Ancient Indian Architecture

Ancient Indian Architecture

The Science of Architecture and Civil Construction was known in

Ancient India as Sthapatya-Shastra. The word Sthapatya is derived from

the root word Sthapana i.e. 'to establish'. The technique of

architecture was both a science and an art, hence it is also known as

Sthapatya-kala, the word Kala means an art.

From very early times the construction of temples, palaces, rest

houses and other civil construction was undertaken by professional

architects known as Sthapati. Even during the Vedic times, there

existed professionals who specialized in the technique of constructing

chariots and other heavy instruments of war. These professionals have

been referred to in the Rig Veda as Rathakara which literally means

'chariot maker'.

The excavations of the ruins at Mohenjodaro and Harrappa (today in

Pakistan) proved the existence of a developed Urban civilization in

India. The Indus valley civilization is dated around 3000 B.C. Thus

since the last 5000 years. India has had an urban civilization. The

existence of an urban civilization presumes the existence of well

developed techniques of architecture and construction.

These techniques would no doubt have had been systematically stated in

record books for transmitting them to the later generations as well

for being used as reference media for actual construction.

Unfortunately, as far as the Indus Valley civilization goes no such

records have been preserved either as rock edicts, manuscripts, etc.,

or in folk tales and legends.

But the fact that cities on the scale of Mohenjodaro had been

constructed bear testimony to the existence of a systematized and

highly developed technique of architecture 5000 years ago.

But in the later ages, from about the 7th century B.C., we have both

literature references as well as archeological evidences to prove the

existence of large urban civilizations in the Ganges Valley. Like in

most other sciences, even remotely connected with religion, in

architecture also the scientific ideas and techniques have been

integrated with philosophy and theology. This was so as the majority

of the large constructions were temples.