Category: BOOK REVIEWS

Samarangana sutradhara is a similar text as “The ten books on Architecture” by Vitruvius. The text describes about expressions, paintings, construction, natural elements like Sun, water, land etc. “The ten books on Architecture” by Vitruvius were written in 15 BC responding to that time, knowledge of physics, chemistry, astronomy and language.

Samaranganq Sutradhara is written by Parmara King Bhoj OF Dhar (1000–1055 AD) in Sanskrit language. Raja Bhoj was a successful ruler of Malwa and promoted literature and Arts in his reign. He was theoretician, writer, and philosopher. He had knowledge of war, politics and architecture. He built city, lakes, temples schools, hospitals, step wells, pavilions and palace in Dhar and other states also. He helped other kings to restore many ancient temples also. Shiva temple in Dhar and Bhoj pathshala are renowned examples of the construction excellence by Raja Bhoj.

The text is translated into English from Sanskrit and published by T.Ganpati Sastri in 1924-25. There are two volumes of the book. Raja Bhoj describes the answers of Lord Vishwakarma to his four sons’ about construction technology and colonization of earth. There are 83 chapters and 7500 verses (shlokas) related to Vastu starts with invocation of the Earth and the need of lots of engineering. The first chapter describes why the book is written and methods and principles of construction follows in later chapters.

Literal translation of Samarangana Sutradhara is beholder of the string of battlefield. But it can be interpreted as the person-leader controlling the battlefield. The battlefield also can be interpreted as an act of building or town planning. The reason why an architect is interpreted here as leader because in medieval  time the cities were started establishing from military camps. Another possibility can be assumed that city was established for mortals and dwellings for mortals as a model. This text describes about principles of town planning, Architecture, sculptural art, mudra and yantra. Architecture of temples, residences, palaces etc has been explained through verses (Shloka). The technique of sculptural arts and gestures of different sculptures through mudra are discussed in the text. Yantra explains mechanical and functional techniques through descriptions of flying machine, robots and dancing dolls.

In the text, metaphorically the system of human body and nature are described to understand quality of life. City planning aspect such as traffic flow, transportation infrastructure is explained by the example of blood circulation system through veins and arteries. quality of construction is described in form of verses and not by drawings. He found the necessity of good and bad both constructions to be discussed. Methods of construction with mathematical principles are also explained to get good quality of construction.

The text includes three types of squares- 64, 81 and 100 for sixteen house types with varying dimensions (hasta). Kailasha and Sarvatrobhadra are the concepts of haveli with respective lifestyles. So the architect can design within a framework with his creativity from clearly given requirements.

The other texts by him describe how to measure time with the help of water and sound, ship building (Yukti kalpataru), flying machine design with mercury, four basic elements of earth, air, fire, water etc. Baudhayana Sutra explains about eleven emotions (rasa), drama and daily rituals. These texts reinforce the idea that the architecture involves multidisciplinary knowledge.

The purpose behind writing the text could be to convey or pass on unadulterated knowledge from one generation to another or to educate the people. It is seen that Raja Bhoj encouraged the education in his kingdom. But the language Sanskrit is not known by common people today and because of which the text is not in the practice presently.

Roger Vernon Scruton is writer and philosopher who wrote “The Aesthetics of Architecture” in 1980s. He believed that the fundamental idea behind architecture was aesthetics. After thirty years the book is published with new introduction of his further evolved ideas and states that his arguments are still relevant today.

The text starts with discussing aesthetics and philosophy. From 19^thcentury till now the subject is discussed having theoretical, practical perspectives. This text is written to elaborate the concepts of practical reason and aesthetic understanding.

Aesthetic preference:

Why do we prefer one building to another? What is it to prefer while comparing the buildings? What significance these preferences do have for us? That may be the understanding, taste, experience or that kind of mental phenomena. But after all, aesthetics is significant. But what a rational person prefers is a reasonable and non-aesthetic design approach.

Architectural aesthetics and architectural theory:

Many of the architectural appreciations are described as forms and objects. Hence, functionalist arguments of appreciations are based on quality of space. But now we need to study about the nature of appreciation considering number of possible aspects. Sometimes the architectural theory and architectural aesthetics have been used as synonyms. The architectural theory is used as to govern practitioner with rules, maxims and perceptions.

Is aesthetic experience general and do we need philosophy of architecture? How the other forms of representational arts (like paintings, sculpture, drama and poetry) different from architecture? Function or utility are the core intentions to be fulfilled in architecture. And this is how architecture is distinguished among other forms of arts.

Art, architecture and craft:

The architecture and crafts have coexistence with fundamental differences. The art is not something which is predicted from starting. The expressions, feelings are the abstract notions from which an art-form emerges. Where the craft has some determined end product derived from techniques, instruments/ tools. Architecture is also an end product envisaged conceptually from beginning but not exact as the final product. It evolves through the knowledge and experiences of practitioner while the development process. The appropriateness of architecture is determined by achieving function as final intention. Architecture comprises idea of utilitarian function and influenced by context. Architecture is also public object even if it is owned privately. It is surely a continuous decorative art intervened by different users and their changing needs.

Architecture and beauty

The process of design in practice starts with understanding the client’s needs. Study of requirements by interactions and understanding, contexts from physical and analytical aspects are then used to device a mechanism that is responsive to findings. That becomes a method to design a building. Beauty / aesthetics is a by product then projected as consequences of his process and not the part of his aim. In design process experience / aesthetics has to be responsive to function otherwise it turns out in to superficial design. Unlike animals, Human being flourishes with values, emotions and preferences in addition to just food and basic needs. Preference is optional but values come from fundamental evaluation. Choices come from certain values. In architecture idea of appropriateness comes from simultaneous act of imagination and act of evaluation. The necessity of aesthetics is fundamental.

In class Prof. Shrivatsan also discussed that what the rationalist theory is about. How this theory prescribes aesthetics. He explained concepts of style, substance and function through another text- “Clear and simple as the truth”. Majorly critics in architecture argue about forms and monuments, and not by saying them not beautiful (from the text- Functional Beauty). “The philosophy of Visistadvaita” tells about sensory aesthetics like smell, peace, spiritual experience in temple architecture. By that way the spiritual experience can be exalted by imagination.