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Ancient India: a Journey Back in Time by 
Ajanta: History and Development. Volume Four, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture... by
These photographs of the Ajanta cave complex are the indispensable complement to the text volumes of Ajanta: History and Development. With maps, timechart, ornamentation checklist, and numerous details of the art of Ajanta.
Architecture of Mughal India by
In Architecture of Mughal India Catherine Asher presents the first comprehensive study of Mughal architectural achievements. The work is lavishly illustrated and will be widely read by students and specialists of South Asian history and architecture as well as by anyone interested in the magnificent buildings of the Mughal empire.
Art and Architecture in Ladakh by
Art and Architecture in Ladakh presents the latest research on Ladakh's varied cultural inheritance. Edited by Erberto Lo Bue and John Bray, the topics of the collection's 17 papers range from prehistoric art to Buddhist murals and contemporary architectural conservation.
The Buddhist Caves at Aurangabad: Transformations in Art and Religion by
This is a study that focuses on the art and architecture of a group of Buddhist rock-cut monuments excavated on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau in India. It analyses the various cultural, historical and religious phenomena that shaped the caves at Aurangabad through the first seven centuries of the Common Era and it comments on the Buddhist tradition of the western Deccan as a whole. The result is a comprehensive work that does not address exclusively iconography and chronology, but looks beyond Aurangabad to the larger artistic and religious traditions of the Indian Subcontinent.
The Complete Taj Mahal by
The Taj Mahal is the unchallenged masterpiece of Mughal art and one of the most famous buildings in the world. Yet until now, there has been no full analysis of its architecture and meaning. Ebba Koch, the first western scholar since India's independence permitted to take measures of the complex, has been working on the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty years, and on the Taj Mahal itself - the tomb of the emperor's wife, Mumtaz Mahal - for a decade. Here, in hundreds of new photographs and beautiful measured drawings by the Indian architect Richard A Barraud, she provides the first detailed documentation ever published on every building in the vast complex. The tomb represents the house of the queen in Paradise, and the author shows how its pattern was based on the palace gardens of the imperial family and great nobles that lined both sides of the river at Agra. She leads the reader on a walk that illuminates not only the white marble mausoleum but the mosque and guest house that flank it, the garden across which it is seen, the great gate, the forecourt and its bazaar streets, the quarters of the tomb attendants, subsidiary tombs, and finally the now completely lost bazaar and caravanserai complex. She gives special attention to the floral ornament - both the famous pietra dura inlay of hardstones in white marble, and the rich relief carving in marble and red sandstone. Reconstructions allow us to see the monument in the context of Shah Jahan's Agra, and the close encounter is framed by accounts of its design and construction, its symbolic meaning, and its history up to the present day.
Cosmic Architecture in Indian by
"The observatories built in the eighteenth century by the Indian Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1686-1743) are little understood wonders of architecture and science. Occasionally discovered by tourists the observatories are monuments to an extraordinary man whose passion for mapping the skies was unique in India." "Situated in Delhi, Jaipur, Benares, Ujjain and Mathura, these buildings show no similarities with contemporary Mogul architecture - indeed their simple geometrical forms inspired Le Corbusier in his designs for Chandigarh. So what was the real significance of these observatories?" "In an investigation Andreas Volwahsen reveals how Hindu priests and mystics as well as Indian mandala theory were the main influences on Jai Singh's architectural project. Rather than the accurate measurement of the heavens - for which the observatories were in any case useless - the Maharaja's aim was to create a representation of his own earthly powers, and ultimately display his own superior knowledge." "Fully illustrated with colour photographs, technical drawings and contextual illustrations this book is a major contribution to the understanding of these mysterious buildings and to the history of astronomical science. Written in an accessible style it will also be of interest to the general reader and to visitors to the sites in India."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Early Buddhist Architecture in Context: The Great Stūpa at Amarāvatī (ca. 300 BCE-300 CE) by
The book provides an updated chronology of the Amarāvatī Stūpa and argues its close link with the long-term development of urbanization of this region between ca. 200 BCE-250 CE based on the latest archaeological, art-historical and epigraphic evidence.
The Hegemony of Heritage by
The Hegemony of Heritage makes an original and significant contribution to our understanding of how the relationship of architectural objects and societies to the built environment changes over time. Studying two surviving medieval monuments in southern Rajasthan--the Ambika Temple in Jagat and the Ékalingji Temple Complex in Kailaspuri--the author looks beyond their divergent sectarian affiliations and patronage structures to underscore many aspects of common practice. This book offers new and extremely valuable insights into these important monuments, illuminating the entangled politics of antiquity and revealing whether a monument's ritual record is affirmed as continuous and hence hoary or dismissed as discontinuous or reinvented through various strategies. The Hegemony of Heritage enriches theoretical constructs with ethnographic description and asks us to reexamine notions such as archive and text through the filter of sculpture and mantra.
The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to its Meaning and Forms by
For more than 1500 years, from the Indian subcontinent to the islands of the Indonesian archipelago, the temple has embodied and symbolized the Hindu worldview at its deepest level and inspired the greatest architectural and artistic achievements in Hindu Asia. In The Hindu Temple, considered the standard introduction to the subject, George Michell explains the cultural, religious, and architectural significance of the temple. He illustrates his points with a profusion of photographs, building plans, and drawings of architectural details, making the book a useful guide for travelers to Asia as well as an illuminating text for students of architecture, religion, and Asian civilizations. Michell's discussion of the meaning and forms of the temple in Hindu society encompasses the awe-inspiring rock-cut temples at Ellora and Elephanta, the soaring superstructures and extraordinary sexual exhibitionism of the sculptures at Khajuraho, and the colossal mortuary temple of Angkor Vat, as well as the tiny iconic shrines that many Hindus wear around their necks and the simple shrines found under trees or near ponds.
The History of Architecture in India: From the Dawn of Civilization to the End of the Raj by
This is the first ever modern monograph to draw together all the strands of India's architectural history - from the Vedic and native traditions of early India, through Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and secular architecture, to the eclecticism of the British Raj. The History of Architecture in Indiaprovides the essential background information on invasions and migrations, dynasties, religion, symbolism and myth in the development of characteristic forms. Hundreds of photographs, engravings, maps, plans and elevations are closely integrated with rigorous but accessible text, resulting in a tome essential for scholars and anyone interested in one of the world's richest architectural traditions.
Indian Islamic Architecture by
The articles by John Burton-Page on Indian Islamic architecture assembled in this volume give an historical overview of the subject, ranging from the mosques and tombs erected by the Delhi sultans in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, to the great monuments of the Mughals in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Introduction to Indian Architecture: Arts of Asia by
Take a journey through Indian architecture from the dawn of civilization to the present with this colorful, attractive survey. The architecture of India reflects both the cultural diversity of the subcontinent and its rich political and historical inheritance. In this guide, the various strands of this rich architectural history, from the dawn of civilization to modern times, are beautifully presented in word and picture. Readers are taken on a fascinating tour of Indus Valley civilization, early Vedic traditions, Hindu, Jain, Mughal, regional, colonial and post-independence architectural styles. Themes such as water architecture and the architecture of science also figure prominently, giving many westerners their first glimpse of these styles. The informative text, complemented by 400 photographs, watercolors, maps and plans, provide compelling evidence of India's influence on building design throughout history.
The Majesty of Mughal Decoration: The Art and Architecture of Islamic India by
An exquisitely illustrated survey of the decorative motifs and visual themes from one of the great artistic periods in Indian history. Mughal decorative arts delight in arabesque and geometric designs, as well as scenes of nature (flowers, birds, and animals) and human pleasure (music, dancing, feasting, love-making). Master craftsmen at the Mughal and Rajput courts employed a variety of materials and techniques to produce marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, sandstone screens perforated with geometric designs, brass vessels inlaid with strips of silver and gold, jade drinking cups, dagger hilts encrusted with rubies and emeralds, and costumes and sashes embroidered with silk and golden threads. No less gorgeous were the vividly toned and exquisitely detailed miniature paintings that portrayed contemporary events as well as epic tales. Drawing on the finest and most representative examples in public and private collections in India, Europe, and America, this stunning survey examines common decorative motifs and themes in Mughal art. More than 300 illustrations amply convey the virtuoso workmanship and the sheer elegance of design common to all objects. It will be an essential reference work for art historians, designers, and anyone interested in the arts and life of India. 300+ color photographs and illustrations.
Traditional Buildings of India by
This is a survey of the diverse vernacular buildings of each region of India in their historical and traditional contexts. Whether creating family houses or village temples, grain stores or fine mansions, the Indian builder works according to ancient and sometimes religious practice, with whatever materials are to hand. The country's extraordinary range of buildings - mud-plastered, reed-thatched, timber-framed - is as varied as India's geography itself, from the cold dry Himalayas in the North and barren deserts in the West, to the sweltering bamboo groves and rice fields of the South.
Tribal Architecture in Northeast India by
Detailed drawings of traditional houses among 34 ethnic populations in India s northeast illustrate that each house-type is different. These houses are changing but nevertheless remain an important marker of cultural identity."
World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India by
Hundreds of India's stunning temples are catalogued and copiously illustrated in this two-volume work loaded with color photographs. A brief introduction to the principal religious groups who have made their home in this dynamic region leads into a description of the developmental stages of various architectural components and artistic styles in the different regions over the past 1500 years, from pre-historic cave art and ancient temples hewn out of solid bedrock to more recent European-style Christian churches such as those in Goa. India's religions and historical turning points are briefly.