CHAITYA architecture analysis data of chaitya

CHAITYA architecture analysis data of chaitya

• 2.
  CHAITYA AND VIHARA INTRODUCTION CHAITYA IS SANSKRIT WORD THAT REFERS TO A SHRINE, TEMPLE, SANCTUARY, OR PRAYER HALL. THE WORD CHAITYA COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT WORD CHITA, WHICH MEANS A PYRE OR PILE OF ASHES.  VIHARA IS A BUDDHIST MONASTERY,POPULARLY KNOWN AS BAHA OR BAHAL, WHERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RITES AND RITUALS ARE PERFORMED.
• 3.
  ACCORDING TO BUDDHISTPHILISOPHY, CHAITYA REPRESENT THE UNIVERSE, AND EACH SPIRE THAT CIRCLES THE CHAITYA SYMBOLISES HEAVEN. THE INTRICATE CARVING DEPICTS DIFFERENT FORM OF THE MEDITATING BUDDHA. THE EARLIEST CHAITYAS ARE FROM THE 3RD CENTURY BCE. THE OLDEST CHAITYAS IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY WAS BUILT DURING THE LICCHAVI PERIOD, WHICH LASTED FROM THE 5TH TO 8TH CENTURY AD DURING THE LICCHAVI DYNASTRY. ( SLIDESHOWS) “THE CONCEPT OF CHAITYA HAS EVOLVED WITH BUDDHISM. AT FIRST IT WAS JUST MADE WITH EARTH, WITHOUT THE PANCHA BUDDHAS OR THE GAJUR (PINNACLE). HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
• 4.
   CHAITYAS EXISTEDEVEN BEFORE BUDDHA’S TIME AND THE TERM INITIALLY WAS REFERRED TO AS A PLACE OF RESTING OR MEDITATION, LATER IT WAS REFERRED TO THE IDEA OF USING, ‘CHITI’ (ASH) OF THE DECEASED TO MAKE A STUPA IN THEIR MEMORY,”. s://saara ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT SUTRAS IN BUDDHIST CANONICAL TEXTS SUCH AS SUCH AS MAHAPARINIRVANA SUTRA OF DIGHA NIKAYA( THE COLLECTION OF LONG DISCOURCES), THE BUDDHA TOLD HIM TO MAKE CHAITYA THAT CONTAINS THE RELICS OF SAMYAKSAMBUDDHA, PRATYEK BUDDHA, ARAHAT TATHAGATH AND GREAT EMPEROR. ACCORDING TO SWAYAMBHU PURAN THAT DURING THE PRE- HISTORIC AGE KIRATI RULER KING SHREE STUNGKO, THE SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA CAME TO THE NEPAL MANDALA TOGETHER WITH 500 BHIKKHU TO ENLIGHTENMENT, BUDDHAHOOD, AND LIBERATION. CHAIITYA REPRESENTS THE VAJRAYANA BUDDHISM, AS IT IS THE SYMBOL OF BUDDHA’S TEACHING FROM BIRTH TO DEATH FUNCTION.
• 5.
  CHAITYA IS NAMEDAFTER ASHOKA, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT PROVES ITS RELATION WITH EMPEROR ASHOKA. PEOPLE ALSO SAY THAT THE ASHOK CHAITYA IS MORE THAN 2000 YEARS OLD DURING THE GOLDEN PERIOD FOR BUDDHISM IN KATHMANDU VALLEY. THE ORIGIN OF THE CHAITYA IS UNCLEAR AND THE SOURCE IS HEARSAY. ( SHRESTHA, SAARANG)
• 6.
  CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT FIRST TYPEOF LICHCHHAVI CHAITYA:  THE EARLIEST VOTIVE STONE CAITYAS ARE BULGY DOME ATTACHED TO A DRUM.  MONOLITHIC DOME, DRUM, UPPER AND LOWER STOREYS OF A CAITYA.  THE UPPER AND LOWER STOREYS ARE ROUNDED AND OCTAGNOL SHAPES.  THE TOPMOST PART OF CROWN OR THIRTEEN BHUVANS SEEMS TO ATTACH THE LATER PERIOD.  THE EARLIEST VOTIVE CAITYAS ARE PLAIN AND WITHOUT ANY NICHES.
• 7.
   ROUND NICHESOCCUR ON THE CIRCULAR STOREYS OF THE CAITYAS.  THESE ARE THE EMPTY NICHES AND STONE POLISHED. THERE ARE NO TOPMOST PART. IN SUCH CASES, A FINIAL CROWNS EVERY CAITYA SEEMS TO ADD LATER. SECOND TYPE OF LICHCHHAVI CHAITYA :  MOST OF THE EARLIER ABOUT 200 LICHCHHAVI CAITYAS CONTAIN AT LEAST FOUR NICHES. NICHES ARE PLACED OUT OF THE DRUM OR VEDIKAS (PLINTHS).  IN THE CASE OF MULTI-STOREYED STRUCTURES HAVE EIGHT OR EVEN SIXTEEN NICHES, WHICH ARE A FIRST AND SECOND LEVELS OR PLINTHS.
• 8.
  THIRD TYPE OFLICHCHHAVI CAITYA:  THE EMPTY NICHES CAITYAS ARE FULLY DECORATED, WHICH ARE CARVED MOTIFS ON TOP AND A LEAFED FRIEZE BELOW.  IN SUCH CASES THE NICHE CROWN CONSISTS IN THE FORM OF A KIRTIMUKHA FACE OR A LOTUS BLOSSOM.  THE UPPER NICHES ARE GENERALLY SLIGHT NARROWER THAN THE LOWER NICHES.  ALL THE CROWN OF THE FRAME, THE UPPER OF THE LINTEL ARCH. THESE CAITYAS ARE CHANGED 7-8TH CENTURY A.D
• 9.
  FOURTH TYPE OFLICHCHHAVI CAITYA:  THE NICHES ARE FILLED WITH SMALL FIGURES OF THE FOUR BUDDHAS: AKSHOBHYA IS IN THE EAST.  HIS RIGHT HAND SHOWS EARTH TOUCHING, RATNASAMBHAVA IS IN THE SOUTH, HIS RIGHT HAND DISPLAYS BOON-GIVING GESTURE, AMITABH IS IN THE WEST, HIS BOTH HANDS ARE MEDITATION GESTURE AND AMOGHSIDDHI IS IN THE NORTH, HIS RIGHT HAND EXHIBITS FEARLESSNESS GESTURE.
• 10.
  FIVE TYPE OFCAITYATHE CATURVYUHA:  CAITYA CONSISTS THE COMPLETE PRIMARY TRIO OF FINIAL, DOME, AND MOULDED DRUM RESTS AT THE TOP OF THE SHAFT.  THE FOUR BUDDHAS ARE PLACED THE FOUR DIRECTIONS. THE FOUR BUDDHAS HEADS ARE SURROUNDED FROM A HALO.
• 11.
  ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES: CHAITYA ISDIVIDED INTO THREE LAYERS: • THE DOME AT THE BASE REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE WORLD. • THE AWAKENED EYES REPRESENT WISDOM AND COMPASSION AND AWARE ON THE BOND OF WORLD AND REACH TO THE STATE OF ENLIGHTENMENT. • ON THE TOP LAYERS, THERE ARE 13 PINNACLES THAT REPRESENTS THE SENTIENT BEINGS HAVE TO GO THE THIRTEEN STAGES OF SPIRITUAL REALIZATIONS TO REACH THE BUDDHAHOOD.
• 12.
  VOTIVE CHAITYAS OFLICCHAVI ORIGIN ARE STILL FOUND AND RANGE FROM 2-4 FT. HIGH. THESE ARE OF MONOLITHIC STONE AND COMPOSED OF 3 PRINCIPAL SECTIONS: • THE DRUM, • DOME, • FINIAL. 1.FINIAL • THE FINIALS ARE MADE OF STONE AND ARE MONOLITHIC. ,THERE ARE THIRTEEN TIERS OR RAISED ABOVE THE 'BHAGI, WHICH ARE DIMINISHING BOTTOM TO TOP SMALL SIZE. • THE PINNACLE IS ABOVE THE THIRTEEN TIERS. AN UMBRELLA IS COVERED ON THE PINNACLE. • THE MOST TYPICAL FEATURES OF THESE FINIALS ARE THE LARGE UMBRELLAS AND FRAGMENTS OF HIGHER SPIRES THE UMBRELLAS ARE OF DIFFERENT DESIGN.
• 13.
  DOME- • THE DOMESARE SOLID AND MONOLITHIC WITH DRUMS, AND SOMETIMES ALSO WITH PLINTHS OR THE UPPER LEVELS OF SUB- STRUCTURES. • THE DOME IS RAISED ABOVE THE VEDĪKĀ, WHICH IS SEMICIRCULAR. IT IS KNOWN AS 'ANDA' OR 'GARBHA-GRIHA' IN SANSKRIT WORD. THE RELICS OR HOLY TEXTS ARE COVERED FROM HEMISPHERIC DOME DRUM- • IT IS FOUND BELOW THE DOME AND SERVES AS A PLINTH OF ANCIENT STUPAS AND CHAITYAS • DIAMETER IS GENERALLY LARGER THAN THE ONE OF THE DOMES, THUS PROVIDING AT LARGE STUPAS A WALKWAY AROUND THE DOME (CIRCUMAMBULATORY) OR IN SANSKRIT: PRADAKSINAPATHA
• 14.
  SUBSTRUCTURE- • THE GROUNDPLAN CAN BE ROUND, SQUARE, OCTAGONAL OR FEATURE 12 OR 20 CORNERS • HORIZONTAL CORNICES, ROOF-LIKE MOULDINGS, NICHES, PILASTERS AND OTHER ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS • STACKING OF SEVERAL STOREYS WITH DIFFERENT GROUND PLANS SUCH AS THE VIMŚATIKONA WITH FOUR OR 12 NICHES, THE OCTAGON WITH EIGHT AND THE CIRCLE WITH EIGHT OR 16 NICHES CAN BE FOUND. PLINTH- • LOWEST ELEMENT OF A CHAITYA AND IS KNOWN AS 'VEDĪKĀ IN SANSKRIT WORD AND 'PHAH' IN NEWARI WORD
• 15.
  • SHAPED INA ROUND, SQUARE, OCTAGON AND TWENTIETH ANGLED, WHICH FUNCTIONS FIRSTLY IS TO MEDIATE BETWEEN THE SUB-STRUCTURE AND THE (INVISIBLE) FOUNDATION, AND SECONDLY TO SEPARATE THE DIVINE CHAITYA AWAY FROM THE UNCLEAN GROUND • MOST OF THE CHAITYAS FOUND NOWADAYS HAVE BEEN RELOCATED IN THE COURSE OF TIME AND DO NOT REST ANYMORE ON THEIR ORIGINAL PLINTH