Surbhi Gupta
De-typification of 'the Indian Temple'
Temples built in the Indian sub-continent since the 4th century B.C. has had many varied forms. It was since the mid-nineteenth century, and after British colonization, that historians have categorized these temple forms into styles - North Indian style, South Indian style, etc.; they have interpreted them through 'meanings' and 'symbols', and they have established an 'evolution' of the temple form that follows a chronological order. However, a closer study of the Indian belief system establishes a case for studying the temples from a 'non-formal' and non-symbolic point-of-view. It demonstrates that the process of construction at the time was more vital than the final form or 'goal'. It discloses a variant and tolerant Indian society where the search for a 'higher truth' by a group of individuals in a particular climatic region / dynasty / philosophical school led to particular formal configurations. The culture also supported a cyclic understanding of time as opposed to a linear one and individual expressions were considered as ideal 'wholes' at every moment in time instead of steps leading towards a 'perfect' future. Thus, this thesis challenges traditional histories of Indian temple architecture, the ways in which they have led to the establishment of the 'Traditional Indian temple' type, and seeks to propose an alternate perspective on the subject matter.

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