Essay on the Architecture of the Hindús |
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Page iv
... sculpture had been , with some solitary exceptions , locked up in the Sanscrit language ; and , as the study of this language was limited , in general , to the higher classes ; the only means of improvement left to the artist , who in ...
... sculpture had been , with some solitary exceptions , locked up in the Sanscrit language ; and , as the study of this language was limited , in general , to the higher classes ; the only means of improvement left to the artist , who in ...
Page xi
... sculpture , & c .; and I have already mentioned to you how much I am indebted to Dr. Aitkin for the two manuscripts which he had the kindness to procure me ; but our best pundits have given them up as altogether inexplicable ; and ...
... sculpture , & c .; and I have already mentioned to you how much I am indebted to Dr. Aitkin for the two manuscripts which he had the kindness to procure me ; but our best pundits have given them up as altogether inexplicable ; and ...
Page 1
... sculpture , & c . , which collectively are called the Silpa Sástra , * but unfortunately few traces of them remain . There appears to have been , according to some , thirty - two , and according to others sixty - four , standard ...
... sculpture , & c . , which collectively are called the Silpa Sástra , * but unfortunately few traces of them remain . There appears to have been , according to some , thirty - two , and according to others sixty - four , standard ...
Page 2
... sculpture . In a series of memorial verses preserved among the artists , are recorded the names of the authors or titles of the above - mentioned sixty - four treatises . Of these , thirty - two are called Muc'hya , or principal , and ...
... sculpture . In a series of memorial verses preserved among the artists , are recorded the names of the authors or titles of the above - mentioned sixty - four treatises . Of these , thirty - two are called Muc'hya , or principal , and ...
Page 4
... sculpture , carpentry , & c .; the second describes the qualification of a Silpi , and gives a brief account of the origin of the five different classes of artists , said to have been descended from Viswacarma , and to have followed ...
... sculpture , carpentry , & c .; the second describes the qualification of a Silpi , and gives a brief account of the origin of the five different classes of artists , said to have been descended from Viswacarma , and to have followed ...
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Common terms and phrases
a-quarter according Agastya álinga angulas architecture architrave artists Brahmans breadth building called campa cant'ha capital capóta Cásyapa cavetto chapter chunam cima recta cimbia classes collarino contained cornice cupola dandás deities diameters high divided into four door-frame edifice entablature equal in height erected essay fillet gate gateways given gnomon gnomon projects gópura Gopura consisting Grecian ground hastha Hindú architects India Indian architecture intercolumniations latter lotus lower Mánasára mantapa Máyámata middle moulding ornaments ovolo padma pedestals and bases pinnacle placed Plate plinth points porticoes prastara proportions pyramidal quadrangular resembles respect rites Roman architecture Royal Asiatic Society rules sculpture seven shadow shaft sic'hara sides Silpa Sástra Siva sorts of pillars South of India Sri Rangam sthapati stone streets temples thickness three and a-half three-quarters torus treatises treats twelve stories upána upper base vájina various village VIMÁNA CONSISTING Vishnu walls western architects
Popular passages
Page 19 - ... proportions of symmetry." (p. 15.) The third chapter treats of the nature and quality of ground on which buildings are to be erected ; it is very copious and very curious. Minute directions are given for constructing a plough, and for ploughing the ground on which the house is to be built. This being done, " let sesamum seeds, pulse, and kidneybeans be sown, with incantations pronounced over them; and let due reverence be paid to the spiritual teacher ; and let the oxen, and the plough to which...
Page 16 - The ground to be avoided is described in a special manner as follows : " That which has the form of a circle, a semicircle, containing three, five, or six angles, resembling a trident or a winnow, shaped like the hinder part of a fish, or the back of an elephant, or a turtle, or the face of a cow, and the like ; situated opposite to any of the intermediate quarters northwest, and the like ; abounding with human sculls, stones, worms, ant-hills, ON THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HINDUS.
Page 24 - A capdtam (12) is a section of moulding made in the form of a pigeon's head, from which it takes its name. It is a crowning member of cornices, pedestals, and entablatures. When employed in the latter, it often connects utility with beauty, in as much as the beak of the bird is so placed as to serve the purpose of a spout to throw off the water falling on the cornice.
Page 39 - ... discovered with great scientific skill, and is adduced as one of the proofs of the highly refined taste of the Greeks : but we observe that precepts derived from the same principle have been taught and practised in India from time immemorial. •' The plan of the Grecian and Roman columns is always round ; but the plan of the Hindu columns admits of every shape, and is frequently found in the quadrangular and octangular form, and richly adorned with sculptured ornaments. The form of the Egyptian...
Page 17 - HINDUS. 17 bones, slimy earth, decayed woods, coals, dilapidated wells, subterraneous pits, fragments of tiles, lime-stones, ashes, husks of corn ; and exposed to the wafted effluvia of curds, oil, honey, dead bodies, fishes, &c. : such a spot should be avoided on every account.
Page 46 - The general practice is this: if the front of the house be ten paces in length, the entrance should be between five on the right and four on the left.
Page 14 - An architect (sthapati) should be conversant in all sciences; ever attentive to his avocations; of an unblemished character; generous, sincere, and devoid of enmity or jealousy.
Page 14 - ... he may be either the son or disciple of the (sthapati) ; he should be particularly skilled in mathematics, and be strictly obedient to the will of the (sthapati). " A (tacshaca), who is thus called from part of his avocation being to pare rough wood, should be of a cheerful temper, and well versed in all mechanical arts.
Page 40 - ... to the option of the artists. The capitals of the Grecian columns invariably mark the distinction of the several orders : those of the Indian are varied at pleasure, though not without regard to the diameter and length of the shaft ; and the forms of the plainest of them, though they have in reality...
Page 40 - Hindú architecture, no mention is made of any thing like a substitution of human figures for columns to support the entablature, but the shaft is directed to be adorned with the figures of demons and animals ; yet various examples are to be met with in which human figures, as well as representations of animals, are employed in bold relief in the sides of pillars in temples and porticoes, but by no means like those found in Egyptian architecture. The antiquity of this invention in India is not determined,...