Calukya Architecture- Medieval Temples of Northern Karnataka Built During the Rule of the Calukya Kalyana and thereafter, AD 1000-1300 (Set of 3 Volumes)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

About the Book The three-volume book gives a complete save of the surviving Hindu and Jaina temples in the northern half of Karnataka from the period AD 1000- 1300. These temples form a homogenous body of monuments that is one of the most interesting in India. From an architectural point of view it is the most interesting of all, because an important characteristic of Indian temples-- their decoration with architecture-is taken to its limits. nowhere else in India, or for that matter in the entire world, the decoration of architecture with architecture is so abundant and so detailed.

The ambition to be complete required a lot of fieldwork, because about 50 of the 220 monuments included have not been published before. But not only 'new' temples were visited; without exception all temples presented in this book were seen at least once. During each visit many photographs were made. All of the approximately 1400 photographs published in the second and third volumes were made by the author.

In addition to their scholarly value, the present volumes are very valuable for any layman with interest in architecture. This is because the monuments often period are so extremely interesting for their sophisticated play with architectural elements, and because the photo- graphs are so carefully taken and so instructive. With regard to photographs this book easily surpasses all others on old Indian temples.

About the Author Gerard Foekema was born in 1943 and lives in Amsterdam. He graduated in physics and philosophy in 1969 and held several offices as a science administrator. He became interested in Indian architecture when visiting the subcontinent as a tourist in 1976. In 1979-80 he made his first study trip to Karnataka. After writing an article on HoysaJa temples for a Dutch journal, it was the famous Mrs. J.E. Van Lohuizen De Leeuw who encouraged him to continue. She died prematurely in 1983, but further encouragement was given by fruitful contacts with several specialists on Indian temple architecture, notably with M.A. Dhaky, Adam Hardy and Ajay Sinha. As a result, a large monograph on the architectural aspects of Hoyas temples was published in 1994.

Writing a monograph on Kalyana Calukya temples was a still more ambitious task. The mayoralty of the extensive fieldwork, required to completely Cover all important temples, took place in the 1995-96 season in close contact with several scholars from the Karnataka University in Dharwad. At the end of the year 2000 the manuscript and the photographs for the present volumes were ready for press.

His books on HoysaJa and Calukya temples predominantly have the character of the presentation of facts. The abundant material presented in them allows new conclusions about the temples. These are laid down in a Ph.D. thesis that he will defend in November 2003 at Leiden University.

Preface The aim of this book is to give an overview of the old temples surviving today in the northern half of Karnataka. This is done by means of photographs and by means of descriptions, both of which are considered equally important. For a first impression photographs are the most important, and it is possible to present a building purely by illustrations. But descriptions not only give facts but also views on the monuments, and without views an overview is not possible at all. Without interpretations and classifications the temples just are accumulations of details and often look the same.

It is my conviction that a proper knowledge of a body of monuments is only possible by interpreting descriptions. Illustrations are indispensable to follow the descriptions. By comparing descriptions and illustrations we can educate our eye, understand the ideas of others and come closer to our goal. This goal of course is to know what kind of buildings the temples are, to find patterns in their overall design and in their numerous details, and to explain and to understand these patterns.

In this monograph, attention is focused on the morphology of the temples. How exactly do the temples look and which variations can be found? It is possible to understand their architectural details as a part of a larger design and as a part of an architectural tradition, and that kind of understanding is our subject. The religious meaning of designs and details is another matter. When a design does not directly serve a ritual need, very different meanings are possible. Sometimes I have a suggestion, but I leave it to scholars of the religious and social history of India to look further. One of my aims is to provide them with useful facts.

Finally a more personal aim must be mentioned: to make fully visible the beauty of the temples. The ability of Indian medieval society to produce highly sophisticated temples was stunning, and today the surviving results can still be the subject of great admiration and wonder.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages