ASIAN ARCHITECTURE
a guide to architectural beauty of Asia
by Shloka Srivastava
Architecture:- The art and practice of designing and building structures especially habitable ones Since ancient times architecture has been an important form of artRoman, Persian Islamic, Byzantine, Gothic, Dravidian, Songnic, Kalinga.
We often hear about the architecture of Rome or London, but not quite often about the Chinese or Indian. Here are some of the potential reasons of the popularity of European architecture.
1. Traditional asian architecture uses more wood compared to european. Wooden buildings destroy due to natural calamities, warfare-perishable materials
2. The climate of Asia is humid as it lies in the tropical zone. Humidity and temperature corrodes building
3. There is no dominant religion in Asia. Some of the countries have Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism whereas china and japan have their own religion.On the other hand Europe has Christianity as their majority religion.
COMBODIAN architecture
This form of architecture shows influence of Khmer Kings who ruled Angkor from the 8th century to 15th century. They used rock cutting technique from Indian architecture and carved gigantic rocks into temples and religious buildings. The basic feature of khmer architecture is:-
o Temple mountain
o Galleried temple
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. It is a Hindu temple of lord Vishnu famous for symbolic detailing. It is a sandstone structure.There are four towers inside the temple complexnorthern, southern, western , eastern. The western tower has attracted the most attention as the tower not only echoes the proper temple but hides it too. Cambodian stone carving work can be witnessed at its finest in the Angkor Wat temple. The outer walls feature bas- relief that portrays scenes from the famous Hindu epics, Mahabharata & Ramaya
CHINESE ARCHITECTURE
First settlers were along the basins of Huang He. The majority of Han dynasty showed-
Ø Common language
Ø Common belief in power of heaven
Ø Important of ceremony and sacrifice to achieve harmony among heaven, nature and human kind
The elements of the structures were chiefly in timber which is vulnerable to moisture, fire, insects due to which not much has survived. It has covered wooden structures with overhanging roofs which prevents from rain. It consists tall building in the north and south and shorter walls in east and west to allow more sunlight in winters. The buildings were mostly single story due to earthquake, multi storey with woodwas difficult to build. It showed Heaven worship i.e. heaven at north star thus north south orientation makes it closer to heaven.
Temple of Heaven
It consists of three tallest buildings in Beijing (Ming court). The emperors would perform special sacrifice and ceremonies essential for continuance of clan. Imperial sacrificial altar symbolizes relationship between earth and heaven.
Temple of Heaven
Forbidden City
Access to this area in Beijing was barred to most of the subjects of the realm. It is the world’s largest imperial palace. It has red walls and yellow glazed roof tiles. The political and ritual center of china during the Ming and Qing dynasty. Since it is a ceremonial ritual and living space the architect followed ideal cosmic order in Confucian ideology i.e. all activities within this micro city were conducted in the manner appropriate to the participant’s social and familial roles. The architecture depicts sense of hierarchy. The Meridian Gate is the main entrance to a courtyard with white marble stones. The precise design reflected the order the emperor was meant to bestow on his empire.
Meridian Gate
VIETNAM architecture
The Vietnamese architecture consisted of wooden structure, topped by steep roofs. It had odd number of rooms. Ancient architecture in Vietnam had stilt houses built with materials like wood and bamboo. After the Lý dynasty took over, the dynasty oversaw many reforms and kept the peace, this caused the culture and the economy to develop. Imperial capital was moved to Thang Long from Hoa Lu. Architecture during this time was more developed. With Tran dynasty, complex and demarcated gardens became a part of temples
Dai Tong Lam
JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
The Japanese architecture flourished during the Edo Period . It shows major influences of China; dominated by wood. Due to humidity, risk of earthquakes and possibility of tycoons wood was preferred. It led to proper ventilation to combat climate.. No paint was used which showed respect to natural beauty. The structures were mostly temples and shrines with no usage of nails. They were even framed like puzzle pieces and would interlock with each other. Japanese architecture values sustainability as there is minimal use of material.The buildings had curved elongated roofs which prevent windows from rain. Shoji , a movable wooden screens with translucent paper was used to prevent from sunrays.
Ninomary Palace
In Nijo Castle in Kyoto there are 6 connected buildings. Shoin is the zukuri architectural style used which resembles a princely estate than a defensive structure
Torii Horyuji Temple
ISLAMIC architecture
Islamic Architecture was primarily in Arab and Muslim states. It consists of geometric designs, pointed arches and domes. The buildings depicted physical manifestation of principles of islam by mohammedan (people of Islamic faith). The mosaic tiling showed repeated patterns, the minarets are towering spires with interior staircases and small windowscallings muslims to prayers 5 times a day.Mashrabiya or wood lattice work-used on windows for privacy and climate control.
Ugrasen ki Baoli Dome Structure
