Monumental Art and Architecture of India (An Old and Rare Book)

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IN THE present monograph I have attempted to clarify the basic concepts involved in the study of the monumental art and architecture of India and to describe its evolution through the course of centuries. I have been a teacher of this subject for over a decade and the present work embodies the fruits of my labour in under- standing the subject and in communicating it to the students not initiated into the field of ancient history and culture of Indin. I have confined myself in this monograph to the study of contributions made by the Buddhists and the Hindus to Indian art and architecture.

The book was prepared with the financial assistance given to me by the Board of Research Studies, Andhra University, under U. G. C. IV Plan grant. I thank the Vice-Chancellor, Sri L. Bullayya and other members for awarding this grant.

THE TERM 'art' has a wide range of connotation since even child- rearing can be considered as an art. The etymological meaning indicates that the term was used first by the Italians in order to suggest skill or craftsmanship. The ancient Hindus used this word in a similar fashion to indicate proficiency or skill in any special field. The Hindus opine that there are sixty-four such arts, the most notable being music, painting and architecture. Vatsyayana, who flourished in the early centuries of this era, stipulates that a person can be called a cultured man only when he acquires proficiency in different arts.

The basic factor which is responsible for the emergence of any art-form like a piece of literature or sculpture is the urge for creativity which is innate in a human being and which profoundly distinguishes him from those of the lower order with whom he shares his reproductive urge. This creative impulse finds ex- pression in different forms of art and is greatly linked with his environment. If a primitive savage expresses his creativity by tattooing his body, a socially evolved being expresses his own creative talent in sophisticated forms like painting and sculpture. Thus for an understanding of any art-form, the total perspective of the society is a necessary condition.

The study of art has been attempted in a number of ways. An art-critic approaches the subject in order to analyse its aesthetic component. On the other hand, a historian undertakes the study of art in a chronological and special sequence. For a historian, the study of art becomes the study of the entire society since he presupposes that an art-form is but a reflection of a particular period in a nation's history. Thus a history of art is basically a study of the cultural history of a nation.

The term 'architecture' is defined in a fashionable way as the art of 'organising space.' Following the craft-manuals (Silpa- sastras) of the Hindus, architecture can be defined as the art of bringing into existence a structure suitable for a particular function. A study of architecture involves an examination as to how man has spent his energy in order to construct structures convenient for the needs of his society. His ingenuity is revealed in the arrangement of the ground plan and elevation of an edifice. The success or otherwise of his effort can be judged by the canons of strength, functional utility and beauty. When an architect is successful in translating his conception into a well-ordered structure, there results a great piece of architecture.