Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from burial mounds. They served as repositories for relics of the Buddha and, later, other
venerated souls. A further innovation is the addition of a
chaitya
(assembly hall) leading
up to the stupa itself. Bodhgaya, where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and
became the Buddha, has a collection of particularly notable Buddhist monasteries and
temples.
In 262 BC the Mauryan emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism, and as a penance built
the Great Stupa at Sanchi, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is among the
oldest surviving Buddhist structures in the subcontinent. Buddhist architecture found in
the south includes Amaravathi in Andhra Pradesh, the Buddhist caves of Ajanta and the
Buddha Statue in Hyderabad.
India also has a rich collection of Islamic sacred sites, as its Muslim rulers contributed
their own architectural conventions, including arched cloisters and domes. The Mughals
uniquely melded Persian, Indian and provincial styles. Emperor Shah Jahan was respons-
ible for some of India's most spectacular architectural creations, most notably the milky
white Taj Mahal.
Islamic art eschews any hint of idolatry or portrayal of God, and it has evolved a vi-
brant heritage of calligraphic and decorative designs. In terms of mosque architecture, the
basic design elements are similar worldwide. A large hall is dedicated to communal prayer
and within the hall is a mihrab (niche) indicating the direction of Mecca. The faithful are
called to prayer from minarets, placed at cardinal points. Islamic structures in the south in-
clude the Charminar in Hyderabad; the Qutb Shahi and Paigah Tombs in Hyderabad; and
the Haji Ali Mosque in Mumbai.
The Sikh faith was founded by Guru Nanak, the first of 10 gurus, in the 15th century.
Sikh temples, called gurdwaras, can usually be identified by a
nishan sahib
(a flagpole
flying a triangular flag with the Sikh insignia). Amritsar's stunning Golden Temple is
Sikhism's holiest shrine.
Discover more about India's diverse temple architecture (in addition to other temple-related information)
at Temple Net (
www.templenet.com
).
