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UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University


Kashmere gate, Delhi 110 006

Dissertation

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE AND IDENTITY

GUIDED BY:

PROF. TAPAN. K. CHAKRAVARTY

AUTHOR:

DIVYA MAKHIJANI
0111731606

JANUARY 2011

University School of Architecture and Planning


Kashmere gate, Delhi-6

Dissertation
Indian Architecture and Identity

APPROVAL CERTIFICATE

The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work on the approved subject,
carried out, and presented in a manner sufficiently satisfactory to warrant acceptance.

It is to be understood that by this approval the undersigned does not necessarily endorse or
approve any statement made, opinion expressed or conclusions drawn therein, but approve
the study only for the purpose for which it is submitted and satisfies himself as to the
requirements laid down by the dissertation committee.

Dated:

NAME OF THE STUDENT

NAME OF THE GUIDE

(Divya Makhijani)

(Prof. Tapan K. Chakravarty)

Acknowledgement

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my guide Prof. Tapan K. Chakravarty for his invaluable advice and
discussions which have helped me to find the direction I wanted to work in. It is through his
inputs that I have been able to shape my thoughts and words.
I would like to thank our Dissertation coordinator, Prof. Ashok B. Lall, for his constant
support and encouragement to pursue even the seed of an idea.
I would like to thank my parents for their continued moral support and guidance. I am
grateful to Mr Sunil Hargunani for his timely help and discussions.
Lastly, I would like to mention the countless experiences within TVB-USAP which have
helped shape me as who I am. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of TVB even
though for a small time.

DIVYA MAKHIJANI
0111731606

Indian Architecture And Identity

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
1.

2.

3.

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................. 1

1.2

HYPOTHESIS......................................................................................................... 1

1.3

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS ................................................................................... 1

1.4

METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................... 2

NEED FOR AN IDENTITY ? .......................................................................................... 3


2.1

IDENTITY ............................................................................................................... 3

2.2

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE: A BRIEF LOOK ............................................................ 3

2.3

THE RUPTURE ...................................................................................................... 7

VARKEYS PSYCHIC-CULTURAL CONSTANTS ...................................................... 11


3.1

SENSE OF CENTRE ............................................................................................ 12

3.2

ATTITUDE TO LANDSCAPE ................................................................................ 12

3.3

ATTITUDE TO SPATIAL ORGANISATION ........................................................... 12

3.4

ATTITUDE TO ORDER......................................................................................... 14

3.5

ATTITUDE TO DIMENSIONAL ORDER, PROPORTION...................................... 14

3.6

ATTITUDE TO FORM ........................................................................................... 15

3.7

ATTITUDE TO LIGHT ........................................................................................... 15

3.8

ATTITUDE TO SYMBOLS AND MEANINGS ........................................................ 16

3.9

IMPLICATIONS .................................................................................................... 16

4.

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 17

5.

BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 18

Indian Architecture And Identity

ii

List of Figures

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Agra fort, Agra ........................................................................................................ 4


Figure 2: Fatehpur Sikri, Agra ............................................................................................... 4
Figure 3: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai ................................................................... 4
Figure 4: St. James Church, Delhi......................................................................................... 4
Figure 5: Gateway of India, Mumbai...................................................................................... 5
Figure 6: Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi ..................................................................................... 5
Figure 7: Chandigarh Capital Complex, Chandigarh ............................................................. 5
Figure 8: L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad.................................................................... 6
Figure 9: Gandhi Smarak Sanghralaya, Ahmedabad ............................................................ 6
Figure 10: Jawaharlal Nehru ................................................................................................. 9
Figure 11: Humanyuns tomb with charbagh ....................................................................... 12
Figure 12: Plan of Fatehpur Sikri ......................................................................................... 13
Figure 13: Plan Of Meenakshi temple, Madurai................................................................... 13
Figure 14: Kailash Temple, Ellora ....................................................................................... 14
Figure 15: Brihadeshwara Temple, Tanjore. ....................................................................... 14
Figure 16: Vastu-Purusha-Mandala..................................................................................... 16

Indian Architecture And Identity

iii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.

1.1

INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

Indian Architectural history is dotted with influxes from numerous cultures. Some of them
were lost and there were a few which have merged with the existing and are still visible in the
current architecture styles. Post-Independence, there have been several attempts at carving
out an Indian Architecture which could give an identity to the nation as a whole. While many
a writings and discourses on Indian Architecture talk about how internationalization of
architecture has led to an irreparable loss of tradition; they assert the need for an
identity. This paper is questioning the very need of one monolithic identity in the specific
case of India and in the wake of globalization. Furthermore, the paper analysis Professor
Kurula Varkeys eight psychic-cultural constants to conclude that, Indian Architectural
Identity is fluid in nature.

1.2

HYPOTHESIS

The concept of a unified Indian identity does not exist. It is continually renewing itself and it is
best left suspended or open to interpretation.

1.3

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the need for Identity constructs in the case of
contemporary Indian architecture. It does not provide insights or any principles to achieve the
right approach to design and build in the present context. Rather the focus is on examining
the relevance of an identity construct for Indian architecture in the present context. It aims to
provide for a logical discussion in the on-going debate on Indian architecture.

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.4

METHODOLOGY

Stage 1:

Issue identification mainly by referring to writings and discourses on Indian


architecture by architects and historians.

Analysing by looking back at Indian architectural history the need for an identity and
its exemplification by various architects.

Stage 2:

Theoretical study of Kurula Varkeys eight constants which he believes to be


manifesting itself throughout history.

Stage 3:

Analysis of the constants and conclusion.

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

2.

2.1

NEED FOR AN IDENTITY ?

IDENTITY

By definition, identity is the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is
definitely recognizable or known. One of the main motives of establishing an identity is thus
to know the distinctness i.e. to establish that individuality.
Identity in terms of architecture of the Indian subcontinent has been a topic of debate for
quite some time now. At first, the question seems to have been brought to the table by the
agendas of Nationalism that had swept India at the time of the formation of the congress
around the 1880s. The quest for Indian identity (in the 1880s) could be attributed to the
long wave of colonial rule that India was exposed to. At that time, the questioning was only
for an image or to put in simpler terms style, whether colonial or traditional. The question
of identity and style continued, even after the country got Independence from the colonial
rule. With the coming up of Industrialization, modernism and internationalisation, we
continue to seek re-alignment of our architectural aspirations.
As for the present day, there is a growing consensus in the architectural profession that the
special identity of places matters. This seems to be based on the perception that
globalisation is creating an undesirable uniformity in cities around the world.1

2.2

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE: A BRIEF LOOK

While referring to Indian architecture, one may be referring to a multitude of


architectures/cultures that were or continue to be a part of it. So it is essential to have a brief
look at the history to understand the quest for identity in contemporary Indian architecture.
Indian Architecture had always been influenced by external concepts and it was partly
because India has been home to different people at different points in time. Our nation has
always been subjected to frequent foreign interventions. As pointed out earlier, these
interventions left an impression on the existing cultures of our country. For almost a
thousand years up to the 18th century, the Islamic and pre-Islamic architectures have co-

Architectural Review,2000

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

existed; people had learned to live with their differences in culture and tried to harmonize
them. Similarly, architecture-wise also there were attempts to merge the Islamic and the preIslamic expressions and develop something which would be acceptable by a majority of the
communities. Mughal Emperor Akbars city of Fatehpur Sikri, built in the 16th century, is an
example of such an attempted reconciliation. The reconciliation may be attributed to a
political agenda or purely an incidental one.

Figure 1: Agra fort, Agra

Figure 2: Fatehpur Sikri, Agra

Around the 17th century, the European colonialists arrived and brought with them a third
worldview of Cartesian rationality, the Christian religion and European Classicism. Local
craftsmen skilled in millennia-old traditions of craft were re-trained in the European arts.
British Colonial architecture thus became another addition to the plurality of architecture in
India, it brought with it new materials and technology ensuring the demise of the millenniaold traditions of building craft.

Figure 3: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus,

Figure 4: St. James Church, Delhi

Mumbai

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

This brief period of British colonisation had left a heavy impact on Indian education, art and
architecture, the fields that were dominated by the britishers at that time, it could definitely be
termed as the period of colonization of the Indian minds.Eventually,the politics and agendas
of the Britishers found expression in their designs too.This sudden display of concern for
India, classified as Indo-saracenic architecture, can be said to have been the response to
the rising nationalism in the 19th century.

Figure 5: Gateway of India, Mumbai

Figure 6: Rashtrapati Bhawan, Delhi

With the British leaving India, Indian architecture was now free of the politics of its
colonisers. Indian architects who had for long been subjugated as assistants to the British
architects, now had an opportunity to express their own ingenuity. But the Dilemma that they
were posed with was whether to look to the past for inspiration or to move forward with new
materials, ideas and technology.
The mandate was to provide for a new image to the new nation, the young architects of the
1940s and 1950s were keen for a revolutionary change and there was little question of
carrying on as acolytes of the Raj.2
Furthermore, with the demise of Mahatma
Gandhi - and his resistance to modern
technology, the subsequent assumption of full
leadership by Nehru in 1948 the way
opened up for an Indian development policy
modelled on the science and industry.
Through the 1950s, the building of the
model city of Chandigarh by le Corbusier

Figure 7: Chandigarh Capital Complex,


Chandigarh

Bhatt, Vikram; Scriver, Peter (1990) After the Masters: Contemporary Architecture in India,Washington press.

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

brought in the International style which would be widely emulated by the local architects in
the future. Although its presence diminished as soon as it was realised that it does not suit
Indias pre-industrial aspirations and post-industrial needs.
The 1960s brought the first signals of a renewed questioning of identity in Indian
architecture. How well did the seductive new forms of modern design suit the reality of India?
3

. This tendency could be seen in Balakrishna Doshis (a close follower of Le Corbusier)

work, --who purged the Corbusian vocabulary of inappropriate idiosyncrasies and gave it a
more familiar form and proportion. Similarly, The Gandhi Smarak Sangharalaya
(Ahmedabad, 1960) by Charles Correa is also one such example.

Figure 8: L.D. Institute of Indology,

Figure 9: Gandhi Smarak Sanghralaya,

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

It was in the year 1969, the centenary of Mahatma Gandhis birth, that the policy makers and
planners took stock of the nations development in the independent twenty-two years and
how it had held on to the ideals of its founding father?4 The fact was that it had taken a very
different path of development which was far from Gandhis vision of an ethno-centric country.
Although much change had occurred in the last two-decades in the architectural sense; the
legacies of Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier had inspired many Indian architects, which were a
product of that initial period of big hopes and endeavour following independence. After the
death of Nehru in 1964, the Indian intellectuals, architects and social activists once again
turned to Gandhis ideals to present a unifying wisdom for the time. 5
By 1969, architects became more conscious of their roots; the revival of Gandhis call to
build upon the indigenous technologies and symbols of Indian culture provided a moral basis
for the rejection of the western derived imagery of contemporary Indian architecture. Raj

Bhatt, Vikram; Scriver, Peter (1990) After the Masters: Contemporary Architecture in India, Washington
press.
4
Ibid
5
Ibid

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

Rewal, Uttam Jain and Charles Correa are some of the architects which have continued
experimenting under the same bracket and have evolved their own styles.

2.3

THE RUPTURE

With the attainment of Independence, the idea of a unified and homogenous "nation"
became an ineluctable reality, and manifested itself in many forms of artistic expression, not
least in the field of architecture. The imperative to modernise, the urgency to "catch-up", of
course, reinforced this idea. Thus, it became common to refer to "Indian Architecture", and
"Indian Art", "Indian Music" and "Indian Culture", when, in fact, one was referring to an
astonishing variety of architecture, art, music and culture within a political entity called
6

India.

The rupture is a disconnect which can be said to lie between different ideologies concerning
the same theme. In this case, as we discuss below, it refers to the aspirations to maintain an
ideal connect to the past while simultaneously bridging the gap towards the future; it will be
pointed out how politicy-makers have played a role in creating this rupture and hence our
identity concerns; and it also lies in the concept of identity constructions in the specific case
of India where one is simultaneously dealing with Pluralism.
India in the present day context is a land of both the ancient culture and a major society of
the modern world. As Romi Khosla points out the ancient culture of Indian sub-continent
confuses the Indians choice today because there are people living in India who are still in
the Stone Age and also others who are making silicon semiconductor devices. Indians live
simultaneously with their beggars, their own satellites, and Indian cosmonauts.7 (Khosla,
1983) The fact of the matter being that our country is a young country with many issues
tormenting it as with any other developing country. It faces a number of challenges such as
poverty and its ever expanding population. We are simultaneously addressing our own
internal issues as well as fuelling our aspirations to find a foothold in the now globalized
world. The root of the issue maybe lies at the need to catch-up ;as pointed out earlier that
India is a young nation and the awareness about it being a political entity called INDIA

Krishna, AGK (1999), Rethinking Architecture,Urban Spaces, The Hindu


Khosla, Romi (1983), Architecture and Identity Case Study 5 - India: The Indian Experience and the Search for
Some Light at the Other End. In Architecture and Identity. Robert Powell, ed. Singapore: Concept Media/the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
7

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

dawned upon it on the very day of independence. While it had a millennia old heritage,
history and culture to look back to; it also had the mammoth task of building a nation which
could stand amongst the emerging powers of the world.
On the other hand, concerns for regional identity in India arose in the 1980s in parallel with
the growth of interest in national history and culture. The writings of many prominent
architects during this period elucidate the same. For example, Charles Correa believes that
architects in Asia live with both theses traditions (Vernacular and Modern) [] for these
[Asian] societies, industrialization has not yet closed the doors to the incredibly rich world of
the past; on the contrary, that world is very much part of our everyday lives. Furthermore
Correa asserts that indeed it is not possible to build in Asia without acknowledging in one
way or another, the presence of the traditional- and the potent ideograms that underlie these
traditions.8
The debates and discussions mostly centre around the re-interpretation of traditions in
modern times in order to create an ideal connect and hence, maintaining a sense of
continuity. Doshi points out at the need for incorporation of a sense of identity in designing
new environments while understanding the socio-cultural patterns. Uttam Jain expresses his
fears that this glorious heritage of the past may get eroded if modern mores are to
dominate, and go unchecked in Indias daily life. He goes on to say that the architectural
profession must aim at achieving self-identity for the region. The affirmation of regional
traditions and the inherited cultural symbols must be articulated to people and merge with
the environment and ecology of the place in an organic whole.9 Architect Raj Rewal
describes this endeavour, alluded to both by Correa and Jain, as the way in which his
generation has been trying to discover the common thread in which the fabric of Indian
architecture has been woven in the past; and its significance for our times.10
Here, the rupture is created mainly by two aspirations of the society as a whole; one that of
being able to find a place for itself in the global architectural realities and; second of the
projected need to carve out an appropriate regional expression.
This disconnect is also visible in the different philosophies of the two most influential leaders
of our country at the time of Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. The

Charles Correa in a foreword in the New Asian architecture: Vernacular Traditions and contemporary style by
William S.W. Lim and Tan Hock Beng.
9
Jain, Uttam C. (1985), Regionalism - Resource for Identity. In Regionalism in Architecture. Robert Powell, ed.
Singapore: Concept Media/the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
10
Rewal Raj, 1984

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

former shaped the young India and the revival of latters ideologies would become the
starting point for the critical examination of our tradition.

Proper function of cities is to serve as clearing houses for village products.11


Gandhi to Nehru
There is no question of palaces for millions of people. But there seems to be no reason why
millions should not have up-to-date homes where they can lead a cultured existence. Many
of the present overgrown cities have developed evils which are deplorable. Probably we
have to discourage this overgrowth and at the same time encourage the village to
approximate more to the culture of the town.12
Nehru to Gandhi
the great temples of the south and the Taj Mahal. Well they are
beautiful. Some of the temples of the south, however, repel me in
spite of their beauty. I just cant stand them. Why? I do not know. I
cannot explain that, but they are oppressive, they suppress my
spirit. They do not allow me to rise, they keep me down. The dark
corridors I like the sun and air and not dark corridors.
.the past was good when it was the present, but you cannot
Figure 10: Jawaharlal
Nehru

bring it forward when the world has changed into a technological


period and put a gothic cathedral and call it a railway terminus. It is

ridiculous. I gave that example because there is always the tendency to do that and there is
likely to be more of tendency in a country like India where we hold fast to traditions more
than in other countries.13
Nehru in the inaugural address of seminar on architecture, 1959
Gandhis idea of a nation building at the time of freedom was very different from Nehrus.
While Gandhis views were more ethno-centric, Nehrus views on the other hand stood for an
India which would progress through technology and industrialisation. Both these ideologies
have helped India retain a critical stance on the issue of identity. As Vikramaditya Prakash

11

Source ( Chawla,Kamal.2007, Influence of Technology in the development of Post-independence architecture


of India led by its search for an identity, unpublished report, TVB school of Habitat Studies, Delhi)
12
Ibid
13
Ibid

Indian Architecture And Identity

Chapter 2 Need For An Identity

points out, the phrase modern Indian is something of an oxymoron because while
Indian is an identity claim that in some way or other inevitably relies on a backward look to
the past or a beginning, modern signifies the simultaneous desire for a telescoped rush into
the future, freed from a dragging anchoring in the past. The immense power of suggestion
that the phrase exerts, then, must be an effect precisely of its sense of compression of
seeming opposites.14
The other seeming rupture is in the concept of our identity constructions i.e. looking for a
monolithic Indian identity in the multiplicity of climate, culture and its people. In the next
chapter, we examine how Kurula varkeys eight constants also have acknowledged this
issue and answered the same.

14

Prakash, Vikramaditya (1997), Identity Production in Postcolonial Indian Architecture: Re-covering what we
never had. In Post-colonial space(s). Gulsum Baydar Nalbantoglu and Wong Chong Thai (eds), Princeton
Architectural Press, New York.

Indian Architecture And Identity

10

Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

3.

VARKEYS PSYCHIC-CULTURAL CONSTANTS

Professor Kurula Varkey was a crucial figure In Indian architectural education. Being the
honorary director of the School of architecture, CEPT (Centre for environmental planning
and technology), he had passionately steered and influenced a generation of architects
emerging from the institution until his untimely death. CEPT has nurtured some of the
countrys best upcoming architects including Kiran Pandya, Rahul Mehrotra, Soumitro
Ghosh and Nisha P. Mathew. Varkey was also the successor of previous heads including
B.V.Doshi, Hasmukh Patel, K.B.Jain, Anant Raje and Leo Pareira.
Varkeys psychic-cultural constants, rather than being stylistic descriptions of elements from
the past, are typically philosophical and intellectual in nature. These are not a set of
principles from which the direction for Indian architecture could be derived but rather these
are some of the commonalities identified by Prof. Kurula Varkey who had a deep
understanding of architecture in the sub-continent. He believes that the multitude of cultures
that have existed over the years in close proximity have essentially ensured a civilizational
bond.
A host of people and subcultures come together in India to provide richness to its culture
and carry with them generalities that unify and specifities that distinguish. The culture is
manifested through its own psychic-cultural constants. While the language and mode of
expressions may differ the underlying principles unify. The psychic-cultural constants of the
Indian ethos as evident in architecture are open to interpretation and renewed discovery yet
they form the only meaningful beginning point from which a creative renewal
transformation can begin.15
This civilizational bond could be said to be embodied in epics, myths and folk stories, and
family resemblance in styles of art, architecture and religious motifs if not religious
practices. Sunil Khilnani says that this varied amorphous historical inheritance may not
carry any single message16, though it did provide a unified coherence to the ethnically,
religiously and racially diverse population in the sub-continent. These unifying and
distinguishing features characterise the Indian culture and hence, Professor Varkeys
constants are philosophical rather than stylistic.

15

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.
16
Source (Panicker, Shaji K.; Ostwald , Micheal J. , Underlying ethos in Indian Architecture: critical
regionalism in the age of Globalization, University of Newcastle Australia. Retrieved November 19,
2010 from http://weblearn.newcastle.edu.au.

Indian Architecture And Identity

11

Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

3.1

SENSE OF CENTRE

..Centre in Indian architecture, does not necessarily refer to a geometric or physical centre,
rather it has a more metaphysical value attached to it17. It refers to a physical or the spiritual
focus of the form. It is a pivotal feature in Indian philosophy, the shunya, the compelling void,
or Bindu, the primordial source of all energy.

3.2

ATTITUDE TO LANDSCAPE

For Varkey it follows that, from a detailed understanding


of the notion of centre and limits, building in the
landscape are an introverted act in India. This quality of
introversion results in an architecture of a contained
periphery a building wherein the grand design of
creation, the cosmic and the microcosmic, man and
nature unite in a single thread.18 Traditional architecture
was sanctified in the embrace of nature. The built
structures were meant to harmonize with natural
surroundings. Even Islamic architecture in India, which is
perhaps inspired by Indian architecture, shares this
introverted quality.
Figure 11: Humanyuns tomb with

3.3

charbagh

ATTITUDE TO SPATIAL ORGANISATION

The Indian attitude to space making is one of layering from outside to inside, from profane
to sacred. In the urban context the coming together of the spatiality of diverse elements
creates conjunctions and overlaps creating multiple layers.19

17

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.
18
Source (Panicker, Shaji K.; Ostwald , Micheal J. , Underlying ethos in Indian Architecture: critical regionalism
in the age of Globalization, University of Newcastle Australia. Retrieved November 19, 2010 from
http://weblearn.newcastle.edu.au.
19
Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.

Indian Architecture And Identity

12

Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

He argues that this layering of spatial organization is a response to the values of society, to
behavioural patterns and to the climate of the region. The result of this layering is that the
space is without an axis and the pathway is forever shifting. Yet it is not in the individuality of
spaces that the organisation dwells, but rather in the ideational unity created by the merging
and overlapping of parts within the whole.20 These are exemplified by the temple city of
Madurai in southern India and the city of Fatehpur Sikri. While in Madurai it is a set of
enclosed rings, divided into squares, in which the most powerful point seems to be the
centre. It is an introverted style of planning where the key movements are from the outside in
circling the sacred enclosure in a clockwise direction. In a slightly different manner, in
Fatehpur Sikri the route of movement through the complex does not formally culminate in a
single centre, but instead there are multiple centres which relate to each other and create
the ideational unity.

Figure 12: Plan of Fatehpur Sikri

Figure 13: Plan Of Meenakshi temple, Madurai.

20

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.

Indian Architecture And Identity

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Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

3.4

ATTITUDE TO ORDER

The bringing together of divergent parts into


a totality the Indian notion of order is one
that accommodates the circumstantial and
the imperfect, while there is a schematic,
ideational unifying conception to order.
An architectural example of this concept is
seen in the Kailash temple wherein it is the
totality which gives order to the monolith;
taken individually, nothing is perfect and

Figure 14: Kailash Temple, Ellora

precise. It follows from this realization, that the Indian notion of order is something that
accommodates various divergent parts into one ideational unity. Thus the whole is
something that incorporates and derives from the contextual and the circumstantial.
Therefore, the attitude to order is inclusive rather than exclusive accepting complexities in an
organic manner, rather than reducing the forms to some singular unity.21

3.5

ATTITUDE TO DIMENSIONAL ORDER, PROPORTION

There is a definite co-relation between the


character and proportions in a built form. This is
seen best in the Tanjore temple complex where by
obeying the principles of Vastu Shastra, the
garbhagriha gives birth to subsidiary shrines which
are located are located according to the numerical
values of their deities (numbers which are
favourable to the particular deity). Though the
underlying dimensional order is inherent in this
process, it is not a geometric or mechanical notion

Figure 15: Brihadeshwara Temple,


Tanjore.

21

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.

Indian Architecture And Identity

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Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

of repetition. Instead, variations in magnitude and size of shrines follow some kind of genetic
notion of repetition that is mostly organic in nature22 . In the Tanjore temple every element in
the composition corresponds and relates to the others in some ways. The complex
composition forces the viewer to perceive the parts in order to perceive the whole.

3.6

ATTITUDE TO FORM

The notion of form in Indian tradition is conglomerate. It is a coming together of diverse


parts into a complex unity. 23
Like spatial organisation and order, form also is a conglomeration of diverse parts resulting
into a complex unity. This accretive character permeates Indian architecture throughout the
recognized periods in Indian history from the Aryan to the Muslim to the British invasions.
Each period has seen a mixing of styles and the creation of hybrid architectures.

3.7

ATTITUDE TO LIGHT

As essential characteristic of Indian architecture, from the earliest times, has been a
response to the natural lighting and the sun. The elevations and the street patterns evolving
from the response to the climate show sensitivity to the sun and the direct quality of its light.
According to varkey, the challenge for Indian architecture has always been to break the sun
into shadow. This is in part a response to climate which is in turn is indicator of regional
attitudes.

22

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.
23
Ibid

Indian Architecture And Identity

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Chapter 3 Varkeys Psychic-cultural constants

3.8

ATTITUDE TO SYMBOLS AND MEANINGS

Ever since the beginning of time man has


intuitively sensed the existence of another world:
a non-manifest world whose presence under lies
and make endurable the one we experience every
day. 24
Myths and symbols have played an important role
in the shaping of the Indian thought and traditions.
These myths and symbols have been significantly
altered or influenced due to the varied encounters
with different people over time. The grids of the
Vastu Purusha Mandala or the symbols and

Figure 16: Vastu-Purusha-Mandala

concepts of Shunya or Bindu have been the generators of architecture in the past. They are
themselves metaphoric statements of cultures ethos. 25

3.9

IMPLICATIONS

All of Varkeys constants depend on the deep rooted understanding of Indian architecture
and hence, they have been left suspended and open to interpretation. Following the
multiculturalism, that characterises our country the identification of one single identity or
even proposing an identity construct seems unreasonable.

24

Varkey, Kurula (2000), The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design, Vol 17
no.4, Pg 98-117.
25
Ibid

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Chapter 4 Conclusion

4.

CONCLUSION

Varkeys eight constants question the very need to worry about a loss of identity. It follows
from this that Indian architectural identity is continually renewing itself and is dynamic in
nature. The first and the second generation of architects were constantly trying to negotiate
a compromise between their education and experience and the demands of a nation worried
about its identity. The quest for such an identity has ended up in canonising certain
architectural styles and patterns from the past. Therefore, the search for Indian-ness by
different architects such as Correa, Rewal and Doshi should be best viewed as
interpretations only and not as the only approach to expressing Indian-ness. Because India
is a vast geographical identity, it has different cultures, religions and climates and hence it
demands for different types of architecture in response to these varying elements.
Therefore, the situation demands the application of critical regionalism and not just a
conceived identity. As Libeskind points out in the case of Berlin :
This obsession of constantly asking for an identity is mediocre. Why should we speak about
identity at all? We should rather speak about the positive sides of the lack of identity, about
the fact that the city does not have only one single identity.
Also I would like to point out that due to the existence of the phenomenon called
Globalisation, the boundaries of a region have expanded and it cannot be thought of as an
insular entity. As Robert Adam says in his article on globalisation and tradition the nationstate has become too small to solve global problems and too large to deal with local ones.
He asserts that nation-states and national identity are largely nineteenth and twentiethcentury inventions that themselves attempted to homogenise varied communities within their
borders. In diminishing the role of the nation-state, globalisation has lifted the lid on local
culture and identities.

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Chapter 5 Bibliography

5.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Bhargava G., Reference to Tradition in Contemporary Indian public architecture.


Unpublished report TVB School of habitat studies, New Delhi. (1996)
2. Bhatt V. and Scriver P., After the Masters contemporary Indian Architecture, University of
Washington. (1990)
3. Chawla K., Influence of technology in the development of Post-independence architecture
of India led by its search for and identity, Unpublished report, TVB School of Habitat Studies,
New Delhi. (2007)
4. Ed. Robert Powell: Architecture and Identity, Aga Khan award for architecture.

5. Gast K.P., Modern traditions contemporary architecture in India, Birkhauser Verlag AG,
Berlin (2003)
6. Herrle P., and Wagerhoff E., Architecture and identity, LIT Verlag.(2009)
7. Herrle P.and Schmitz S., Constructed identities: Contemporary Architecture in the south,
Habitat International. (2009)
8. Menon A.G.K (1999), Rethinking Architecture
9. Momin A.R, interface of cultural identity development - Cultural Pluralism, National Identity
and Development -The Indian Case
10. Nalbantolu G.B. and Wong C.T., Postcolonial space(s), Princeton Architectural Press,
New York.(1997)
11. New Architecture and Urbanism: Development of Indian Traditions, Nabha Foundation
(2007)
12. Varkey K., The essence of the Indian tradition: An interpretation, Architecture + Design
(2000)

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