rock cut arcitecture of india - ellora

7/28/2019 Rock Cut Arcitecture of India - Ellora

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Architecture

Rock Cut Architectureby Ashish Nangia

Rock-cut architecture occupies a very important place in the history of Indian

Architecture. This differs from 'building up' in many important ways. Firstly,

the art is more akin to sculpture than architecture, in that a solid body of

material (rock) is taken, the final product visualized and cutting/carving starts.Secondly, the mason is not overly concerned with spans, forces, beams,

columns, and all the other architectural features - these can be carved, but areseldom playing any structural role.

In this article, we shall cover a wide chronological range, from the earliestprimitive caves of Buddhist monks, to the crowning glory of the art, namely

the Kailash temple at Ellora. All of these have some common features, yet itcan be clearly seen that the rock-cutter improved all the time, gaining

confidence and mastery over the material, until the final culmination at the'White Temple' of Ellora.
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Buddhist Caves and Chaityas

The ascetic nature of early Buddhism and Jainism was well suited to living alife away from the cities, in natural caves and grottoes in the hillsides. In a

circle of two hundred miles around modern Nasik, the rugged hills of theWestern Ghats are naturally suited to the creation of living space in the hillside

- with steep cliffs providing an ideal surface for carving in.

The architecture here is divided into distinct groups - eachhaving its own version of the prayer-hall, or chaitya and a monastery, or a

vihara. The most significant of these are the examples at Karle, withmagnificent chaityas cut deep into the hillside.

The most remarkable aspect of the rock cut architecture at Karle and other sites

is its close similarity to wood construction. This went as far as imitating everydetail of wood, down to the joints and fastenings, in rock. This is by itself an

impressive feat, but betrays the fact that as far as the physical properties and

potential of stone was concerned, the masons had much to learn.

The Rathas of Mahabalipuram


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The next notable development occurs much later chronologically (c.600 - 900

AD), as well as much further south, at Mahabalipuram, under the reign of the

Pallavas. They were the founders of what later became known as the DravidianStyle, which became the style prevalent all over South India during mediaeval

times.

The town of Mahabalipuram is home to a curious experiment: to determinewhich form of temple is best. This led to the sculpting, out of monolithic rock,

scaled-down replicas of actual temples, which are now known as the Rathas ofMahabalipuram or the 'Seven Pagodas'. The rathas are not very large, the

biggest measuring 42 feet by 35 feet, and the tallest is 40 feet high. With oneexception, all the rathas are modeled on two types of structure: the Buddhist

vihara and chaitya.

The rathas are today half-buried in the sand, silent monuments to the age ofkings gone by, their silhouettes and graceful surface sculpture exact, in every

detail, to the great temples of the south that would follow.

Kailash Nath Temple, Ellora


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The final example of this type is the Kailash Nath Temple, also at Ellora. This

is indeed unique. Instead of carving down into the face of a cliff and creatingunderground halls which had been the practice, the sculptors/architects set

aside all convention and created a full temple, identical in every detail to astructural, 'built-up' example, by carving vertically down into the living rock.When we consider that the plan of the Kailash temple is fully equal in area to

the Parthenon at Athens, and that it is one and a half times as high, some ideaof the magnitude of the achievement comes through.

The scheme of the Kailash temple is basically divided into four main parts: the

body of the temple itself, the entrance gateway, an intermediate nandi shrine

and the cloisters surrounding the courtyard. Much of the imposing character ofthe main shrine is due to its substantial plinth, which on first examination

seems to be a floor by itself. Above and below this, the sub-structure is heavilymolded, while the central space is occupied by a frieze of elephants and lions.

The Kailash temple is not only the single largest work of art executed in India,but as an example of rock-cut architecture it stands unrivalled. One gradually

becomes aware of the stupendous labor that it involved (over a hundred years),and finally, the sculpture that adorns it. Standing within its walls, one cannot

help but be aware of the spiritual energy that went into its creation - a jewel

hewn out of the rock itself.

March 1, 2001See Also :Elephanta Caves - Rock Cut A rch i tectureTop|Architecture
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rock cut arcitecture of india - ellora

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