BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

How was it started? The 6th century BC the turmoil and growing social inequalities in India. Disenchantment with the existing state of the state prince Siddhartha Gautama at the age of 29 , to abandon court life and devote himself to finding out how to save humanity. After a period of intense reflection he had a moment of enlightenment or nirvana , sitting beneath a tree at Budhh gaya.

CHARACTER AND STYLES • There were many structures developed during this period basically for religious purposes and residents for monks. • They were:• Stupas, viharas, chaitya halls, stambas , Ashokan pillar.

VIHARAS • They were early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open surrounded by a open cells accessible through an entrance porch. • The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks in the rainy season when they cannot wander. • They took on a sacred character when small stupas and images of Buddha were installed in the central court. • Viharas were often excavated into the cliffs.

Viharas • Usually built around the chaitya halls • Consists of series of rooms around three sides of open courtyard or prayer hall • Some had dinning and assembly rooms • Most were plain without any ornamentation • They were basically square in plan.

STUPAS They originated as burial mounds of Gautam Buddha and ascetics. 3rd century BC , during Ashokan rule stupas became a symbol of veneration . They were built of bricks and stones They are regarded as holy places and destinations for pilgrimages.

TYPES OF STUPAS • THERE ARE 5 TYPES OF STUPAS BASED ON THE PURPOSE THEY SERVED:• 1) RELIC STUPAS • 2) OBJECT STUPAS • 3)COMMEMORATIVE STUPAS • 4) SYSTONIC STUPAS • 5) VOTIVE STUPAS

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE STUPA

SYMBOLISM AND STRUCTURAL FUNCTION • DOME OF STUPA – ANDA – DOME OF HEAVEN • SQUARE RAILING –HARMIKA – HEAVEN OF THE 33 GODS • 3 TIERS UMBRELLA – CHATTRAYASHTI- WORLD ACCESS • AMBULATORY –PRADAKSHINA- SWASTIKA

SYMBOLS OF 5 ELEMENTS REFLECTED IN STUPA ARCHITECTURE

SANCHI STUPA @ MADHYA PRADESH

PLAN

ELEVATION

CHAITYA HALLS

Style and character It was conceived as an assembly hall that usually houses an mini stupa . These are mainly built serve during adverse weather condition. They were scooped out from the caves and gave birth to rock cut architecture Its plan is similar to that of an Roman church plan; concept of columns and arches. Built over a high plinth.

Style and character • Light and ventilation is through horse shoe shaped window over the arched doorways • The space within was divided by colonnaded pathways . • It contains the pradakshina path and the hall.

Chaitya hall @Karle • IT’S A HINAYANA TYPE HALL • 2 LARGE COLUMNS IN THE ENTRANCE FAÇADE ARE FREE STANDING ONE ON EACH SIDE • THE ENTRANCE IS BY 3 MEANS ONE IS FROM THE CENTRE RESEVED FOR THE PRIEST • IT HAS A GRAND INTERIOR AND THE HEIGHT OF 45’0” AND 124’-46’ IN DIMENSIONS. • ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERS ARE :• 1) THE COLONNADES • 2)THE VAULTING • 3)THE GREAT SUN WINDOW. • THERE TOTALLY 15 SIMHA STHAMBAS AND 7 COLUMNS AROUND THE STUPA . • THE FRIEZE ARE SCULPTURED

THE SIMHA STAMBA

WOODEN RIBBED ROOF

CHAITYA HALL @ KARLE • THE CHAITYA HALL WAS DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE SUNLIGHT FROM THE SUN WINDOW DIRECTLY FALLS ON TO THE STUPA. • THERE IS SOLEMN DARKNESS CREATED AT THE AISLES WHICH IS APPROPRIATE FOR A PRAYER HALL

AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES

CAVES IN AJANTA SATAVAHANA PERIOD (EARLIER PERIOD) IT’S THE HINAYANA PERIOD. MORE EMPAHASIS IS GIVEN TO THE STUPA .

VAKATAKA PERIOD (LATER PERIOD) ITS MAHAYANA PERIOD MORE EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO THE SCULPTURES AND PAINTINGS DEPICTING THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

ARCHITECTURE OF CAVES

PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES • THE CAVES OF HINAYANA PERIOD WERE CARVED AND PAINTED DEPICTING THE LIFE OF BUDDHA .

CHINESE BUDDHISM

Chinese buddhist architecture • The Chinese Buddhist architecture include mainly 3 forms:• The TEMPLE(si) • The pagoda (ta) • The grotto (shiku)

Buddhist temples • The buddhist temple is the holy place were buddhist doctrine is maintained. • They contained no .of small yards. • Oldest temple – the white horse temple • The architectural style of buddhist temple in china were mainly formed in three periods

The Three periods • The Hans dynasty-RETENTION OF INDIAN STYLE • The northern and southern dynasty-WOODEN FRAMEWORK WAS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL STYLE • The tang dynasty-STYLES OF BUDDHIST TEMPLE WERE SINICIZED AND THE PAVILLION LIKE PAGODA

The pagoda (ta) • The earliest pagodas built in the china were the multistoreyed • It was a means of showing off used by the ruling class • High buildings generally have the mysterious look.

STRUCTURE • • • • •

The pagoda is divide in 3 parts :The top The body The base. The top resemble the image of the stupa from India • The body or the main part of the pagoda often used to enshrine a statue of Buddha.

STRUCTURE • THE BASE , FOR THE BURING THE BUDDHA RELICS USUALLY TOOK A FORM OF AN UNDERGROUND CHAMBER • The earliest pagoda in Chinese were either multistoried or pavilion shaped structure • The shape of the cross section is rectangular , 8 sided or even circular.

Development of pagoda • • • •

Multi-eared Pagodas with flowery ornaments Pagodas-built in vagrasanas Pagodas – built across the roads

GROTTO • Another type of buddhist architectureis often chiseled into cliffs called grotto • They began in 3rd century and were first built in xinjiang • Grottoes are decorated with painted sculptured carvings and frescoes • The famous 4 grottoes are :• Magoa caves • Longmen caves • Yuagang caves • Maiji caves

Yungang caves

Scale of the statue and big walls being decorated

Sculptures at the entrance of the cave

Interior walls painted and sculptured

Highly decorated ceiling

Magoa caves

Tibetan Buddhism Basically the tibet buddhist architecture posses the monasteries . Tibetan monasteries can be classified into 3 kinds:The tibetan The mixed tibetan /hans Hans type