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Academic Year 2003/2004


The Indian Temple
ARHA 385 SP

This seminar explores the history, forms, and meanings of the Indian temple or devalaya, the pre-eminent building type in India's architectural tradition from the sixth through the sixteenth centuries. The point of departure is morphological and stylistic analysis of the buildings themselves, so as to provide a firm basis for the subsequent investigation of such topics as architecture and cosmology, architecture and Hindu ritual, and the changing social, economic, and political functions of temples within medieval Indian society.

MAJOR READINGS

George Michell, THE HINDU TEMPLE
Dianna L. Eck, DARSAN: SEEING THE DIVINE IMAGE IN INDIA
Joanne P. Waghorne et al., GODS OF FLESH, GODS OF STONE: THE EMBODIMENT OF DIVINITY IN INDIA
Stella Kramrisch, THE HINDU TEMPLE
A.K. Coomaraswamy, ESSAYS IN ARCHITECTURAL THEORY
Ajay Sinha, IMAGINING ARCHITECTS: CREATIVITY IN THE RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS OF INDIA
M.A.Dhaky et al, ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF INDIAN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
Michael Meister, "Measurement and Proportion in Hindu Temple Architecture."
Sonit Bafna, "On the Idea of the Mandala as a Governing Device in Indian Architectural Tradition"
John McKim Malville, ANCIENT CITIES, SACRED SKIES: COSMIC GEOMETRIES AND CITY PLANNING IN ANCIENT INDIA
Hermann Kulke, "Royal Temple Policy and the Structure of Medieval Hindu Kingdoms"
George Spencer, "Temple Money Lending and Livestock Distribution"
Cynthia M. Talbot, "Temples, Donors, and Gifts: Patterns of Patronage in Thirteenth-Century South India

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Two written exercises, term paper, in-class presentations

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004


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