Archaeology Books

Specification:

• Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
• By : Kamalika Bose and George Michell
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2019
• Pages : 152 pages
• Weight : 
• Size : 20 x 14 x 4 cm
  
• ISBN-10 :9389305101
• ISBN-13 : 978-9389305104

Description:

The Hoysalas were supreme rulers of the southern Deccan in the 12th and 13th centuries. Together with their queens, ministers and commanders, they sponsored a series of magnificent temples, the most famous of which are those at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura described in this guidebook. The complicated layouts, elaborate wall treatments and spacious interiors of these monuments testify to the genius of Hoysala designers and builders, while the carved friezes, wall panels and column brackets illustrating Hindu myths and legends showcase the talents and imagination of the Hoysala artists, many of whom signed their work.

Authored by Kamalika Bose and George Michell, and illustrated profusely with specially commissioned photographs by Surendra Kumar, the guidebook provides a comprehensive introduction to the architecture and art at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura. The volume introduces the history of the Hoysalas, the role of patrons and artists, the different styles perfected by the builders of the time, and the themes depicted in the carvings. Then follow detailed descriptions of the individual temple complexes, pointing out the finest reliefs and sculpted figures. This information should prove indispensible to interested visitors as well as to scholars and students.

"This work relates to the (erstwhile) Central and Western Rajput States of India. It embodies the results of scholarly investigation into the ethnology of Rajputs, their religious and social practices, their festivals and rites, their legal and political institutions and the merits and demerits of their characters. Herein we get a real portrait of the different aspects of Rajput life: their loyalty, devotion, gallantry, chivalry as also the instability of their character, their outbreaks of passion, fears, occasional faithlessness of their chiefs and allies and, above all, their addiction to drugs.

The work is divided into three volumes: each volume being sub-divided into books and chapters. Vol I deals mostly with the Geography of Rajasthan, the History of the Rajput tribes and the feudal system of their states. Vol II contains the Annals of Marwar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and other cities of Rajasthan. Vol III comprises the annals of Amber, Haravati, Bundi and describes Shaikhawat Federation, and contains personal narrative from Udaipur to Kheroda. It has an appendix divided into seven sections and exhaustive general index.

Interspersed with several illustrations, this book is remarkable for its enlightening introduction and exegetical notes."

The authoress in this monument, in-depth, highlights the palaeoecological perspectives of the Kosal region which accelerates and hinders the growth of archaeological personalities of the area horizontally and vertically through interdisciplinary investigations. How the habitat and biome as the twin foundations below the subsistence pattern of the area the explicitly linked human culture to environmental factor in a single system is the core area of this work which has been virgin field of writing in this area so far. How the micro and macro modifications of the natural environment affect the archaeological settlement-scenario of the past from time to time is the authoress's significant aspect of the work.

Contents:-
1 History and Archaeology
2 Growth of Architecture in Medieval India
3 Urban Punjab : Historical Context
4 Routes, Monuments and Historical Remains
5 Structures and Religion
6 Water Architecture
7 Recreation, Authority and Constructed Space
8 Conclusion

Based on an in-situ study of the art and architecture of various temples in Himachal Pradesh, the present work is result of an in-depth research in art idioms of the temples in Himachal Pradesh up to the thirteenth century of the Common Era. The emphasis in the work has been on art-historical significance of the door-frames of various temples. The development and iconographic features of the temple door frames in Himachal have been compared with their counterparts in other parts of India and the relationship between the two has been discussed to highlight the extension of art idioms from one region to the other. Details of the exquisitely carved doorframes of the large niches in the rock-cut complex at Masrur and the wooden doorframes such as those of the Dakshineshvara Mahadev at Nirmand and Lakshna Devi at Brahmaur have been highlighted perhaps for the first time in this work, which provides a scholarly peep into the ancient art and architecture of this very important region.

The Author:

Dr. Sangram Singh is a young art historian with both the practical and theoretical academic background. He did his bachelor's degree in sculpture from Himachal Pradesh and passed M. A. in History of Art from the Dept. of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh followed by Ph. D. from the Dept. of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology of the same university. Dr. Singh is actively engaged in research work and has done extensive field-work in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. He has participated in several conferences and seminars at national level and has published research papers based on original field work.

This is a volume comprising of selected papers presented in National Seminar on 'Shakti in Indian Art, Archaeology, Philosophy and Literature'. The volume touches various areas of knowledge as the title suggests. Scholars who have contributed to the book are from various fields like Archaeology, Art, Numismatics, Hindustani Art Music, Cultural Anthropology, Literature, Political science and Philosophy. The book takes the cross section of the cultural reflections of the concept of 'Shakti'. Various forms and aspects of 'Shakti' are discussed by scholarly community compiled in the form of this volume. There total 26 papers contributed by scholars coming from various parts of Indian Subcontinent.

The present Volume is the latest endeavour to freshly enquire into the relevance and validity of commonly-held categorizations of ancient Indian religious architecture as Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain, often noticed in the extant standard writings on this genre of the art studies. It has been observed that while this may somehow appear true and may also have some sort of relevance primarily from the standpoint of its creators and users, who used to perform some kind of religious rites or indulged in some sorts of religious discourses and debates or even paid their obeisance to the revered deities, seated in the sanctum sanctorum, evidently to earn some spiritual merits, or, even from the perspective of its associated iconography and its lavish symbolism in its exteriors and interiors, but, viewed restrictedly from the architecture’s standpoint, these do not hold true and seem to represent only its peripheral dimensions. Architectural arrangements in these religious spaces, categorized differently, are essentially common, irrespective of their affiliations with Hindu, Buddhist and Jain, and betray the shared concepts amongst them evolved through the millenniums with very few alterations exceptionally to be called as distinct.

The Volume examines critically both the morphological and conceptual contours of these spaces right from the Vedic times to the later periods when the evolution came to its full zenith in the form of temples. How the earliest notions conceived in the making of the Yajña-vedis and chitis percolated in all the shades of later religious architecture has been explicitly elucidated. How a number of trees originally imagined as the resorts of the spirits and divinities got identified with several Hindu deities, Buddhas and the Tirthamkaras as well, and sired the notion of religious pillars to be erected in their honour as their own insignias, has all been elaborately explained to mark the conceptual and morphological affinities inherent in these so-called different religious spaces. The transformation of the rock-cut chaitya-gŗihas, slowly and gradually, into the temple architecture with many of their features not only carried forward but taken to new heights, narrate the same story. The analysis establishes that ancient Indian religious architecture is a narrative of shared concepts, of mutuality, inclusiveness, cross-connections, free exchanges of ideas and their broader adaptations, Interdependence through several points of convergences and conceptual affinities beyond the sectarian boundaries of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain. This is also endorsed by the prevalence of common terminologies – stūpa, chaitya, prāsāda, mandira, stambha, yașți, vedikā, etc. among the Hindu, Buddhist and jain forms of architecture, their comparative importance in a particular shade notwithstanding. Thus the Volume provides a new stimulus to the students, scholars and art-historians to take the studies of ancient Indian religious architecture with a new insight and perspective which expose its overall synthesizing and overarching effect that predominantly caused its outflow and evolution in ancient India beyond the sectarian bias.

The Author
An aluminus of the University of Allahabad with meritorious academic records, Dr. Prem Sagar Chaturvedi joined the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture D. D. U. Gorakhpur University in 1972. He served this institution in several capacities and finally retired as Professor and Head on June 30, 2012. He had the chance of working both as a disciple and colleague under the sage guidance of late Professor V. S. Pathak, an eminent scholar and indologist under whose supervision he obtained Ph. D. degree for his outstanding work Some Aspects of Technology in Vedic Literature. Because of his deep understanding of literary and archaeological sources, Dr. Chaturvedi has gained expertise in several branches of historical discipline. These include Vedic and Buddhist Studies, Ancient Technologies, Art and Architecture, Archaeology and Socio-Religious studies. He is mostly known for his highly acclaimed original work, Technology in Vedic Literature in which by deft-handling of the Vedic, Avestan and Indo-European data, he has drawn the profiles of several prehistoric and protohistoric technologies, such as wood, leather, textiles, ceramics, etc. many of which being extremely fragile by nature could not be procured materially except in some very exceptional situations, and hence, hardly find any allusion in archaeological writings although most of them were synchronously practiced by the early man along with the lithic. He has discussed some more facets of technology in The Vedic Technology, a Chapter contributed to the Volume, The Dawn of Indian Civilization of PHISPC, a dream project envisioned by late Professor D. P. Chattopadhyay and in several other writings in different publications. Besides these, he has exposed quite brilliantly some basic concepts of arts and aesthetics in a number of articles contributed to various journals. He has also authored and edited the volume Archaeological Findings from the Homeland of Buddha in which major archaeological discoveries of the region traversed by Buddha have critically been analyzed and their significance has properly been exposed before the scholarly world so much so that it stands as the most updated and authentic account of the archaeological studies of the region. Dr. Chaturvedi has guided several researches on different areas of history, attended a number of national and international academic meets, delivered lectures in different academic forums and contributed more than sixty research papers in various journals and publications. At present, he is engaged as a Senior Academic Fellow with Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, and is working on the Project History and Culture of Sarayūpāra Region on the Basis of Extant Archaeological Remains.

Contributors
R.N.Misra, an eminent art historian, formerly National Tagore Professor, Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and former Professor and Chairman, School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Jiwaji, University, Gwalior (M.P.)

Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari was formerly Professor and Head with the Department of History of Art, Banaras Hindu University, and Varanasi.

Prem Sagar Chaturvedi, a Senior Academic Fellow with the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, was formerly Professor and Head, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur (U. P.).

Dhyanendra Narain Dubey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Susmita Pande is Professor and Head in the School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Vikram University, Ujjain.

Ashvini Agrawal , Professor of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Punjab University, is former Dean, Faculty of Arts and Chairman, Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Punjab University, Chandigarh.

Amar Singh was Professor in the Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow.

Alok Tripathi, Professor and former Head, Department of History, Assam University, is at present Director, Centre for Archaeology and Museology, Assam University, Silcher.

Chadrashekhar Gupta, formerly Professor and Head, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Nagpur University, Nagpur.

Rahman Ali was formerly Professor and Head, School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Vikram University, Ujjain (M. P.). He was Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and School of Law in the same University.

Piyush Bhargava, Associate Professor, Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, Lucknow University, Lucknow.

Alok Shrotriya is professor and Head, Department of Ancient Indian History, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (M.P.).

Pragya Chaturvedi is Associate Professor, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Suniti Pandey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad.

Shitala Prasad Singh is Associate Professor, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Hari Narayan Dubey, an expert in Purāņic studies, he has recently retired as Professor, Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Allahabad University.

Vipula Dubey is Professor and Head, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Rajawant Rao, Professor, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur,

Iravati was formerly Associate Professor and Head, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Vasanta P. G. College for Women, Varanasi.

Harsh Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Allahabad University, Allahabad.

Digvijay Bhatnagar, Professor and Head, Department of History, Udaipur University, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Rekha Chaturvedi, Professor, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University,.

Tulika Banerjee is an Associate Professor in Mahila P. G. College, Basti, U.P.

Durgananandan Tiwari, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Museology, Sampoornanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi,

Shanti Swaoop Sinha is Associate Professor in the Department of History of Visual Arts and Design, Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

Anand Prakash Srivastava, Principal, Sri Ram Kishun P. G. College, Gokul, Karasada, Varanasi,

Atm Prakash Singh is a teacher with keen interest in art studies.

Hari Gopal Srivastav, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, Jawaharlal P. G. College, Maharajganj

Ram Pyare Mishra, Assistant Professor, Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University.

Vinod Kumar is a research scholar in the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Rajesh Kumar Dhar Dubey is a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Preeti Tiwari is a research scholar in the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

Ruchi Srivastava is a research scholar in the Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Culture, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur.

The present piece of work is the outcome of the holistic, original documentation and survey of the art and architecture of South Kosala which is one of the interesting and dazzling chapters of Indian art history. Temples of a wide range of varieties were constructed in India during the post Gupta period over a time span of more than a millennium broadly in three varieties, namely nagara, dravida and vesara. The inscription Amritesvara temple at Holal Karnataka speaks of the Kalingan style too. The regional schools of art adopting nagara style came into existence under the patronage of the local ruling dynasties between 6 th -11 th century AD. in the territory of South Kosala. This aspect of cultural history has not received adequate attention of the scholars hitherto.

These temples of South Kosala later on developed a sub-regional manifestation. The temples were constructed either of brick or brick and stone or entirely of stone. The uniqueness in the South Kosalan architecture is that group of temples constructed after a star-shaped ground plan, rarely found elsewhere in India. As many as eleven temples of this type documented so far, revealed an interesting account of their architecture. Besides, altogether twenty three temples have been documented including both stellate and non-stellate temples. Thus the study focuses that South Kosala played a significant role in the temple building of all conceivable forms and Experiments of which stellate order is not only pronounced but also unique.

The Author
Dr.Jeeban Kumar Patnaik obtained his first class Master Degree in History from Berhampur University, Odisha in 1980. He did his M.Phil in History from the same University in 1981 with first class first rank. He completed his P.G. Diploma in Archaeology from Institute of Archaeology, New Delhi in 1990. Later on he was awarded Ph.D in History on the topic “Art and Architecture of South Kosala: A case study of Stellate Temples (6 th -11 th century A.D) from Sambalpur University, Odisha in 1998. He rendered his service as a professional archaeologist in Archaeological Survey of India in 1984 and continue to hold various posts. Presently he is Superintending Archaeologist in Excavation Branch-IV, Archaeological Survey of India and Bhubaneswar. As a chartered archaeologist, he has explored many archaeological sites in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. He participated in excavations of Harappan site of Dholavira (Gujarat), Tarkhanewala Dera (Rajasthan). He assisted in undertaking excavations at Lalitagiri, Udayagiri, Barabati fort in Odisha, Chak-86 in Rajasthan. In addition, he has also undertaken exploration and excavation programmes. Of late, as a director he conducted archaeological excavation at Suabarei, a chalcolithic- neolithic site near Pipili, District Puri, Odisha for two consecutive seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16 along with exploration in the right bank of river Daya during the period under review. His academic bent of mind compels him to involve in contributing a large number of research papers in the field of archaeology, history, culture, art and architecture, epigraphy and numismatic. All the papers were also published in books, journals of national and international repute. Besides he has attended may conferences, workshops, seminars etc. in India and abroad.

He has edited to volumes to his credit cultural heritage of Jajpur, Odisha (2004), Pratna Bharatam “Glory of Archeology, Art, Epigraphy and protection of cultural heritage (2016). His forthcoming books are Excavations at Lalitagiri (1985-91) now in press. He is one of the editors of Indian Archaeology: A Review 2006-07 and 2012-13. He is closely associated with several academic bodies of Odisha State.

The book Neolithic Cultures of South India deals with cultural changes and adaptations of the settled life in different stages of time span during the Neolithic period in South India. This particular book has many unique qualities like the south Indian Neolithic cultural sites are briefly documented based on the excavation reports. Being the field archaeologist the author very well used the various data available in the excavation reports to farm the conclusive results. Technological developments in the field of stone tools and other associated technologies such as metallurgy, stone and terracotta beads; development of pottery and its stages really attracts the attention. In Origin and Chronology of the Culture the methods he adopted is not based on hypothesis; but based on the scientific dating methods which speaks volumes on the authenticity of the facts. The book deals with all the aspects of the Culture like disposal of the dead, domestication of the animals and plants, architecture and the aesthetic wisdom of the people in detail. This culture in South India is associated with ash mounds and it is briefly cited in this volume. In the Archaeological studies of Indian cultures such compilation and analysis is needed and this particular book faithfully fulfills the need of the hour in many respects. The photographs and drawings used in this book are original in nature. They enhance the quality of the presentation and it is worth to be possessed by anyone interested in the field of study.

ABOUT THE AUTHER

Dr. Shivananda was born in Bengaluru the capital of Karnataka State in 1954. He received his higher education at Hubli, earning B.A., (1972), M.A., (1974) from Karnatak University, Dharwad and Ph.D., in Ancient history and Archaeology (1995) from the University of Mysore, Mysore. Dr. Shivananda worked in Archaeological Survey of India in various capacities before he retired as Regional Director. He has authored several books including the Guide book on Mattanchery Palace (1997) and Champaner Pavagadh (2009) Catalogue of Antiquities in Tipu Sultan Museum at Srirangapattana (2013), Excavations in Gujarat (2015). He has published more than 50 papers in various books and journals and edited Gauravam, Dr. B. K. Gururaja Rao Felicitation Volume (1996), Pratnakirti Prof. Srinivasa H Ritti Felicitation volume (2012) and assistant Editor of Sri Nagabhinandanam: Dr. M.S. Nagaraja Rao Felicitation Volume (1995).

This book is a pioneering study on the contribution of Eastern Chalukyas to the art and architecture of Andhradesa. Bikkavolu is located in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh where a group of six fine temples are existing. The Bikkavolu temples though not included in the pancharamas, form the earliest group and typical examples of the Dravidian style of architecture in the heart of coastal Andhra. The three temples located on the outskirts of the Bikkavolu village form the early group, with cognate architectural features and the other temples located within the village belong to a later group. On a comparison of the art and architectural features the Early Chalukya and Rastrakuta temples the early group of temples is dated to late ninth century AD, particularly to the reign of Gunaga Vijayaditya (AD 848-92) and the later group to late eleventh century AD, particularly to the reign of Rajaraja Narendra (AD 1022-61) or Vijayaditya VII (AD 1061-75). The work is fully based upon field study of the temples, profusely illustrated with photographs of the temples, the architecture sculpture and iconography along with the ground plans. Printed Pages: 157 with 58 b/w plates.

About the Author:

Dr. S. Nageswara Rao took his M.A., Ph.D. degrees in Ancient History and Archaeology from the Andhra University in 1976 and 1983 respectively. After serving a brief period (1982-85) in the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh, he joined the teaching faculty of History and Archaeology of Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam in 1985. He is at present Associate Professor and a member of the P.G. Board of Studies in History and Archaeology. His specialization includes Indian Art and Architecture and Conservation and Museology.

About the Book :The religion-urban life of Ayodhya is attractive. Being the birthplace of Rama, it becomes a rich field of special interest. This book presents its culture in historical perspective.

Rama's ancestors who had founded the city are mentioned in the Rgveda. Its remote antiquity is proved also by the OCP which has been found from Srngaverapura, another old town of the region. Both the cities had contacts with each other.

Saketa, a part of Ayodhya, was established on the bank of river Sarayu during the sixth century Bc. For a long period, Lord Buddha and the Jaina Tirthankaras had made it their dharmaksetra.

The Ramayana and the Ayodhya, series of coins tell about the re-emergence of Ayodhya. Saketa was then a big township. The Kusanas were defeated at Ayodhya. Germs of the same national spirit had inspired the Guptas who had made their offensive from there. Some of them had made it their home.

The Pauranika phase of Ayodhya is described in detail. By the time of the Guptas, it had emerged as a great centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Under the influence of the Bhakti cult, during the early medieval period, a number of temples including that of Rama were built there. It continued to flourish in spite of certain odds. Visitors continued to flock there and worship their gods and goddesses.

This book enlists the temples and other monuments of Ayodhya and describes its antiquarian prospects.

About the Author : Dr L.P. Pandey is a great scholar of History. A brilliant product of Allahabad, Gorakhpur, and Delhi universities, Dr Pandey did his post-doctoral research at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was Professor of History, Head, Dean, and the Director in H.P. University, Shimla. He taught History, Culture, and Archaeology at the University of Gorakhpur and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth University, Varanasi. His research works include Sun- Worship in Ancient India (New Delhi, 1971); Ancient Himachal: History, Religion, and Culture [in Hindi (New Delhi, 1981)]; History of Ancient Indian Science, vol. I: Botanical Science and Economic Growth (New Delhi, 1996); and Bharatiya Itihdsa-darsana [in Hindi (Allahabad, 1997)]. Dr Pandey is a former Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shirnla, and is also engaged in completing "Development of Agrarian Science, Technology, and Economic Growth in Ancient India (from early period to 600 Bc)

The present work describes the material and moral progress which India had achieved during the paramount sovereignty of the Gupta emperors in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d. It traces the origin and rise of the ruling family to Srigupta (240-280 a.d.) and concludes with the reign of Kumaragupta III (543 a.d.). It discusses the spirit of the age and the various trends in the sphere of Religion, Economy, Society, Education, Administration, Art and Architecture. It seeks to bring together all the facts and data derivable from different sources--literary, epigraphic and numismatic, the accounts of foreign visitors, particularly of the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien who has left a detached and valuable record of India`s civilization during the reign of Chandragupta II. Herein we get an accurate picture of India`s golden age, the growth of her various institutions, her activities of expansion, colonization and her intercourse with Indonesia, China and other countries. The work is divided into sixteen chapters. It has an index of proper names and an addenda on the hoard of new Imperial Gupta coins discovered at Bayana in Bharatpur. The work is very interesting and instructive and is designed to meet the requirements of the academic student of history and the general reader alike.

Preface to First Edition:

This work was written in the last days of my teaching at the Lucknow University and suggested by its needs. Its title indicates its scope and limits. It deals only with imperial Gupta history, and not with that of the later Guptas. It seeks to bring together in a concise and condensed form all the facts and data which are derivable from different sources, literary, epigraphic or numismatic, but are treated in separate specialized works. It will thus be found useful to both students and teachers of its subject, who will find in one handy volume all its materials collected and utilized. A special feature of the work is its account of the moral and material progress of the country achieved in the spacious times of the Gupta Emperors, and of the various institutions, social, economic, and administrative in which that progress was embodied. It gives a picture of India's civilization in some of her best days, the days of national freedom and planning, of the beginnings of her expansion, and intercourse with Indonesia and China. It is hoped that it will thus have a larger and more general appeal beyond the narrow circle of academic students of history. Another special feature of the work is its Illustrations, some of which, especially those of coins, are based on line-drawings to bring out more clearly their details which are somewhat obscure or defaced in the originals. The Illustrations will thus serve as useful aids to the study of the coins. Some of the line-drawings I owe to the distinguished Artists, Messrs. Nanda Lal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar, and P. Neogy, to whom I am grateful. There have been at places repetitions of the same material where it had to be presented from different points of view, and in its various aspects. Such repetitions have not been ruled out.

The method of transliteration adopted in the work is shown in the following examples: Krishna, Vamsa, Lichchhavi.

The publication has been delayed by the prevailing difficulties of printing, and by my deputation by Government to an FAO Conference at Washington (U.S.A.) in October 1946.

I owe acknowledgements to my following pupils who helped me in copying out my MS for the press: Abinas Srivastava, M.A., M. C. Joshi, M.A., Dina Nath Tandon. M.A., and B. Subba Rao, M.A. My thanks are due to Mr. Raja Ram Jayasval, M.A., for the Index.

I am grateful to my friend, Dr, Benjamin Schwartz, Ph.D., of the Indic Section of the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C., U.S.A., for his kind help in correcting the final proofs of the work at Washington.

Preface to Second Edition:

It is gratifying to the Author to find that a work which is somewhat technical in its character with its necessary documentation, literary, epigraphic and numismatic, should call for a second edition in such a short time. Some necessary additions have been made on the basis of new numismatic material derived from the Bayana hoard of Imperial Gupta gold coins recently found in Bharatpur State.

The Author is greatly indebted to the line drawings and other suggestions made by Sri Sivaramamurti, M.A., Superintendent of Archaeology, Indian Museum, Calcutta, in the preparation of the addendum.

The Author records his deep sorrow at the sad and untimely death of his old pupil Sri Raja Ram Jayaswal, M.A., who prepared the Index which remains unchanged in the Second Edition.

Preface to Third Edition:

That a third edition of the work has been called for is gratifying to the author. My thanks are due to the Publishers for their readiness to meet the demand and for the improved get-up which will now make the book more attractive to its readers.

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Although the poetry and philosophy of India were discovered by Europeans over a hundred years ago, and had the most important influence, the visual arts of India remained unappreciated. While 'Sakuntala' and the 'Sermons of Buddha' were recognized as having the same stature as the writings of Sophocles or Plato, and were incorporated into every European literary tradition, the plastic arts of India weretreated as if they were pictorial supplement to the history of religion or the anthropology of a remote and alien country, of a mysterious, sensuous, exotic world. The discovery that the arts of India have their proper place in the universal history of art remained to be made. One may, without any fear of exaggeration, claim that this book is the first in the field

This two-volume work explains in detail the religious and spiritual significance of the temple by means of copious references to Sanskrit texts--both sacred and scientific. It depicts the Hindu Temple as not merely a heap of brick, stone or wood but a visible symbol of aspirations of pious men and women, the throbbings of their hearts in religious fervor and their endeavor for the attainment of salvation. The first four parts of the work are devoted to the philosophy of temple architecture. Part V deals with the origin and development of the temple from the Vedic fire altars to the latest forms. Part VI discusses the pyramidal and curvilinear superstructures in the main varieties of the Sikhara, the Sikhara enmeshed in Gavaksas and the composite Sikhara. Part VII describes the proportional measurements and the rhythmic disposition of the garbha-grha and the vertical section. It discusses the proportions of the Mandapa and the types of temples described in ancient Sanskrit texts like the Brhatsamhita and the Samaranganasutradhara. This most comprehensive and authoritative treatise of ancient Indian Temple Architecture will prove of immense help to the students of ancient Indian culture.

Contents (Vol. 1)
PART I: The Site, Part II: The Plan, Part III: Plan and Supernal Man, Part IV: The Substances of which the temple is built, Names and Origins of the Temple, Part VI. The Superstructure, Part VII: Proportionate Measurement and Varieties of the Temple (Volume 2) Part VIII: The Images of the Temple, Explanation of Plates, Appendix, Sources, Index, Plates I-IXXX.

About the Author(s)
STELLA KRAMRISCH was a pioneering interpreter of Indian art and its religious contexts. During her entire career as a creative scholar, teacher, museum curator and editor, she was a dominant force in shaping European, American, and Asian notions of Indian culture.