Indian Corinthian

      Each time I return from a vacation in India, a post is prepared that brings in the refreshing flavors of India, to this blog. For those among you who are new to this blog, here are a few examples of the same:

• From Mother India to Indra Nooyi (currently the third most popular post )
• From Napa to Sula
• The Mathematics of Globalization
• From Pappu to Oprah (this is really funny )

      Well, the Dalai Lama has said that one should visit a new place each year. But what if you visit your home town, that is thousands of miles away, for a vacation. Then I guess one should savor the old and try to find and enjoy something new in the old. With this as the backdrop, here is a post about the construction and celebration of old and new.

INDIAN CORINTHIAN

      It is interesting to observe the diversity, in the architectural expression of different religions. In India, more than 20 years back, as a student I had studied Hindu temples and Islamic mosques, in the history of architecture.

      In south India many old temples Hindu temples are built as a series of gates that lead to the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum). The idea behind this is that as the worshipper walks from the outermost gate towards the GG, he /she purges the mind of all worldly thoughts and then thinks only about God in the GG. Hinduism has idol worship, i.e. the Gods are given human forms and carved out as sculpture. The sculptures are of men, women and animals, birds that the God is associated with. The decorations consist of flowers and leaves that are real and sculpted. In Islam there is no idol worship. The decoration consists of geometric patterns, jaali work and calligraphy.

      On a recent visit  to New Delhi I saw Akshardham, a Swaminarayan temple. Swaminarayan is a sect of Hinduism that began in the state of Gujarat. This temple was built in a record time of five years (2000-05) by 11,000 sadhus, volunteers and artisans. As I approached it, it brought back memories in my mind. From a distance, it has the grandeur of Rashtrapati Bhavan. When you stand in its garden, its scale and proportion reminded me of Fatehpur Sikri. The temple’s exterior is dense with sculptures like the temples found in Belur. The ceilings inside were like Dilwara temple. So much for finding ‘old’ in ‘new’. But I was hungry to find new in new. There were two elements that fit this category.

      First is the plinth of this temple which is a fascinating 1,070 feet long pageant of elephants in pink sandstone.  It is called Gajendra Pith. It is absolutely beautiful and gives the impression of the whole temple being supported on the backs of these strong animals. Photography is strictly prohibited but I am sure if they sold miniatures of this plinth, there will be many buyers.

      The second element, that is refreshingly new, is the design of pillars. I call them Indian Corinthian. Let me explain. The Greeks had Corinthian columns that were very ornate in appearance. On the left (this photo has been scanned from the brochure) you can see a very ornate pillar from this temple. Made out of pure white marble, its height is divided into horizontal bands. Each band has arches that house idols. The workmanship is intricately beautiful. But what makes these pillars unique are their capitals. The capitals consist of sculptures of Indian saints dancing, singing, playing musical instruments etc. Their faces exhibit joy and ecstasy that they have found by uniting their mind with the divine. This is so refreshingly new, innovative and beautiful that it needs to be added to the language of Hindu architecture as Indian Corinthian. With its discovery I found new in the old and felt like I had visited a new place this year, as per Dalai Lama’s saying.

Ratna

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