AN APERTURE TO INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

AN APERTURE TO INDIAN ARCHITECTURE The art or practice of designing and constructing buildings is synonymous with the field of study of architecture. “ Architecture is a visual art and the buildings speak for themselves”, writes Julia Morgan the iconic American architect who designed more than seven hundred buildings in California. The prodigious architect is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. The exploration of Indian Architecture presents a tripper with a variegated bouquet to certain quintessential travel destinations in India which provides an opportunity to witness its abundant heritage. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has proffered a visual treat to a sightseer , stock individual and accomplished/ novitiate architects and sculptors a unique trip which covers the caves of Elephanta , Ajanta and Ellora. This expedition is an aperture to reconnoitre places which are in the Hall of Fame to be classified as world heritage sites . These include the mystique of Elephanta Caves and the exotic Ajanta and Ellora caves which showcase Indian history laced with spiritual underpinning in the western and central parts of India. Upon arriving at the financial capital of India , Mumbai either by rail , air or road a tripper is received by the officials of IRCTC and checked into an upmarket hotel. The following day the guests inhale the ozone emitted by the Arabian sea during an hour-long ferry ride from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Island in the Mumbai Harbour. This opens the globe trotter to a hidden world of rock-cut caves which are robust in their carvings and boast a legion of Shaivite sculptures. The caves are tucked away in a desolate island which in common parlance are referred to as Gharapuri (city of caves). These cavern are approximately 10 kilometres east of the Gateway of India. Throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, historians and scholars attempted to zero on their exact period of origin. However deeper studies and numismatic evidence, architectural style and inscriptions have traced the cave temples to King Krishnaraja from the Kalachuri dynasty around mid-6th Century, and the Buddhist Stupas to the Hinayana Buddhists who had settled in the island around 2nd Century BC much before the advent of the Brahmans to Elephanta. The caves, as well as the island, were christened as Elephanta by Portuguese invaders once they became suzerains of what is today known as Mumbai in the year1534. It was a happenstance discovery of a gigantic rock-cut sculpture of an elephant on the island which prompted them to name the place after the tusker. Sometime in 1661, the East India Company overpowered the Portuguese armies and the area became part of their dominion. Over time, these caves suffered significant damage and destruction by Persian invaders, Christian Portuguese soldiers, the Maratha as well as British rulers. In 1909, the British India officials initiated major attempts to safeguard the caves from further wreckage. Subsequently the Government of India carried out restoration works at the site in the 1970s and converted the place into a heritage site and an amazing tourist hideout. Singularly there are two sets of caves on Elephanta Island, each bearing the imprint of rock-cut style of architecture. The caves are carved out of solid basalt rock and span an area of 60,000 sq. ft. The larger one of these two groups have five caves which is populated with numerous Hindu sculptures. Besides there are a few Buddhist caves at the site which comprise of the smaller group along with water tanks and a Stupa. Each cave has been carved as a rock-cut temple with one principal gargantuan chamber, courtyards, two lateral chambers, and minor shrines. Cave 1 or what is also called the Grand Cave is the largest one among these which spreads across 39 meters from its entrance to the back. This cave temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva and is blessed with numerous structures and carvings celebrating the deity and the different forms. After the sojourn to Elephanta Caves , tourists normally chill it out , take a walk on the marine drive and are ready to drop anchorage at exploring next set of caves in the vicinity of Aurangabad the next pit stop. Aurangabad is 365 kilometres from Mumbai and the aficionados of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation arrange for ferrying tourists by rail to witness the grandeur of Ajanta and Ellora caves. The formidable Ajanta Caves have been prominently mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era Chinese Buddhist travellers to India and by satraps of Mughal emperor Akbar in the early 17th century. These brawny caves were once covered by a humungous thicket until fortuitously they were "discovered" and drew large scale western attention and acclaim in the year 1819 by a colonial British officer Captain John Smith who was on a tiger-poaching expedition. The caves are in the rocky northern wall of the U-shaped gorge of the river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau. Within the gorge are several breathtaking waterfalls with gushing waters which break the hush and sush and the tranquillity of the pristine place and are audible from the vicinity of caves when the river course reaches a crescendo. Commencing with the 2nd century B.C., and continuing into the 6th century A.D., the paintings and sculptures in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, were inspired by Buddhism and its compassionate teachings and unleashed a surge of artistic excellence unmatched in human history. These Buddhist and Jain caves are ornately carved, yet appear silent and meditative while exuding divine energy and power. About 107 km from the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, are the rock-out caves of Ajanta which are neatly nestled in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe. These are set of 29 caves, Ajanta is among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, cave paintings and sculptures. These caves comprise Chaitya halls or shrines, dedicated to Lord Buddha and Viharas or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation and the study of Buddhist teachings. The paintings which adorn the walls and ceilings of the caves depict incidents from the life and times of lord Buddha and other Boddhisattvas. Among the most beguiling paintings are those of the Jataka tales, illustrating diverse stories relating to the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattava, a saintly being who was destined to become the Buddha. These elaborate sculptures and paintings stand tall in the impressive grandeur in spite of withstanding the ravages of time. Amid the beautiful images and paintings are sculptures of Buddha, with a soothing and serene depiction in deep state of cogitation. The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, which were excavated out of the vertical face of an escarpment, are 26 km north of Aurangabad. Sculptors, inspired by strains of thought of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, created elaborate rock carvings. Extending in a linear arrangement, the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas or halls of worship, Viharas or monasteries and Hindu and Jain temples. Spanning a period of around 600 years between the 5th and 11th century A.D., the earliest excavation here is of the Dhumar Lena (Cave 29). This is an imposing excavation of the grandiose Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) which is the largest monolithic structure in the world. It was known as Verul during ancient times and has continuously attracted pilgrims through the centuries right to modern times. This three day package suffuse the minds of the tripper with amazement of ancient Indian architecture and they are left awestruck as to how aeons ago Indian architects and sculptors created this work of marvel and sheer jollity. ”If a building becomes architecture, then it is art,” writes Danish architect Arne Jacobsen known for architectural functionalism.