THE HIMALAYAS IN INDIAN ART

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About the Book:

The Himalayas offer great opportunities for artistic research: they have always been the pivot of Indian religious art. The Indian order of architecture, the design of Indian temples, and the symbolism of the principal figures in Indian iconography are all focused on the Himalayas.

The Indian do not admire and worship Himalayas only because they are beautiful, majestic and wonderful, but chiefly because within their inner fastness they guard the worshipful source of life, the fount of purity which makes India fertile, prosperous and holy land. The mystery and glandeur of the Himalayas made upon the Indian mind find its reflection in Indian religious art.

The present volume thus offers a new approach to the study of Indian art, by way of the Himalayas-certainly the most direct path for arriving at the central idea of the Indian artist and craftsman. The book presents concisely the leading ideas of the Indian temple builder, sculptor and painter, and connects the artistic traditions of India with Indian daily life and work.

Contents

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I
THE INDIAN ORDER OF ARCHITECTURE The Himalayas as the Creator's Shrine and the World Pillar

CHAPTER II
INDIAN PILGRIMAGES The Kailasa temple at Ellora and its relation to the Himalayan shrine -Vaishnava temples and their Himalayan symbolism - the symbolism of the datura and lotus flower.

CHAPTER III
THE MOUNTAIN DEIFIED The Gandharan School - the Yogi type of Buddhist image and its derivation from a pre-Buddhist archetype -the relic casket of Knaishka and its Himalayan symbolism - the Buddha as the Universal Pillar - The Himalayan derivation of Indian iconography and the philosophic classification of Hindu images.

CHAPTER IV
THE SACRED DANCE Siva as the Lord of the Cosmic Dance-The Dance of Destruction and Dance of the Setting Sun-Kali's Dance and its symbolism-Varieties of the Sacred Dance - Siddhas and Siddhis - The Himalayan inspiration of Indian Art.

CHAPTER V
THE LIVINGNESS OF INDIAN ART Modern Art in India and in Europe - The economics of Indian Art - The Indian master builder - Indian railway-stations and churches-Art and Departmentalism - The future of Indian art

Index