{"id":15979,"date":"2016-08-16T08:21:06","date_gmt":"2016-08-16T02:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalpress.hinduismnow.org?p=15976&preview_id=15976"},"modified":"2016-08-16T08:21:06","modified_gmt":"2016-08-16T02:51:06","slug":"temples-of-india-an-ode-to-geometry-architecture-the-indian-express","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/?p=15979","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Temples of India\u2019 an ode to geometry, architecture | The Indian Express"},"content":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s rare to come across an individual who\u2019s adept with both pen and camera \u2014 more so when photography grew out of a casual remark. Tarun Chopra is one such and what he has managed with \u201cTemples of India \u2013 Abode of the Divine\u201d, his 12th book, is to also trace the evolution of temple building with major architectural trendsetting examples.To this extent, \u201cTemples of India\u201d (Prakash Books\/pp 360\/Rs 1,295), with its plethora of photographs, illustrations, ground plans and sections, is a valuable resource for both experts and lay persons to understand the fascinating science of geometry and architecture as temple-building evolved over some 2,000 years.<\/p>\n

Ten years in the making and based on painstaking research of the ancient texts of Shilpa Shastra and Vaastu Shastra, as also interactions with temple priests, the effort is quite an eye-opener.<\/p>\n

\u201cI visited the temples of varied faiths. It somehow compels you to think if there is a God, He has to be one for all. He cannot be different for each religion.The realisation then dawns that there is one Supreme cosmic power which itself has no religion,\u201d Chopra told IANS in an interview.<\/p>\n

A 48-page introduction makes for a handy primer on subjects like the oral tradition, Vaastu Shastra, Vaastupurushamandala (the metaphysical plan of a building),the legend of Vaastupurusha, temple builders, traditional building rites and rituals, the main architectural features of a Hindu temple, iconography of the temple, proportional measurements of an image, and temples as the markers of energy zones.<\/p>\n

This sets the tone for Tripping On the Divine: a visual documentation of the evolution of most prominent temple styles spanning more than 2,000 years.<\/p>\n

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\u201cVery few places in the world offer this vast a canvas of art and architecture. This book is not based on the temples of religious importance; rather the temples illustrated in it are purely on their architectural merit. Many of them have unique qualifications to be first of their kind in the Indian subcontinent and in the world. Some temples are the stepping stones of architectural styles and initiated temple styles that evolved for the next 1,000 years,\u201d Chopra writes.<\/p>\n

Most of the 28 temples featured are A-listers \u2014 Sanchi, Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Kanchipuram, Shravanabelagola, Khajuraho, Trichy, Madurai and Hampi, to name just a few. There are also some not too well known, at least for readers in North India. Among them are Teli Ka Mandir in Gwalior Fort, Gangaikondacholapuram (a smaller replica of the Brihadeshwara Temple in Tanjore), Darasuram (Tamil Nadu) and Aihole (Karnataka).<\/p>\n

The bulk of the temples are located in South India and Chopra explained it thus: \u201cDue to waves and waves of invasions that North India experienced at the hands of idol breakers, the temples in this region bore most of its brunt. Since the temples down south were relatively protected due to geographical distance, there is a wide variety of architectural styles that still exists today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTemples\u2026\u201d is a logical extension of Chopra\u2019s 11 previous books, most of which have India as their theme.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy bestselling book \u2018Holy Cow and the Other Indian Stories\u2019 contains small chapters answering simple questions about India, why cows are on the road, why we get stamped so many times at the airport, the chaos that exists on the roads.. \u2018India Exotic Destination\u2019 illustrates the places frequented by visitors, while \u2018Soul of India\u2019 is a photo book that illustrates the beauty of the land through portraits, landscapes, street life and the like,\u201d Chopra said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a photographer and writer devoted to making books on India. My endeavour is to take out books that are easy to read and assimilate. As a photographer, I have been commissioned to do various projects both in India and abroad,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

All this grew out of a casual remark: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you start taking pictures since you travel so much?\u201d<\/p>\n

What is rather unusual about \u201cTemples\u2026\u201d is its standard format rather than the large coffee-table format generally adopted for such books \u2014 and the publisher said this was with a purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided to go with a smaller size to make the book handy for the buyer. Typical coffee tables are larger in size, but the sales of these books are down for the last few years, mainly because of the internet. A lot of images and data is now available on the net, but also because it\u2019s hard to carry large books because of weight limitations or the general bulkier nature of the book.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted the readers to be able to enjoy \u2018Temples of India\u2019 while they travel through India and visit these temples,\u201d Megha Parmar of Prakash Books told IANS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s rare to come across an individual who\u2019s adept with both pen and camera \u2014 more so when photography grew out of a casual remark. Tarun Chopra is one such and what he has managed with \u201cTemples of India \u2013 Abode of the Divine\u201d, his 12th book, is to also trace the evolution of temple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15979"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}