How to Resurrect a Lost Temple Site: architectural conservation at Ashapuri скачать в хорошем качестве

How to Resurrect a Lost Temple Site: architectural conservation at Ashapuri

In parts of India there are beautiful old temples that nobody knows because they have collapsed into jumbled heaps of stone fragments. They are like giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles. Because Indian temple forms are so structured and rhythmic, someone who understands their architecture can solve the puzzles, even where many pieces are missing. Their designs can be rediscovered, and drawn. For temple conservation, this is a first step, before considering whether and now they might actually be reconstructed. This talk tells the story of a conservation study for the little-known site of Ashapuri, near Bhojpur (Raisen District), Madhya Pradesh, and how we have begun to puzzle out its lost temple designs. It concludes with proposals for preserving the remains, for rebuilding where possible, for continuing to unravel the mysteries of the site, and for displaying its treasures meaningfully for understanding and enjoyment. The work has revealed exciting additions to our picture of Nagara temple architecture, and shown that Ashapuri was a crucial site in the early development of the Bhumija temple form in Central India around the turn of the eleventh century. Through solving the puzzles of individual temples can emerge unexpected chunks of the vast puzzle of architectural history.