Mayamata and Building Construction (study)
by Ripan Ghosh | 2024 | 61,593 words
This page relates 鈥楨ntablature (Prastarakarana)鈥擨ntroduction鈥� of the study dealing with Mayamata鈥攁n ancient Indian architectural treatise dealing with building construction (bhavana-nirmana). It forms part of 鈥淰astuvidya鈥�: a stream of Sanskrit technical literature encompassing village and town planning, temple architecture and other aspects like site selection, orientation, and structural arrangements aimed at promoting harmony and prosperity.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 6 - The Entablature (Prastara办补谤补峁嘺)鈥擨ntroduction
The term 辫谤补蝉迟补谤补办补谤补峁嘺 refers to a horizontal structure resting on top of pillars and serving as the upper part of a building's facade or as the horizontal division between stories. The word prastara primarily means stone. The 艢补产诲补办补濒辫补诲谤耻尘补 records the word as: 鈥�prast峁涐箛膩ti 膩cch膩dayati ya岣� (辫峁�+蝉迟峁�+辫肠腻诲测补肠) 艣颈濒腻鈥�. (艢补产诲补办补濒辫补诲谤耻尘补, part. 3. P. 302). B. Dagens used the word entablature to denote prastara-办补谤补峁嘺. He also interprets the word as follows: 鈥榯he term is applied to the entablature as well as to the ceiling which is at the same level鈥�. Since, in ancient time the pillars were typically made of stone (prastara). The word 辫谤补蝉迟补谤补办补谤补峁嘺 indicates the activities generally associated to the stone pillars.
According to A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture, prastara means-
[鈥淚t comprises the parts of an order above a column. The assemblage is divided into three parts in the European architecture, namely the architrave which rest immediately on the column, the frieze next over the architrave being the middle number, and the cornice which is the uppermost part. These three parts are again variously subdivided.鈥漖[1]
Several architectural treatises, such as the 惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补, 艢颈濒辫补谤补迟苍补, and 碍腻尘颈办腻驳补尘补, made some minute discourse on this topic. The text 惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补 entitles this topic as 辫谤补蝉迟补谤补惫颈诲丑腻苍补, which P.K. Acharya translates as 鈥楾he Entablatures and Roof鈥�. In the text 惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补, various synonymous terms are found for the entablature. It mentions-
kapota峁� prastara峁� caiva 尘补帽肠补峁� pracch膩dana峁� tath膩 ||
gop膩na峁� ca ktit膩na峁� ca 惫补濒补产丑墨 尘补迟迟补惫腻谤补峁嘺峁� | (惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补 16.9-10)
kapota, 尘补帽肠补, pracch膩dana, gop膩na, 惫颈迟腻苍补, valabhi, matta-惫腻谤补峁嘺, 惫颈诲丑腻苍补, and 濒奴辫补 are the only epithets to indicates the entablature.
The 办腻尘颈办腻驳补尘补 mentions several elements of the entablature in the following verses.
atha vak峁e vi艣e峁峁嘺 prastarasya vidhikrama峁� |
耻迟迟补谤补峁� 惫腻箩补苍补帽caiva mu峁ａ弓hibandha峁� m峁沶膩lika峁� ||
诲补峁囜笉颈办腻valayak峁dragop膩n膩cch膩dan膩ni ca |
ali峁単膩ntarit膩 caiva pratya峁単a峁� 惫腻箩补苍补峁� 办谤补尘腻迟 || (碍腻尘颈办腻驳补尘补, 1.54.1-2)
As per Indian 惫腻蝉迟颈艣腻蝉迟谤补蝉, 辫谤补蝉迟补谤补办补谤补峁嘺 comprises several components such as uttara (architrave), 惫腻箩补苍补 (one of the small mouldings situated at the top of the uttara), 辫谤补尘腻濒颈办腻 (braces), 诲补峁囜笉颈办腻 (console), and others.
Maya states that prastara-办补谤补峁嘺, the essential aspect of all kinds of buildings should be done starting from the uttara (architrave) and extending up to the 惫峁泃颈 (frieze).
This indicates the height of the entablature.
uttar膩div峁泃eranta峁� prastar膩vayava峁� 办谤补尘腻迟 |
sa峁僾ek峁e ksipya sarve峁Ｄ佱箖 harmy膩峁嚹乵atha yoghyaka峁� || (Mayamata 16.1)
In this regards 惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补 谤别肠辞谤诲蝉鈥�
uttar膩diprade艣膩nta峁� sarve峁Ｄ佱箖 prastarodaya峁� | (惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补 16.6)
[鈥溾�he height of all these varities of entablature should extend to the region of the crowing fillet (uttara)鈥漖[2]
Earlier, several components of the entablature were mentioned. Now, these components will be described along with their specific characteristics.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
P.K.Acharya, A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture, series.1. p.376
[2]:
P.K. Acharya, 惭腻苍补蝉腻谤补, series. 4, p.175