Rekha Rao
Rekha Rao, a master’s degree holder in Indology from the University of Mysore, is also an accomplished classical dancer. In 2000, she took up independent research work in Indology under Dr.S.R. Rao, Former Deputy Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 2010, on her own. Her interest in temple sculptures has made her visit and study various temples in India and abroad, focusing on Apsaras sculptures, Buddhist architecture, and Indus Seals.
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Indian temples are conglomerate monuments which incorporate many branches of science along with religion. The science of geology, geometry, engineering skills, iconography, astrology, Ayurveda, branches of yoga and philosophical topics that are part of our heritage are in temples. Rani ki Vav, a seven storied underground step well in the Mehsana district of Gujarat is one such monument which has hundreds of well-preserved sculptures in which the above-mentioned branches of knowledge are depicted. The focus here is on the female figures which are in great numbers alternating with the main deities depicting very unique theme and hand mudras classified under Mudra vijnana - the science of hand gestures.
Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/2mr8wz9y
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Have you ever wondered how and why the people of India built such remarkable stone structures and made India a land of innumerable temples? I would like to present a series of short, eight introductory courses about “The Fundamentals of Indian Temple Architecture”.
The entire video series is available at: Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/2mr8wz9y
The topics in this series are:
1. Why is India a Land of Innumerable Temples?
2. The Influence of Geology
3. Significance of Mandalas in Indian Temples
4. Birth and Evolution of the Universe
5. Golden Ratios in Temple Sculptures
6. Depiction of Social Themes in Indian Temples
7. Yoga in Indian Temple Sculptures
8. Ayurveda in Indian Temple Sculptures
Thank you.
Rekha Rao.
1. Ṛgvedic and Yajur Vedic hymns related to death rituals.
2. Depiction of death rituals in the seals.
3. The excavations of buried or cremated bodies support the explanations of the Vedic procedures.
The topic is discussed in seven sections:
1. Who are Pitrus. Why death rituals were observed and where was the resting place and abode of Pitrus etc.
2. How the manes / forefathers are represented in seals.
3. Transportation of preta to cemetery - Pitrumedha
4. Smashana the crematorium for burial and cremation
5. Astisanchayana and Punardhana, lying of bones or the rite of reclamation of burnt bones,
6. Lostachiti in excavations, the rite of piling up clods of earth or unburnt bricks into a mound over the bones of the deceased.
7. Double burials
Drafts by Rekha Rao
Devadasi, the servant of the deity, was a maiden married to a deity before puberty and thus was the human bride of the celestial God. She lived on the temple premises as a dedicated caretaker and performed the religious duties of singing and dancing to please the deity. It is interesting to know why Devadasis were in temples and how they were groomed. My presentation focuses on the vital role of devadasis in influencing India's temple architecture. Also, it covers some contributions of Devadasis in preserving the traditional and classical art of dance and heralding the cultural elements of Bharat.
The article explores, with a brief note, the type of judiciary courts that prevailed in ancient India following the laws of our Dharmashastras. An image of Varuna is suggested to adorn the central building of the law courts in India. Adopting Indian auspicious symbols and motifs as high court logos would better reflect the country's cultural identity and indicate a shift toward greater indigenization.
The concept of personifying knowledge as a goddess was the great vision and understanding of the sages of the Vedic period. In Indian art forms, she is depicted more like a beautiful goddess and an incarnation of knowledge. In this write-up, the right-hand and left-hand accessories held by Sarasvati are compared to the functions of the right and left lobes of the human brain structure, exploring the hidden physiological structure of the brain and the obvious iconographic representations.
and dialogue presentations which are quoted in the paper.
Indian temples are conglomerate monuments which incorporate many branches of science along with religion. The science of geology, geometry, engineering skills, iconography, astrology, Ayurveda, branches of yoga and philosophical topics that are part of our heritage are in temples. Rani ki Vav, a seven storied underground step well in the Mehsana district of Gujarat is one such monument which has hundreds of well-preserved sculptures in which the above-mentioned branches of knowledge are depicted. The focus here is on the female figures which are in great numbers alternating with the main deities depicting very unique theme and hand mudras classified under Mudra vijnana - the science of hand gestures.
Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/2mr8wz9y
----------------------------------------------------------
Have you ever wondered how and why the people of India built such remarkable stone structures and made India a land of innumerable temples? I would like to present a series of short, eight introductory courses about “The Fundamentals of Indian Temple Architecture”.
The entire video series is available at: Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/2mr8wz9y
The topics in this series are:
1. Why is India a Land of Innumerable Temples?
2. The Influence of Geology
3. Significance of Mandalas in Indian Temples
4. Birth and Evolution of the Universe
5. Golden Ratios in Temple Sculptures
6. Depiction of Social Themes in Indian Temples
7. Yoga in Indian Temple Sculptures
8. Ayurveda in Indian Temple Sculptures
Thank you.
Rekha Rao.
1. Ṛgvedic and Yajur Vedic hymns related to death rituals.
2. Depiction of death rituals in the seals.
3. The excavations of buried or cremated bodies support the explanations of the Vedic procedures.
The topic is discussed in seven sections:
1. Who are Pitrus. Why death rituals were observed and where was the resting place and abode of Pitrus etc.
2. How the manes / forefathers are represented in seals.
3. Transportation of preta to cemetery - Pitrumedha
4. Smashana the crematorium for burial and cremation
5. Astisanchayana and Punardhana, lying of bones or the rite of reclamation of burnt bones,
6. Lostachiti in excavations, the rite of piling up clods of earth or unburnt bricks into a mound over the bones of the deceased.
7. Double burials
Devadasi, the servant of the deity, was a maiden married to a deity before puberty and thus was the human bride of the celestial God. She lived on the temple premises as a dedicated caretaker and performed the religious duties of singing and dancing to please the deity. It is interesting to know why Devadasis were in temples and how they were groomed. My presentation focuses on the vital role of devadasis in influencing India's temple architecture. Also, it covers some contributions of Devadasis in preserving the traditional and classical art of dance and heralding the cultural elements of Bharat.
The article explores, with a brief note, the type of judiciary courts that prevailed in ancient India following the laws of our Dharmashastras. An image of Varuna is suggested to adorn the central building of the law courts in India. Adopting Indian auspicious symbols and motifs as high court logos would better reflect the country's cultural identity and indicate a shift toward greater indigenization.
The concept of personifying knowledge as a goddess was the great vision and understanding of the sages of the Vedic period. In Indian art forms, she is depicted more like a beautiful goddess and an incarnation of knowledge. In this write-up, the right-hand and left-hand accessories held by Sarasvati are compared to the functions of the right and left lobes of the human brain structure, exploring the hidden physiological structure of the brain and the obvious iconographic representations.
and dialogue presentations which are quoted in the paper.
In Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha is greatly revered, and his Bodhisattva form is called Bhaisajyaraja, the King of healing, who can cure spiritual, emotional, and physical ailments. Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva is mentioned in the Saddharma Pundarika or the White Lotus Sutra, whose initial vow was to completely free all sentient beings from their illnesses.
As the name suggests, it is the footmark of Lord Vishnu on a stone slab or a copper plate design on which the rice ball food offering called “Pinda” is offered to the deceased forefathers. This is called Pindadaana in a sraddha, the post-death domestic ritual. The stone carving of Vishnupada is seen in the Vishnupada Gudi at Hampi, which was built during the medieval period of the Vijayanagara dynasty. It is a small temple without any sculptural decorations, behind the Vitthala temple complex on the banks of river Tungabhadra. The premise was probably used by the royal people and palace/temple staff people to perform the domestic death ritual called Sraddha. The picture presented shows the sacred footprint of Vishnu on a stone slab, which is also called Dharmasila. It shows the foot mark encircled by a cobra and a short drain canal and pit, which look interesting. The focus of this write-up is about the significance of this structure.
Dr. Deenabandhu Pandey has edited the article for diacritics.
ancient Sanskrit work is the 12th century AD encyclopedic treatise called “Manasollasa”.
Manasollasa details several types of communicable diseases. However, the focus of this study is on the three types of prolonged fevers and associated respiratory disorders (cold and cough) detailed in Manasollasa. A summary of the symptoms, treatment and containment of the communicable disease is provided. This article is not a medical study of the actual disease or a
statistical data involved, but rather a literary summary of the information of the 12th century Indian text.
The evolution in art forms can be seen from two dimensional figures to three dimensional ones, further progressing to huge monolithic structures through the ages. The outcome can also be seen in the making the different styles of temple architecture that has heralded the glory of Karnataka. The geo morphs of Karnataka can be divided into three distinct zones of North, Central and South zones. Each of these zones has different type of stone belts that are datable to millions of years when they got formed are described in the article. The three examples of temples considered in this paper are: 1) Northern Karnataka, Bagalkot District: Badami, Aihole Pattadakal. 2) Central Karnataka, Bellary district: Hampi - Virupaksha Temple, Vittala Temple, Hazara Rama Temple. 3) Southern Karnataka, Hassan district: Somanathpur Temple, Halebid Temple, Belur Temple.