11/24/2017 Effect of Culture on Architectural Expression | Aζ South Asia

Effect of Culture on Architectural Expression

Dallas, Homi N.. "Effect of Culture on Architectural Expression." In Seminar On Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 74-80. New Delhi: Lalit Kala
Akademi, 1959.

Keywords: Regulation, National Policies in Architecture, Architecture Education in India and 20th Century
Architecture in South Asia

Before we discuss the effect of Culture on Architecture, we wilt first try to understand the Seminar on Architecture
true meaning of the words civilization, culture and architecture. It would be impudent on my
Address of Welcome by Prof. Humayun Kabir,
part to explain the word “architecture” to such a distinguished gathering of architects and I Union Minister of Scientific Research and
will, therefore, first deal with the conditions that create civilization and culture as architects Cultural Affairs
to the present age—which future historians may record with pride when they write about Inaugural Address by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru,
India after her Independence. Prime Minister
Report of the Seminar on Architecture
CULTURE AS REFLECTED IN ARCHITECTURE Opening Remarks by the Convener
Architectural Expression and the National
The social order formed by civilization creates cultural progress, and apart from the Policy
Effect of Culture on Architectural Expression
country’s political, moral and economic conditions, the pursuit of knowledge and that of the
Effect of Culture on Architectural Expression
arts forms the basis of the culture of one’s country. Architect and Society
Architect and Society
It is true that various factors affect the culture and civilization of any country; any one factor Architectural Education in India
may encourage or impede its flow of progress. For instance. the geological condition of a Effect of Technology on Architecture
place, a region which is periodically covered with snow or periodically affected by volcanic Effect of Climate on Architectural Expression
eruptions can hardly contribute a major share of progress. Likewise adverse geographical Effect of Visual Art on Architecture
Civic Design
conditions do create lethargy either by its tropical climate, or excessive rain. Both these
conditions create parasites, disease and death.

Many of us and particularly the artists deplore the value of money and economic disparity
created by it, but we do not find that prosperous countries with all their balanced economy
are contributing a major share on the cultural side which other countries have taken
centuries to do. Wealth is a double-edged sword and it is almost a law of history that the
same wealth that generates a civilization announces its decay. For wealth produces ease as

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well as art, and it softens a people to the ways of luxury and invites invasion from stronger
arms and hungrier mouths. Two concrete examples to bear this statement are of Persia and
India. It is a popular but wrong notion prevailing amongst us that modem painting, sculpture
and architecture have little cultural value. Actually the culture of any country is a living thing;
it continues to grow, but it needs fresh air—good manure and right vitamins. Every one of us
has come in contact with our farmers they are the sons of the soil and they do breathe, even
now, the human culture. This essence of culture is to appreciate and respect nature. This
essence is born in every man, and fortunately it is preserved most by the man who tills the
soil. It is because he is closer to nature. We, therefore, naturally try to search for culture in
the countryside, and civilization in the city. Culture and civilization have no colour bar, we
find them in nearly equal degree amongst people of all nations. It is a wrong assumption that
a great race makes civilization. Actually it is the great civilization that makes the people.

An Indian does not make Indian civilization; it makes him, if he carries it with him wherever
he goes, and is more revealed when he takes his meal in his house in England or United
States. Physical and historical conditions also generate civilization and these traits of
civilization remain with man for a very long period even when conditions have completely
altered.

The language, the education, the moral laws and rules of the game of life also play an
important part in the culture and civilization of one’s country. Above all, it is the respect that
man has for his own civilization and culture. The people must consider their natural culture
as a proud heritage which they can with pride hand over to their children unsullied and with
a hope that they will in their turn pass it on to the generation to come.

Culture and have an expression and it is expressed in language and more markedly in their
Arts, namely, poetry, drama, music, painting. sculpture and architecture. We as architects will
naturally try to concentrate our attention to the impact of culture on architecture.

The wood-peckers, the bees and ants gave man the art of provision and taught the virtue of
prudence; agriculture, speech and writing differentiated man from other animals, and formed
the main basis of culture. At first man was his own beast of burden till he was married, but
the times have changed, and the introduction of a wheel changed the course of civilization;
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man also invented ropes, levers and pullies to lessen his labour. He then set the economics of
civilization and thereby culture, through the mechanism of transport, the process of trade,
and the medium of exchange. And these mediums were glorified by art and architecture by
erection of magnificent structures.

Architecture throughout the ages was associated with beautiful buildings of grand
proportions, rich in material, often delicate in design and profund in ornament. Architecture
is not a mere building but a beautiful building. It is true that architecture in the past was
more pronounced in the graves, tomb structure than in huts. The commemorative pillars
throughout the world developed into statuary and the tomb grew into a temple. For primitive
man believed that the dead were more important and powerful than the living and as the
dead cannot leave their abode, their structures unlike huts were more permanent.

STONE AGE

The houses of stone age reflect their culture in architecture; and architecture gained its full
value. She then became the mother of all arts. The caves were used as houses—they were
made into houses and the walls were decorated with sculptural reliefs. These reliefs had a
three-fold purpose. It is said that primitive artists could sculpture so well the deer and the
reindeer in true form that live deer used to flock around the sculpture, and it actually helped
the Stone-Age men to capture the live deer with the least effort. The second purpose was to
display a sumptuous dinner on the wall. How often, do we not see in newspapers the race
horse owner holding the horse’s rein after the horse wins a Derby, or photograph of modern
pigmy hunters with one leg resting on a dead panther or a tiger. The same vanity had a place
even in the stone age when panels often showed the hunter on one side and a deer with the
arrow in its body a distance away. The third purpose had a religious belief that the dead may
come again to the house and there are instances of sculptural reliefs in Royal tombs in Egypt
where a full dinner table with food is well laid and ready for the dead king even his queens
are shown waiting for him in bas relief. We have also examples of mural paintings depicting
several phases of culture and from series of examples, we find that painting developed from
statuary, from the carving, from the round to bas relief and thence to mere outline and
colouring; painting is sculpture minus a dimension.

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The neolithic culture was responsible for training of animals and using them as beasts of
burden. But the monkey and the parrot found their places as companions. They were all
housed in the buildings and architects of those days solved their building problem with these
additional requirements.

We have beautiful examples of architecture of buildings built for horses, and elephants. In
Vienna, Jaipur and Baroda, the visitors are shown the Royal Stables.

The lake dwellers of 5000 B.C. lived more close to the trees and they became skilful
carpenters, and their houses reflected not only the local material. namely, timber, but the
skilful use of timbers in posts, brackets and rafters. We have a parallel in our country at
Kashmir and Nasik and also in the Swiss country of Interlaken and Luzen, we find that the
craftsmen of those days had the desire to produce a work of art out of the local timber.

In various civilizations and cultures, we have found the basic classification of the people, the
King, the priest, the warrior, the craftsman-and the labourer. Whether the said classification
is helpful to the society and particularly to the present Socialistic pattern of Society is a
debatable question, but culture and craftsmen have proved in the past that one cannot ignore
tradition that has come down, the basic training in crafts, father to son.

The cultural heritage of our craftsmen must be maintained at all cost. We know this from our
practical experience as we have come in close contact with many local artists and craftsmen
of this large country and know their ideals, desires and wants. Civilization and architecture
depend upon geological, geographical, climatic, economic and physical conditions, and
culture grows as the result of the assimilation of social values, namely, the respect for
Church, State, Laws; human values such as conception of truth, manners and customs,
education and love for things beautiful as exhibited in the arts of dancing, singing and
sculpture.

We Indians look to the Himalayas; we do not look to the snow. We look beyond and we look
up to regions beyond in veneration. This has given us a guiding principle in our architecture.

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The Himalayas are serene in their atmosphere and only the real devotee can under stand the
true value. Our architects have in the past built temples and they selected a high plateau, and
even the building was made to rise to the sky. Where there was a level site as in the South
India, the temple was built of such grandeur that the very appearance of it commanded
respect. In life, us well as in the temple, the inner chamber is approached through other halls,
and mandapas, and it is only after patient waiting one can get a glimpse of the deity in the
inner chamber. Here we find the culture and architecture of all god-fearing—I mean all God-
loving countries alike. The great Cathedral in Milan, The Dumo, is a masterpiece and even
today no building can rise above the Cathedral. St. Peter’s Church of Rome and St. Peter’s
Church of London are glowing examples of their faith. Culture cannot exist if there is no
faith in higher values of life. Work was always worship to our craftsmen. It was a prayer to the
Almighty and the prayer was said with utmost devotion.

The respect given to the king in the past was great. Even today, we respect King Asoka and his
culture through architecture, brought him closer to us. The Asoka column was respected and
valued as an architectural monument, before we adopted it as a national emblem. The king in
a cultural city had his privilege. He had a palace—usually on a high level—with fortifications
but in most of the Indian palaces we find a temple or, mosque attached, preferably in a
secluded place.

Here architecture displaced the culture of the country, firstly by the dignity of site, the
dignity of fortification, and the approach to the palace, the Courts of Justie—known as
Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas and the Royal chambers—and a quiet mosque or temple. I do
not refer only to the Mogul palace of Agra and Delhi but to our palaces at Gwalior, Jaipur and
Udaipur. The palaces were meant for kings but they were the bread and the very life of the
craftsmen.

The two temples of Dilwara known as Vastupal and Tejpal are exquisite architectural pieces.
They are even more valued today because two sisters-in-law contributed their jewellery for
the construction of the temples. It was not only their money but their personal interest in the
craft and the craftsmen in turn showed their gratitude by building another beautiful temple

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in stone. Here, we find Indian culture at its best. Here we see the great Hindu Trinity of
Virtues—Karma, Gnana and Bhakti blended in one.

Our Indian culture is great because Indians as a class are deeply religious and closely follow
the gospel of Gita. They honestly believe in Karma marg, Gnana marg and Bhakti marg, and
towards the development of Gnana marg, we have various architectural examples. The great
Buddhist monastery of Nalanda, south of Patna, accommodated 1,000 Priests, and for five
hundred years it remained a seat of Learning for all pilgrims. The Chinese pilgrims, who
visited India in 400 and 600 A.D., have left interesting descriptions of their visits to this
University and other buildings.

Many sacred buildings were originally not temples to gods but monasteries or memorial
shrines to holy men. Along with Bhakti came the rituals, and to have the serene atmosphere
for rituals, architecture provided magnificent buildings of great repose.

Indian and Islamic architecture used a few symbols pointing to the authority of the Almighty.
The tope and the umbrella top was accepted symbol of royalty and State.

The Indian builders appreciated the meaning of dominant and subordinate masses, and even
experimented in the rhythmic repetition of a range of small temples. The beautiful minarets,
pointing to heaven was an Islamic creation. It served to call the faithful to prayer and in bare
unity reminded us of the Supreme Architect of the Universe. The Islamic arch also has the
same significance to the faithful.

Religious and monumental structures were built so that we could admire their architecture
during the day and also at night; that is one of the gems of Indian architecture. The glory of
the Taj Mahal, ltamad-ud-daullah Tomb and Lake Palaces give ample testimony to this
statement.

India was and is an open country. Its shores were open to her neighbours and the culture of
Egypt, Persia and Assyria had their influence. The Greek influence was more pronounced in
the Gandhara Period. These influences are all reflected in the architecture and sculpture of

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those periods. The Pathan and the Mogul had their own influence but the culture of India
assimilated other cultures and yet maintained its own individuality.

In Free India, we have no ruling class, and naturally, no more palaces, the common man’s
purse is always nearly empty, but he must enjoy things artistic which were once termed as
luxury. We have, therefore, to cater to the artistic needs of the common man. Let us again
have our Public Squares, our Panchayat halls with murals and sculptures and open-air-
theaters and baths. Let our cities again throb with art and culture.

Our modern Railway Station, for instance, will have the murals and refinements to educate
the common man. It will have more waiting-rooms for the common man—not because our
trains often come late, but we have now realised in Free India that a third-class-passenger is
also a human being. We have built Chandigarh—and the social centres of Chandigarh will be
a pattern for other towns. Our future architecture will be more represented in sanatoriums
and cultural centres, and in canteens and factory structures, our new architecture will have to
blend the old culture and tradition to new shops. Let there be a study group to analyse the
utilitarian aspect of our traditional architecture; and let our report be placed at a high level.
Let our Improvement Trusts and Municipal Corporations know that Town Planning does not
mean only 40 feet wide roads and 15 feet open spaces on four sides for a plot of 500 square
yards.

This planning is a waste of useful land and money of the State and also of property owners.
Let us study the houses of Jaipur, Nasik and Poona as street architecture. Let us build Indian
homes with a Tutsi plant in the well-laid courtyard, which is the meeting place of the family
in the evenings and a natural source of ventilation. It is only by the study of our ancient
civilization and culture we can rightly solve our present problem. Let us serve our villages
first—let their architecture speak of their customs, manners, and materials. Let us not import
city manners and materials like cement and steel into villages. Let the villagers themselves
build their houses to a guided pattern varying with the individual.

Today, the term “Architect” is used figuratively and it is hardly associated with architecture.
Let the common man know what architecture is and how it helps civilization. This is the time

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when the architect must come down fr his high pedestal and lay his services at the feet of his
country.

Let your Institute also serve the country. If the Institute is consulted on professional matters,
its attitude should always be guided by professional ethics, remembering always that our
basic culture is Truth and, therefore can never be a compromise of Truth and professional
ethics.

As architects, your services are needed by the State, and they and are more needed by the
common man, and service to common man is service to God.

Indian culture and Indian architecture are synonymous. Both are built on the solid rock of
faith and both serve the Lord. The architects of today must remember that service is now to
be considered before self, not only by rotarians but by common men—therefore, serve your
Country to your best ability.

Content Related to this Document Document Metadata

BibTex BibTex - EndNote - RIS
Documents
01. Bharadwaj, Ajaya. "Architectural Expression ." In Seminar On Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 51-63.
New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1959.
02. Fergusson, James, and James Burgess. "Architecture." In The Cave Temples of India, 27-36. London: W. H.
ALLEN & Co., et al, 1880.
03. Joglekar, S.K. "Architectural Expression ." In Seminar On Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 36-42.
New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1959.
04. Ghose, Benoy. "Primitive Indian Architecture." Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art XVII, no. 1: A.K.
Coomaraswamy Commemoration Volume. Part III (1949): 57-111.

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