Showing posts with label Indian temples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian temples. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

akshardham temple










Akshardham is an example of contemporary temple architecture.There is a connect with the classical yet there is modernity in the use of materials and craft. Temple ponds were in the past used by the community as a common bathing ghat and a shared resource. Now it is an architectural element. There is a lot more to temple design that pure architecture. Ancient texts are full of specifications for each element, the direction it should face, vastu requirements etc. Folklore talks about "perundachan" a famous craftsman and his masterpieces which blended with nature and created the platform for harmonious living. The Mahabharata talks about Mayan who built the Pandavas which was referred to as a consummate form of applied art.
Ayn Rand in her novel " Fountainhead " also used architecture as a context to explore objectivism