An Architecture Of Religion

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 88, 13 April 1940, Page 1 (Supplement)

An Architecture Of Religion

FROM the many examples of Indian architecture that are still in existence, the fine arts there were in a very advanced and flourishing position many years before Christ. While our British ancestors were living in caves, the inhabitants of this land were designing and constructing some of the most notable and artistic buildings the world has seen. As early as 327 B.C. Alexander's conquests in North-West India brought that country into toiich with European and Western Asiatic art, and the influence of Greek, Assyrian and Persian work is most apparent in the architecture of that region.

As is well known, the people of India liave never become properly amalgamated, but have persistently continued to consist of several races, under conditions practically unchanged for centuries, and even now to a large extent independent of each other. Hence the widely different phases of architecture and the great lack of unity shown therein. Like most other ancient countries, the early architecture of India was an architecture of religion. In other words, practically all the important buildings erected were devoted to, or in some way connected with, the religion of the period. Shrines and Temples They were either temples, or monasteries, or memorial shrines to holy men, the best known perhaps being Buddha— the "Enlightened," born in B.C. 623 — whose followers ultimately numbered thousands of millions. Buddhism was the State religion for over a thousand years—till about 750 A.D., and was followed in importance by what is known as "Jaina," during which period many temples and other religious buildings were erected. The examples which are in existence to-day show to what an extraordinary pitch of perfection the art of tl*e carver had attained. Perhaps

one of the best known of these buildings is the celebrated Jain Temple at Mount Abu, Rajputana. Simultaneously with the Jain religion arose Hinduism, which has flourished to this day, and has produced an architecture very similar to the Jaina, innumerable temples and shrines having been erected by the followers of this cult, one of the best known being the Great Sas Bahu Temple in the fort at Gwalior. 1 Probably, however, more important 1 than any of the preceding religions, as ' far as the architecture that it produced, is the Saracenic, or Mohammedan. This rose to power and eminence with the Mogul' Empire (1526-1857), which was 1 founded by Baber, who consolidated the ' Moslem Empire by the gradual absorption of the many petty kingdoms. To this dynasty, especially at the capitals—Delhi and Agra—belong the ' best-known examples of this type of architecture. Shah Jahan, who lived ( from 1628 to 1658 A.D., was probably ' the greatest of the emperors of that ' period, and was responsible for raising 1 the Mogul Empire to its greatest strength and magnificence. Among a large number of famous buildings which he erected are the celebrated Taj Mahall and the Pearl Mosque at Agra, and the! Great Mosque and Palace at Delhi, all of which are well known to travellers and students of architecture.

Intricate Carving _ The first reaction one receives on viewing the Jain and Hindu buildings, is that they are decidedly bizarre, and tremendously overloaded with small and meretricious detail. The Jain Temple at - A^ )u > f° r instance, a view of which is illustrated, shows a number of pillars, so covered with intricate carving, that there is literally not an inch of bare surface remaining.

The whole fundamental idea of a pillar as supporting weight seems to be lost, and one can only look at them as forming a sort of sculpture gallery. The tiny figures are hopelessly out of scale with the chief dimensions, and one must forget all sense of proportion if one wants to derive any pleasure from examining these buildings. The carving and sculpture is certainly exquisitely done in most cases, showing what superb craftsmen these ancient! workmen were.

ByBasil Hooper (A.R.1.8.A.)

The little statuettes, each under its separate canopy, represent different gods and godesses—which in India are almost countless in number—and are fashioned in all 6orts of unconventional attitudes. One unusual feature in these pillars which is specially interesting, consists of the bracket capitals, which apparently assist in supporting the weight of the roof above. This no doubt came from a constructional expedient used in the older timber buildings, as a means of distributing the weight The elaborately carved stone struts of the inner pillars (seen in the background) were another feature with a timber origin. These last, however, whatever practical value they have had

in timber, are absolutely useless in stone, as the slightest pressure or movement would cause them to crack, or break the joints, when the whole thing would collapse. Altogether, the general effect of these buildings may be extremely picturesque, but at the best it is only "confectionary architecture/'

. Abundance of Marble * There is an abundance of excellent ■ building stone and marble in India, ' which fact no doubt had considerable ■ influence on the architecture of the 1 country from earliest times. The pink 1 and also white marble of Rajputana, with which this temple at Mt. Abu was • built, was also used later for the prin--1 cipal buildings in Delhi and Agra, of 1 which the Taj Mahal is one of the most 1 conspicuous examples. The magnificent marble screens in the Taj are a sight . which can never be forgotten—the material is so exquisite, and the polish so perfectly done, that one can almost , believe one is looking right through the marble.

T!io slabs of marble tliat were used for these screens were all in one piece, as far as one can tell, without jointing of any kind, so how the craftsmen managed to pierce the marble, and then carve the ornamentation and finally lift them into position is a mystery. There were no clcctric aiul pneumatic drills and other modern tools in those days to expedite the work—everything was done by hand—so one can imagine something of the skill and dexterity of these industrious workmen.

It is important to compare the main features of the Mohammedan architecture with those of the Jain and Hindu styles. The latter are chiefly conspicuous for their elaborately decorated pillars, kept close together to support the stone lintels above, which in their turn carry the walls and roof. Evidently the length of stone available for these lintels was limited, thus making it necessary to put the pillars comparatively near each other. Either that, or the workmen were "playing safe" and running no risk of collapse by fractured lintels. I

The Mohammedan style, on the other hand, goes in for wide openings, connected by flat pointed arches, which can be made in spans of almost unlimited width. The ornamentation, too, instead of consisting of carved figures and such

like decoration in relief, is mostly in the form of pierced screens, and wonderful inlaid work. This latter feature—more used perhaps in the important buildings —is simply amazing in the extraordinary richness and beauty of the materials employed. ' '

Precious Stones Used Gold and precious stones of all colours and types—garnets, sapphires, 1 rubies, agates and others—are used in a prodigal fashion, making a sight that almost takes one's breath away. The mere monetary value of the materials used for this inlay work in itself must be enormous, yet there seems to be very little fear of depredation—as far as the native population is concerned anyhow. The religious nature of the buildings ensures their safety, and the average Indian being an essentially religious man—would never rob a sacred building. The only places where the writer ever saw any signs of missing inlay was in the fort at Agra, where the British soldiers, at the time of the Mutiny, were credited with picking out and purloining some of the precious stones let into the pillars.

Another of the great points of difference between the Hindu and Mohammedan styles is that 110 representations

of human or animal form are ever to be seen in the ornamentation of the latter; while the former, of course, is overloaded with figures of gods and goddesses, of all shapes and sizes. This feature of Mohammedan architecture is in obedience to one of the rules of Mahomet, the founder of their religion, and it invests it with a simple type of beauty which is unique in the architectural styles of the past. The contrast between the two styles is, however, most marked when one compares, for instance, the Hindu Sas Bahu Temple at Gwalior, already referred to, and the Taj MahaL Hie Hindu building, on the one hand, seem 6 to be composed of a heterogeneous collection of short dumpy pillare, grossly overloaded with carving of all sorts, the whole forming a seemingly squat mass of building. On the other hand, the Mohammedan monument—erected in the seventeenth century A.D. by Shah Jehan as a royal mausoleum for his favourite wife—has all the qualities and refinements of the best architecture the world has seen. '

The dignity of the structure, with its simple outlines, bounded by the slender minarets at each of the four angles of tlie platform it rests upon, and the "tout ensemble" completed by an elegant dome, cannot be adequately described by mere words. The effect that is produced on one's emotions, especially when seen at

- sunset, or by moonlight, when tlie glare ; from the white marble is absent, is 1 extraordinarily vivid and utterly satis--1 fying. Once seen it can never be iorf gotten. To the student of architecture, a most ' intriguing feature in certain parts of the t interior decoration consists of Italian T Classic Renaissance carved ornament, 1 plainly indicating that Italian workmen had been employed on the building, s Evidently some wandering craftsmen had - accepted a job in this distant land, and, i not understanding the Saracenic style. , had been allowed to work in their own , manner. It is done in such a way, how--1 ever, that the harmony of the whole t scheme is not affected, and it would not i be noticed by the casual visitor. i _ Another material that was quite extent sively used in early times was terracotta, and probably this greatly influenced later work in producing the exuberance of ornament which is such a feature of the Jain architecture, rendered easy by the pressing of plastic clay into moulds, which can be repeated indefinitely. Whatever one's criticisms of Indian and especially the Jain and Hindu architecture may be, it must be admitted that in no other style was such patient care and labour bestowed on the minut.if ,-' * nd tllis point is surely worthy of the highest praise.