:

• Wikipedia article on Sarnath
• Buddhanet article on Sarnath
• Gupta period Standing Buddha (Metropolitan Museum)

Class Schedule: Weeks 3 and 4

Week 3: (finish African Figurative Sculpture & begin Representations of the Buddha)

M: Dogon Ancestor Couple (11-9) -- close study

W: Akuaba (11-12) -- review

F:  Quiz Assignment for African Figurative Sculpture; first look at Buddhas

Week 4:  Representations of the Buddha

M:  Gandhara Buddha (1-10) and Buddhist Iconography
W: Buddhas from Mathura (1-12), Sarnath (1-15) Sukothai (2-11),
F:  Buddhas from China (3-11; 3-14), Tibet, Japan

The Taj Mahal

• Taj Mahal article at Wikipedia
• Taj Mahal article at Asian Historical Architecture
• Taj Mahal article at Islamic Architecture 
• Taj Mahal article at MANAS (UCLA)
• Taj Mahal at 1001 Wonders (Quicktime)
• Photosynth view of Taj Mahal (reguires Microsoft Silverlight) 
• "Seven Wonders: Taj Mahal" video at History.com  

Shiva 2

If a single icon had to be chosen to represent the extraordinarily rich and complex cultural heritage of India, the Shiva Nataraja might well be the most remunerative candidate. It is such a brilliant iconographic invention that it comes as close to being a summation of the genius of the Indian people as any single icon can.

Other useful links:

• Wikipedia article on Nataraja
• Article and example at the Royal Academy of Arts
• Another example at the Asia Society
• Shiva Nataraja at CERN

Hindu Temples

Mammallapuram (Mahabalipuram) temples

• article at Wikipedia
• article at templenet

Rajararajeshvara Temple (also known as the Brihadishwara Temple) at Thanjavur

• Brihadeeswarar Temple article at Wikipedia
• UNSECO site “Great Living Chola Temples”
• Article at Templenet.com
• Unesco World-Tour images
• Photosynth image mosaic (requires Silverlight)

Kandariya Mahadeva temple

• Dr. Francis Pritchard’s page (Columbia University)
• article at Asian Historical Architecture
• page at Great Buildings Online
• UNESCO world-heritage-tour images
• Photosynth image mosaic

Shiva 1

Shiva Trimurti (Elephanta)

Shiva Mahayogi (Bangalore)

Broad Background:  A good overview of Hinduism at Wikipedia
Details: Wikipedia’s page on Shiva
360 Image:  Shiva Trimurti at the Elephanta Cave Temple, Mumbai 
Wikipedia entry on the Shiva Temple at the Elephanta Caves, Mumbai

Video for Children that describes Shiva & tells some important stories

Daily Schedule for Weeks 6 & 7

Week 6:  representations of Hindu deities: Shiva / Hindu temples

M:  Shiva 1: Shiva as lingam & as Mahadeva (Elephanta temple [1-18]) 
W:  Hindu temple: concepts & forms: (1-22 & 1-24)
F:  Shiva 2: Shiva Nataraja (1-25)

Week 7:  Chinese art I: concepts & materials

M:  First Emperor's Tomb (3-6) 
W:  Chinese bronzes (3-3) & jades (3-5)  
F:   Chinese textiles (3-7) and ceramics (4-5)

SPRING BREAK 

Week 8: Chinese Landscape Painting 

Stupa to Pagoda 3: Chaitya Hall at Karle (cf. 1-14)

Halls like this one at Karle and the ones at Ellora and Ajanta are carved out of hillsides.  All the interior elements are integral to the cave -- meaning that they are not built separately and set into the cave, but entirely carved out of the living rock.  The hall leads back to a stupa.

overview notes of the period from the Dept. of Architecture at UC Berkeley
descriptive entry at Chaitya.com
entry at Great Buildings Online

Stupa to Pagoda 1: the Great Stupa at Sanchi (for MON 2-14)

• article at Wikipedia
• Unesco World Heritage page
• images & information at Great Buildings Online
• many images at the Berger Foundation
• Quicktime 360 images at 1001 Wonders
• "The Hill of Sanchi" at Buddhanet

Buddha Statues from Gandhara

·         Basic Buddhism Guide from BuddhaNet 

·         BuddhaNet article about Buddha’s First Sermon at Sarnath

·         Life of the Buddha essay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

·         Article on Greco-Buddhist art at Wikipedia

·         Another Gandhara period frieze of the First Sermon at the Met

Daily Schedule for Weeks 4 & 5

Week 4:  Representations of the Buddha 

M:  Gandhara Buddha (1-10) and Buddhist Iconography
W: Buddhas from Mathura (1-12), Sarnath (1-15) Sukothai (2-11), 
F:  Buddhas from China (3-11; 3-14), Tibet, Japan + First Exercise DUE

Week 5: Buddhist Temples: from stupa to pagoda
M:  Great Stupa at Sanchi (1-7)
W: Chaitya Hall, Karle; Borobadur; Schwedagon Pagoda (2-13)
F: Fougang Si Pagoda (3-23); and maybe Horyuji Temple Complex (5-9)

Week 6: Hindu Deities -- esp. Shiva

Northern Temple Style: Khajuraho

• Kandariya Mahadeva page at Dr. Frances Pritchett's page at Columbia University
• Khajuraho page at Asian Historical Architecture
• Kandariya at Great Buildings Online