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The Stepwells of Gujarat: In Art-Historical Perspective (An Old and Rare Book)

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The Stepwells of Gujarat: In Art-Historical Perspective (An Old and Rare Book)

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Specifications

	Publisher: Abhinav Publication
	Author: Jutta Jain-Neubauer
	Language: English
	Pages: 174{245 Illustration, 6 Line Drawing and 6 Plates in B/W}
	Cover: Hardcover
	11.0" X 8.5"
	Weight 1.11 kg
	Edition: 1981
	ISBN: 0391022849
	IDF973

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Book Description

Preface Stepwells are an important part of the main current of architectural activity in Western India. This unique form of underground well-architecture survives from the 7th century in the existing monuments all over Rajasthan and Gujarat, but attained unsurpassed monumentality and elaborateness in Gujarat alone. The present work deals with the general architectural features of the stepwell, information from epigraphy and literary sources, historical chronology, typology, and religious and secular sculptures ornamenting a stepwell. The material for this study was collected through direct fieldwork in Gujarat from May 1976 to March 1978. All the major stepwells were surveyed and photographed during these field tours. Five major and typologically very important step-wells were measured in minutest details and scale-drawings of ground plans and sections were prepared for the first time. With the help of inscriptions and other historical material as well as comparative stylistic analysis a chronology of the stepwells has been constructed. From about 60 stepwells visited by me, a detailed description of the location, historical setting, general architectural structure, structural elements, sculptures and ornamentation, and the age of 34 significant stepwell's is presented here. The basic features of a stepwell (Sk. väpi) as described in the Silpa-Sastras, the classical texts on architecture, of the northern as well as the southern tradition, are summarised and compared and contrasted with the actual monuments. More than 400 photographs are attached to make evident the point made in the text. The photographs have been provided with short legends, as detailed explanations are given in the text with the relevant figure reference. The prevalent architectural terminology in Sanskrit in connection with temples of Western India has been utilised for the equivalent parts of the stepwells. When such terms were not forthcoming for certain architectural elements in any traditional source, new descriptive terms in English have been coined. For the transcription of Sanskrit and other vernacular terms, the current international system of diacritical marks has been followed. A glossary of these words and their meaning is given at the end. The entire work has been carried out under the guidance of Prof Dr Klaus Fischer, Department of Oriental Art History, University of Bonn, West Germany, and that of Pandit Dalsukh Malvania and Dr Nagin Shah, both at the L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, India. The published works and numerous discussions and correspondence with Mr M.A. Dhaky, American Institute of Indian Studies, Banaras, India, were of immense value for this work. My study and stay in India were sponsored by scholarships from the DAAD and the Government of India, Ministry of Education, from the years 1976 to 1978.

Introduction Gujarat, one of the 22 states of the Indian Union, is situated in the western part of India and covers approximately an area of 184.035 square kilometres. It came into being as a separate state on 1 May 1960 under the States Reorganisation Act of 1960. Formerly, it was a part of the Dombay Presidency under British rule. Before that the territory of Gujarat was divided into numerous principalities ruled by Rajput or Muslim overlords. The state of Gujarat is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Rajasthan on the north and north-east, Madhya Pradesh on the east and Maharashtra on the south and south-east. It has also a common border with Pakistan in the north-western part adjacent to the Rann of Kutch. Gujarat has 17 districts in which there are 185 ralukar. The term kantha which occurs in local regional names denotes a certain geographical division, named after the main stream in the area, as, for example, Säbarkantha (around the river Sabarmati), Banaskantha (around the river Banas), Mahikantha (around the river Mahi). Ahmedabad, which was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah I in 1410, is now the temporary capital of the state and the main centre of commerce and industry. A new capital is being built at Gandhinagar, about 20 km to the north of Ahmedabad. The 17 districts of Gujarat are: Kutch, Jamnagar, Amreli, Junagadh, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Kaira, Panchmahals, Baroda, Broach, Surat, Dangs. The state of Gujarat falls into two main geographical divisions, i.e., the mainland on the cast and the peninsula on the west. The latter is also known by its ancient name, Saurashtra (from Surashtra which occurs in inscriptions and literature). Often it is incorrectly called Kathiavad. Kathiavad is really the central part of the peninsula of Saurashtra. It means the "land of the Kathi, The Kathis, who came to Saurashtra from the remote north-western regions of India passing through Sind and Kutch in about 1400, became rulers and chieftains over small kingdoms in central Saurashtra towards the end of the 16th century. Like-wise other regions in Saurashtra are called after the ruling Rajput clans-Gohilvad, 'the land of the Gohils", along the Gulf of Cambay around Bhavnagar; Jhalavad, 'the land of the Jhalas, the northern area around Darangadhra and Halvad; Babariavad, 'the land of the Babarias, the southern coastal region near Junagadh. The mainland of Gujarat is divided into northern, central and southern plains, which are broken up by valleys of various rivers such as the Sabarmati, the Mahi, the Narmada and the Tapti. The peninsula of Saurashtra has masses of hills in the central and southern regions and plains in the remaining area as well as the coastal strip along the Arabian Sea. The peninsula of Kutch, which is to be found on the north-western border consisting of plains with stray hills, shows a similar geological structure as the peninsula of Saurashtra. The Rann of Kutch with the area called Banni, situated at the northernmost tract of Kutch, has saline marshes and fertile loamy soils whose low-lying areas are inundated during the monsoon months. The construction of stepwells in the arid and hot climate of Gujarat is an interesting example of the response of the people to adverse climatic and geographical conditions.

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