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.
