Rediscovering the Hindu Temple

Rediscovering the Hindu Temple
Author: Vinayak Bharne
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2014-09-18
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1443867349

This volume examines the multifarious dimensions that constitute the workings of the Hindu temple as an architectural and urban built form. Eleven chapters reflect on Hindu temples from multiple standpoints - tracing their elusive evolution from wayside shrines as well as canonization into classical objects; questioning the role of treatises containing their building rules; analyzing their prescribed proportions and orders; examining their presence in, and as, larger sacred habitats and ritua...

The Hindu Temple

The Hindu Temple
Author: Stella Kramrisch
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Total Pages: 354
Release: 1976
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9788120802247

Temples of the Indus

Temples of the Indus
Author: Michael W. Meister
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2010-07-26
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9004190112

In Pakistan's northwest, a sequence of temples built between the sixth and the tenth centuries provides a missing chapter in the evolution of the Hindu temple in South Asia. Combining some elements from Buddhist architecture in Gandharā with the symbolically powerful curvilinear Nāgara tower formulated in the early post-Gupta period, this group stands as an independent school of that pan-Indic form, offering new evidence for its creation and original variations in the four centuries of its existence. Drawing on recent archaeology undertaken by the Pakistan Heritage Society as well as scholarship from the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture project, this volume finally allows the Salt Range and Indus temples to be integrated with the greater South Asian tradition.

Temples of Deccan India

Temples of Deccan India
Author: George Michell
Publisher: Acc Art Books
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-09-13
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9781788841382

* A visually stunning exploration of the Deccan Indian architectural history* A matching companion book to Islamic Architecture of Deccan India (ACC Art Books, 2018)* Blueprint-style plans of temples accompany 300+ photographs* Contains maps guiding would-be travelers to these temple sitesThis beautifully illustrated book showcases the Hindu and Jain temples of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka built prior to the invasion of peninsular India by the Delhi sultans at the end of the 13th century. Unlike temples in many other parts of India, those of the Deccan are well preserved, with their wealth of figural and decorative carvings miraculously intact. They demonstrate the development of Indian sacred architecture and art over a span of more than 600 years. Focusing on some 50 historical sites, the Temple Architecture of Deccan India begins with artificially excavated "cave" shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities, before proceeding on to examine free-standing Hindu and Jain monuments sponsored by successive rulers of the Deccan. Attention is paid to the beautiful sculptures found on temple basements, walls, brackets and ceilings. Carved in crisp relief, and sometimes even in three dimensions, these carvings are among the greatest glories of Indian stone art. Among the featured highlights are the cave temple on the island of Elephanta, with its stupendous representation of three-headed Sadashiva; the colossal, monolithic Kailasa temple at Ellora, a technical feat unsurpassed in the entire history of Indian architecture; the magnificent columned pavilion at Hanamkonda, now currently being reconstructed; and the temple at Belur, with its exquisitely carved female figural brackets. Specially commissioned plans of temple layouts accompany 300+ photographs. and clarify the succession of dynasties that governed the Deccan during the centuries covered here. Maps locate the temple sites, while passages of text illuminate the succession of dynasties that governed the Deccan from the 7th to 13th centuries. Educational, accessible and beautifully illustrated, this book will be of interest to anyone fascinated by Indian architecture.

A Tapestry of Faiths

A Tapestry of Faiths
Author: Winfried Corduan
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2009-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 172522626X

Christians find themselves in an increasingly diverse world. The new place of worship in our neighborhood might just as likely be a Hindu temple or a Muslim mosque as a church or a synagogue. How should we view other world religions, and more important, how should we engage our religiously oriented neighbors in conversation? Do all religions teach the same thing? Or are there significant differences? Do we try to minimize differences and just get along? Or do we hold out the Christian faith as the one true hope for all the world? Drawing on his wide experience and knowledge of other religions and how they are actually lived, Winfried Corduan helps us sort through the complex tapestry of faiths around the globe. He contends that there are common threads of understanding that can serve to link us in meaningful discussion. From these common threads we can go on to explore genuine differences. Through the course of the book, Corduan leads readers to explore the important issues of revelation and truth, morality and guilt, grace and redemption, eschatology and hope. Ultimately, Jesus Christ, he argues, stands unique among religious figures and Christianity unique among the world's religions. This is a book that strengthens Christians in their convictions while encouraging them to engage their neighbors with humility, loved, and discernment.

The Hindu Temple

The Hindu Temple
Author: George Michell
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1977
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

Sacred Plants of India

Sacred Plants of India
Author: Nanditha Krishna
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2014-05-15
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9351186911

Plants personify the divine— The Rig Veda (X.97) Trees and plants have long been held sacred to communities the world over. In India, we have a whole variety of flora that feature in our myths, our epics, our rituals, our worship and our daily life. There is the pipal, under which the Buddha meditated on the path to enlightenment; the banyan, in whose branches hide spirits; the ashoka, in a grove of which Sita sheltered when she was Ravana’s prisoner; the tulsi, without which no Hindu house is considered complete; the bilva, with whose leaves it is possible to inadvertently worship Shiva. Before temples were constructed, trees were open-air shrines sheltering the deity, and many were symbolic of the Buddha himself. Sacred Plants of India systematically lays out the sociocultural roots of the various plants found in the Indian subcontinent, while also asserting their ecological importance to our survival. Informative, thought-provoking and meticulously researched, this book draws on mythology and botany and the ancient religious traditions of India to assemble a detailed and fascinating account of India’s flora.

Introduction to Indian Architecture

Introduction to Indian Architecture
Author: Bindia Thapar
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 549
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1462906427

Take a journey through Indian architecture from the dawn of civilization to the present with this colorful, attractive survey. The architecture of India reflects both the cultural diversity of the subcontinent and its rich political and historical inheritance. In this guide, the various strands of this rich architectural history, from the dawn of civilization to modern times, are beautifully presented in word and picture. Readers are taken on a fascinating tour of Indus Valley civilization, early Vedic traditions, Hindu, Jain, Mughal, regional, colonial and post-independence architectural styles. Themes such as water architecture and the architecture of science also figure prominently, giving many westerners their first glimpse of these styles. The informative text, complemented by 400 photographs, watercolors, maps and plans, provide compelling evidence of India's influence on building design throughout history.

How to Become a Hindu

How to Become a Hindu
Author: Subramuniya (Master.)
Publisher: Himalayan Academy Publications
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0945497822

"A history-making manual,interreligious study and names list, with stories by Westerners who entered Hinduism and Hindus who deepened their faith"--Cove