Ancient Indian Architecture: From Blossom to Bloom

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About the Authors Ar. Sanjeev Maheshwari, a product of Govt. College of Architecture, Lucknow, is a first batch graduate of Lucknow University. He served his Alma Mater as a Lecturer in Architecture after a brief stint as an Assistant Architect with UPRNN. He had an opportunity of working with Swedish theater expert Per Edstrom on variable theater design during an International Workshop on Theater Design. He has presented and published several technical papers in National Conferences and Seminars. He has worked as a research/study associate with noted academician Prof. D.C. Thapar on Urban Conservation Studies of INTACH identified heritage zone of Hussainabad at Lucknow. He served UP Housing & Development Board as an Assistant Architect Planner and was sponsored to attend a workshop on Settlement Design at Human Settlement Management Institute under Indo-Dutch technical assistance. He became an Assistant Professor in Architecture at C.R. State College of Engineering at Murthal (Haryana). He is a life member of Indian Society for Technical Education. He has been awarded fellow membership of The Indian Institute of Architects. At present heist serving Aligarh Muslim University in the capacity of a Reader in Architecture Department in the faculty of Engineering & Technology.

Ar. Rajeev Garg, also a graduate of Lucknow University, is a young professional of Architecture, at present working as a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Regional Engineering College, Hamirpur (H.P.). Earlier he had served Aligarh Muslim University as a Lecturer in Architecture in its Engineering College. He has worked on several prestigious Architectural Design Projects as a freelance presentation expert with several reputed architects and at present is actively engaged in research on occult sciences like Vastu & Astrology. He aspires to give new direction and dimension to academics of architecture through his dynamic and forthright approach.

Foreword Architecture is referred to as 'A Mirror of Civilization'; a new book on its history, thus, presents a new interpretation, a different way of looking at this mirror. A record of 5000 years of sequential development of architecture in this subcontinent, spread over such a large area with such cultural diversity of people, culminating in metamorphosed phases of rich and fascinating achievements, is no easy task. The ANCIENT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE is, thus, a welcome step in this direction. Though the title of this book refers to 'ancient' but it starts with the earliest records of the Indus Valley Civilization and weaves through the Vedic and Buddha periods, the golden period of the Guptas, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas, Chandelas and various other regional domains and, thus, covers the period from about 3000 BC to the 12 th century AD. The full canvass is fascinating & colorful with variety a forms, tones and shades of growing and falling empires and kingdoms, building edifices recording for posterity, their glorious achievements. India's history is a story of cultural epochs; little or nothing is known about long period of growth that led to these epochs. Organizations like Archaeological Survey of India and academic institutions deserve every possible support to unearth and present, new evidence of these important phases of obscurity in our history. The history of India is not a story of fossilized cultures, it is a continuous story almost unparalleled anywhere else in the world. History of architecture is important to the architects and historians alike. On one hand it mirrors the past to understand the ethos and cultural development of the people it covers. On the other, it is a window to foresee the future. One cannot project the future unless one understands the past. Architects' profession involves designing buildings for the present and also the future. He has to project the future so that his projects are able to meet the social, cultural and physical needs of the future. Till now only a few books on history of Indian architecture have been written by Indian architects. The authors of this new book Architects Sanjeev Maheshwari and Rajeev Garg, therefor need congratulations. They have presented here, there own interpretation of historical events and the architecture of the related periods.

Preface Why History? The answer does not hold much enthusiasm for the students of architecture. No single work on the subject how so ever comprehensive it may be could possibly fulfill the requirements of architectural study completely It would be either too "Historic' or too 'Altruistic. Students' dilemma begins and ends here. Where to draw the line? How to strike a balance between the two pioneers, Sir Banister Flatcher and Percy Brown, who seem to have said the last word on the subject though in a vastly varying style. An humble attempt has been made to see the history of ancient Indian architecture through the eyes of a teacher who also has to perform the Herculean task of keeping his students alert and awake in the history class. Word sketches interlaced with proportionate line sketches; facts and figures punctuated with visuals, opinions and analysis subtly mixed with architectural connotations have been provided to achieve the impossible. A study of the matter at hand, it is hoped, will generate interest in flirtations with the history. The history of mankind-human endeavors, inventions and innovations, occupations and past time, growth and development can be best accessed through the kaleidoscopic viewing of the architectural heritage. It is with this idea that the present work entitled 'Ancient Indian Architecture' has been conceived, designed and presented to the students of architecture. A pictographic presentation through maps, sketches, drawings along with the text has been attempted to make the treatise more eloquent.. It is hoped that this work will generate more interest in the subject. The book can be studied and used with greater ease and efficiency. Several authorities on the subject have been refereed to at various places in this work, but it is not possible for all these to be mentioned by names, although our thanks are herewith recorded to one and all. Baring art and architecture of Indus Valley and Vedic period, the remaining ancient Indian architecture has been discussed in various chapters giving details regarding name etc. of the kings and other patrons belonging to the various dynasties who patronized the art and architecture of that era.. This is with the idea to pay tribute to the grand royal builders of yesteryears. Students of architecture have inexhaustible desire to learn about the architects and planners of architecture that they study.

Acknowledgements We express our sincere gratitude to The Director General, Archeological Survey of India, New Delhi for granting us the permission to extract and reproduce the information and maps already published in their various publications. We express our sincere thanks to the Director General, Survey of India, Dehradun for guiding and supplying us with necessary information and maps with regards to publication of maps of India for this academic purpose. We express our gratitude to the Chairman of Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for allowing us access to the topical literature available in the departmental library. We acknowledge the help rendered by Maulana Azad Library of Aligarh Muslim University in our research. We express our thanks to the authorities at Libraries of Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee and Archeological Survey of India, New Delhi for iheir kind cooperation. We also acknowledge the efforts and the support of the publisher of this book without the help of which this work would not have seen the light of the day. We are grateful to several other people, who have helped us in this endeavour directly or indirectly in their own way. It may not be possible to thank them individually but we express our gratitude to all of them. We acknowledge the active and passive support of our patents and family members in successful completion of this book.