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AN OVERVIEW INTO THE PROPORTIONS OF THE SEMINAR REPORT PRITAM ROY / 2010BARC017 TENTH SEMESTER, May.’15 DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE BHOPAL May – 2015 BUDDHIST STUPA DECLARATION This is to certify that the Seminar entitled Pritam Roy submitted by me is a record of my own work carried out under the supervision of Ar. Vishakha Kawathekar . The matter embodied in this seminar work, other than that acknowledged as reference, has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in this or any other institute. School of Planning and Architecture Pritam Roy Bhopal. December - 2011 CERTIFICATE It is certified that the declaration given above by Pritam Roy regarding his/her Seminar work is true to the best of our knowledge. Ar. Vishakha Kawathekar --------------------------------------Seminar Guide, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal. Dr. Rachna Khare Head of the Department, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal AN OVERVIEW INTO THE PROPORTIONS OF THE BUDDHIST STUPA A Seminar Report BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE By Pritam Roy Sch. No. 2010BARC017 Under the Guidance of Prof. Vishakha Kawathekar SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, BHOPAL NEELBAD ROAD, BHAURI, BHOPAL (MP)-462030 MAY 2015 Index CONTENTS Declaration Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgement Abstract Aim, Objective, Scope Methodology 1. Introduction 2. Proportions 3. The Subjects of Study 4. The Parameters of Study 5. The Comparative Ratios of the Stupas 6. Inference 7. Conclusion 8. Reference 5 List of Figure ............................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 2: Forms of Stupa in India........................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 3: Amravati Stupa .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 4: Sanchi Stupa ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 5:Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Vaishali.................................................................................................................. 17 List of Table ........................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Table 2:Ratio of the Elements of Amravati Stupa ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Table 3:Ratio of the Elements of Sanchi Stupa ..................................................................................................... 15 Table 4:Ratio of the Elements of Vishwa Shanti Stupa Stupa ............................................................................... 17 Table 5: Comparison Chart a ................................................................................................................................. 18 Table 6: Similar Ratios in the three stupas ............................................................................................................ 19 Table 7: Comparison between Amravati and Sanchi Stupa .................................................................................. 19 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to my MENTOR PROF. VISHAKHA KAWATHEKAR for the useful comments, remarks and engagement through the learning process of this research. Furthermore I would like to thank PROF. SANDEEP ARORA for introducing me to the topic as well for the support on the way. 7 ABSTRACT Stupa is essentially a Buddhist commemorative monument housing sacred relics associated with Buddha or other saintly persons. The hemispherical form of the stupa seems to have been derived from the pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India. While conducting case studies for my thesis project, “Buddha Smriti Stupa and Buddha Samyak Darshan Sangrahalaya in Vaishali, Bihar”, I have come across various instances which has revealed that, in addition to the various elements that make a stupa, the structure is built to “certain proportions”. This study aims at understanding the basic structure of the stupa in accordance to these proportions. These very proportions are to be initiated into designing of the Smriti Stupa at Vaishali for the thesis. 8 AIM: An investigation into the sizes and proportions of stupas and synthesising the data such that it can be used to design the Buddha Smriti Stupa in the project site at Vaishali. OBJECTIVE: • To study, decipher and understand the inherent proportions of the Buddhist stupas. • An analysis into the idea: do the differently sized stupas from varying eras and locations indeed follow a strict proportion or do they vary through time. • If the proportions do vary, what proportions should be considered in designing the Smriti Stupa. SCOPE: The scope of this seminar presentation is limited to the study of three stupas in India that has been constructed through different periods of time. The intention is to determine the proportions of the ancient Indian stupa, investigate their co-relation in proportions with a live case study: that is a stupa constructed with modern methods and come to conclusion of a proportion that can be followed for the thesis. 9 METHODOLOGY: • To gather information on the basic dimensions of the ancient stupas, as they stood when completed. • Find the relative proportions of the stupa with regard to span, height and angles. • Comparison of the relative proportions. • Infer a ratio that can be considered while designing the stupa for the thesis. 10 1. INTRODUCTION The study of Buddhist architecture of India has attracted the fascination of scholars throughout the world. The earliest structures were residential. They were meant for inhabitation, were secular in origin and have been reported from the early historical periods. With the increase in religious ideology of differing forms and beliefs, the religious buildings came into existence. In the history of Indian civilization, since the 7th century BCE, Buddhism has been a way of life and a socio-cultural system. After its advent in Magadha, present day Bihar, The Stupa is so linked to the Buddhists way of life that they were not content to erect monuments alone: sculptors represented them on stones, and we find them abundantly represented on panels on the Stupa monuments itself, on the railings-balustrades surrounding it, on cave walls, structural, monolithic made out of varied material starting from clay, stone, wood, ivory, metals, terracotta etc. the study material is abundant and spreads over time and space. {Chauley, 2013} The Stupa is regarded as a monument for veneration. But it also seems to be associated with votive and commemorative and offering purposes; moreover Stupa was related to the ritualistic and commemorative with sectarian, affiliation with school of philosophical obligatory and was bound by aspects of social-economic life. The Buddhist texts like the Avadana, Satakam, Mahavadana and Stupavadanam mentions about the commemorative aspects of the Stupa even the Jaina literature like Raya Pasenaiya Sutta refers to it. Probably in the later period, due to deep desire of the common mass to worship the lord for the sake of salvation, Stupa acquired its votive character as well. {Chauley, 2013} 11 Early Stupas were devoid of art maybe since Ashoka’s time Stupa architecture acquired prominence in the socio cultural life of the country and art began to develop around the Stupa structure. According to A. Cunningham, Maisey and Foucher the remains of the Stupa found at Sanchi can be classified into three categories (Cunningham, 1847)    Religious edifies or Stupa dedicated either to the celestial or the AdiBuddha or to the mortal Buddha. Funeral Stupa erected over the relics of mortal Buddha or over his disciples. Stupa for commemorative Buddha. 2. The PROPORTIONS A variety of Buddhist architecture was conceived and constructed in various parts of India. Of these, the Stupa Architecture is a significant part. Its origin, evolution and the structural arrangement remains an exciting process. The reasons very aptly quoted by Susila Panth (Panth 1976: xi) in the following words:“Probably in no other religion, except Buddhism, a particular Structure has been recommended by its founder either for the worship or for commemoration or as a means of salvation. It is the Stupa that has been commended by the Tathagata himself. It is, therefore, not only religious but it symbolizes the presence of the lord, though without any icon. Bit it creates the same sense of reverence and fear in the minds of the people and similar reaction as found in the Brahmanical practices of idol worship, but, at the 12 same time, it avoids all the formal ritualistic performances of the latter. It epitomizes the essence of Buddhism and suggests the path to Nirvana. It satisfies the psychological urge to worship, and, simultaneously stands for a crusade against ritualistic and cult-image worship. It is in this respect that it is a ‘magic instrument.” Despite that, later incarnation of the stupas has been created with an idolized representation of the Buddha in the cardinal directions, the basis of the notion of this religious structure remains the same. Benisti Mireille very aptly states {Benisti, 1981}“The Stupa’s profile is extremely varied, depending on the epoch and country, but it is always recognizable, as if it has conserved within itself, through all its transformations, something permanent which characterizes it. Object of worship and veneration, center of attraction of the pious people, solemn or familiar, it carries within itself, a part of history and Buddhist doctrine: it is a sign and a set of signs”. 13 3. The SUBJECTS of the study Figure 1: Forms of Stupa in India There are various forms of the Stupa all across the country. But the project requirement specifically states a religious hemispherical Stupa of stone masonry. Hence, the stupas that have been considered for the study have been selected on the basis of their varying periods of construction, shape and importance. The GREAT SANCHI STUPA, and the ruins of the AMRAVATI STUPA are among the most celebrated Buddhist Stupas in India. The VISHWA SHANTI STUPA, on the other hand has been constructed in 1996 out of modern materials of 14 reinforced concrete, and fibre glass. Its physical and visual proximity to the project site was the main reason behind its selection. 4. The PARAMETERS of the study The relevance of the study is to be construed upon the proportions between various dimensions of the parts of a stupa. They would be inclusive of the following:        Base Diameter (D) Base Circumference (Cb) Total Height (H) Height of stupa/dome from the ground level (Hs) Height of Vedica from the ground level(Hv) Height of Harmika from the ground level (Hh) Individual Heights of the dome, the Harmika and the Chatri The data obtained will be calculated in terms of their proportions with respect to each other. The final deductions would be based on the results of a basic super-imposition of the acquired data from the three stupas in relation to each other to formulate a basic proportional analysis on the basis of the repeated proportions, if any. This data would help determine the final proportions of the designed stupa. 15 5. The RATIOS Figure 2: Sanchi Stupa Table 1:Ratio of the Elements of Sanchi Stupa 16 10 0 SANCHI STUPA 3 5 20 0 17 Figure 3:Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Vaishali Table 2:Ratio of the Elements of Vishwa Shanti Stupa Stupa 18 6. INFERENCE The inference is drawn on the basis of comparing the similarities observed in the different stupas on the basis of the proportions across different elements of them. Table 3: Comparison Chart a 19 Table 6: Comparison between Sanchi I and Sanchi III Stupa Table 7: Similar Ratios in the three stupas 20 7. Conclusion Most of the ratios considered, were a mismatch. But a few matched (within the scope of mathematical rounding up). Even with the construction of these stupas taking place in different centuries, under different artisans and patrons, the small proportional similarities in the designing of the stupa is striking. Among them are: • Height of the Vedika proportional to the • Diameter of the stupa • Circumference of the base and • the Height of the Stupa • Height of the dome proportional to the Height of the Stupa • Radius of the Dome proportional to the Circumference of Base and Height of the stupa. • Height of the Harmika proportional to the Diameter of the Stupa, The Circumference of the Base and overall Height of the Stupa. • The Height of the Chatri proportional to the Diameter of the base Within the limitations of the considerations taken to simplify the comparison, it can be easily concluded that the design of the Stupas are based on certain Proportions. The very proportions are to be followed when designing the Thesis project. References Material Type Book: Single Author In-Text Example Panth, 1976 Book: Single Author Benisti, 1981 Reference List Example Sushila Panth, South Asia Books, February 1976, Origin and Development of Stupa Architecture in India. Mirielle Benisti, 1981, Contribution a L'Etude Du Stupa Bouddhique Indien, obtained through interpretation. Thesis: Unpublished Chauley, 2013 Journal Cunningham, 1847 Meenakshi Chauley, 2013, A study of Stupas and Votive Stupas, PhD. Thesis, Deccan College of PostGraduate and Research Institute. Alexander Cunningham, 1847, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol-III