IDST 2310: Fine & Applied Arts                                                              Dr. Roxanne Farrar

“HOUSES OF PRAYER” in ANCIENT INDIA

(PLEASE NOTE: Slides are in italics.)

I.          Introduction to Ancient India:

                A.            INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION c. 3000-2000 BCE:

                                1. Map of Ancient India

                                2. Indus Valley Seal Impressions    &   Torso from Harappa

                B. ANCIENT INDIA: BIRTHPLACE OF 2 MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS:

                                1. BUDDHISM (origins c. 6th century BCE)

                                2. HINDUISM (origins c. 1400 BCE): One of the World’s OLDEST Religions!

II.        BUDDHISM in Ancient India:

                A.            ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM IN ANCIENT INDIA:              Seated Buddha  (statue)

                                1. SIDDHARTHA GUATAMA (563-483 BCE): The Historical Buddha

                                                a. The Story of His Life & His Enlightenment Under the Bodhi Tree

                                                b. Diagram: Symbolic Attributes of Buddha

                                2. Beautiful Bodhisattva at Ajanta Cave

                                3. KEY PRINCIPLES OF BUDDHIST DOCTRINE (“DHARMA”):

                                                a. “The Four Noble Truths”:

                                                                i.              life is full of suffering

                                                                ii.            suffering is caused by desire (craving)

                                                                iii.           suffering ends when desire ends

                                                                iv.           the way to end desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path

                                                b. “The Noble Eightfold Path”:

                                                                i, right views   ii. right aspirations    iii. right speech    iv. right conduct

                                                                v. right livelihood (ethics)    vi. right effort    vii. right mindfulness

                                                                viii. right contemplation (regarding one’s knowledge)

                                                c. “Karma” (adopted from Hinduism):

                                                                influence of one’s acts on her life and/or reincarnations (future lives)

                                                d. “Nirvana”: Total Spiritual Enlightenment & Freedom from Cycle of Desire

                B.            BUDDHIST “HOUSES OF PRAYER” IN ANCIENT INDIA:

                                1. The Great Stupa at Sanchi (c. 75 BCE):

                                                a. Architectural Elements & Symbolism of the Stupa

                                                b. Use of the Stupa as a “House of Prayer”

                                                c. North Torana (Gate) of the Stupa at Sanchi   and Yakshi Bracket Figures

                                2. Chaitya Hall at Karla (c. 1st century BCE):

                                                a. Architectural Elements & Symbolism of the Chaitya Hall

                                                b. Use of the Chaitya Hall as a “House of Prayer”

                C.            .SUMMARY: The Relevance of the BODY in Sacred Buddhist Architecture

III.       HINDUISM in Ancient India:

                A.            ORIGINS OF HINDUISM IN ANCIENT INDIA:

                                1. Hindu Festival in Bali

                                2. VEDISM: Aryan Invasions of Ancient India 1400-500 BCE

                                3. Vedism’s Sacred Texts (religious hymns): The Vedas (includes the Upanishads)

                B.            KEY RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES OF HINDUISM:

                                1. Yajana: Fire Sacrifice (from Vedism--see above III.3.A.2)

                                2. Karma: Individual’s Acts and Deeds Rewarded or Punished in Reincarnations

                                3. Ultimate Goal: Moksha: Freedom of the Atman (Soul) from Cycle of Samasara

                                                (Reincarnation) through Elimination of Passions, Union with Brahman (God)

                                4. Dharma: Duties Based on Varna (Social Class):

                                                a. Brahmans (Priests)                                       b. Kshatriiyas (Warriors)

                                                c. Vaishyas (Farmers & Merchants)             d. Shudras (Laborers)

III.          HINDUISM IN ANCIENT INDIA (continued):

                C.            MAJOR HINDU SACRED TEXTS:

                                1. The Vedas (c. 1400-500 BCE): includes the Upanishads (see above III.A.2&3)

                                2. The Mahabharata (c. 5th century BCE): “The War Poems of the Bharata”:

                                                Hinduism’s Greatest Epic Poem (18 books long!) about ancient civil warfare

                                3. The Ramayana (by Valmiki, c. 300 BCE): “The Romance of Rama” (& Sita):

                                                Hinduism’s Second Great Epic Poem: about the adventures of the hero Rama

                                                The Monkey King Sends Emmissaries Led by Hanuman to Find Sita

                                4. The Bhagavad-Gita (c. 200 BCE-200 AD): “Song of the Lord”: the Warrior-Prince

                                                Arjuna’s confronts moral dilemmas aided by his god-charioteer Lord Krishna

                                5. The Laws of Manu (c. 200 BCE-200 AD): laws outlining the Caste System

                                6. The Gita Govinda (by Jayadeva, c. 13th century AD): Love poem of Krishna & Radha

                D.           TRINITY OF MAJOR HINDU DEITIES:

                                (Please Note: ALL ARE INCARNATIONS OF BRAHMAN, THE SUPREME BEING):

                                1. Brahma (The Creator)

                                2. Vishnu (The Preserver):  Incarnations: Rama, Krishna

                                3. Shiva (The Destroyer):  Incarnations: Devi, Kali

                E.            HINDU “HOUSES OF PRAYER” IN ANCIENT INDIA:

                                1. Temple of VISHNU at Deogarth (530 AD):

                                                a. Architectural Elements & Symbolism of The Temple of Vishnu

                                                b. Use of the Vishnu’s Temple as a “House of Prayer”: “Home” of the God

                                                c. Vishnu on the Cosmic Waters (“Window” of Temple of Vishnu): Relief Sculpt

                                2. Temple of SHIVA at Thanjurap (c. 1030 AD)

                                3. The Story of GANESHA: Elephant-God of Prosperity, Author of theMahabharata:

                                                a. Ganesha , The Elephant God  (Parvati’s Son): Relief Sculpture    

                                                b. Parvati  (Shiva’s Wife): Sculpture

                                                c. Lord Shiva: Sculpture

                                4. Kandariya Mahadevi Temples at KAJURAHO (c. 1000 AD):

                                                a. Sculptural Elements & Symbolism of the Temples at Kajuraho:

                                                                i.              Sculptural Relief Detailsof the Temples at Kajuraho

                                                                ii.            Symbolism: The Religious Concept of SACRED SEXUALITY:

                                                                                                The Spiritual UNION of Mortal & Divine

                                                b. Use of the Kajuraho Temples as “Houses of Prayer”:

                                                                Backdrop (“Stage-Set”) for Sacred Dance & Music

IV.       The “SPIRITUAL BODY” & “SACRED SEXUALITY” in Ancient India:

                A.            “THE SPIRITUAL BODY” IN ANCIENT INDIAN BUDDHISM:

                                1. Buddha Diagram (recap)

                                2.  Yakshi Bracket from Torana Gate, Great Stupa at Sanchi (see above II.B.1.c.)

                                3. Use of the Body in Spiritual Exercise at the Great Stupa (review Great Stupa)

                B.            “SACRED SEXUALITY” IN ANCIENT INDIAN HINDUISM:

                                1. Temple of VISHNU at Deogarth (530 AD): (See above, III.E.1)

                                2. Yoni Mandala Meditation/Prayer Mat  (Female=“Yoni”, Male= “Lingam”)

                                3. Diagram of the 7 Chakras of the Human Body (Tantra Yoga)

                                4. Sculptural Relief Detailsof the Temples at Kajuraho (c. 1000 AD):

                                                REMEMBER: USE of the Kajuraho Temples as “Houses of Prayer”:

                                                                Backdrop (“Stage-Set”) for Sacred Dance & Music (see above III.4.b.)

                C.            JAYADEVA’S GITA GOVINDA (c. early 13th century AD):

                                1. Krishna & Radha in the Sacred Grove (18th-century paintings)

                                2. VIDEO EXCERPT (20 minutes): Jayadeva’s GITA GOVINDA :

                                                One of the world’s greatest mystical love poems.  In dramatic form, the poem tells the  love

                                                story of  Lord Krishna (“the Blue-Skinned God”)--an Incarnation of Vishnu) and  his lady-

                                                love, Radha. The video examines how this poem has been interpreted for  centuries in art, 

                                                drama,  music, dance, & song.

V.        SUMMARY/TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS: Take-Home Writing Assignment

IDST 2310: Fine & Applied Arts                                                              Dr. Roxanne Farrar

“HOUSES OF PRAYER”: TAKE-HOME WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

On “Houses of Prayer” in Classical Greece & Ancient India

DIRECTIONS: Take-Home Essays: DUE: TUESDAY Sept 21 at 11:00 AM SHARP!

            LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE MARKED DOWN 2 FULL LETTER GRADES,

            HAND-WRITTEN ESSAYS ARE ACCEPTABLE, AS LONG AS THEY ARE

            WRITTEN IN BLUE OR BLACK INK, AND ARE CLEARLY LEGIBLE

            (UNREADABLE ANSWERS WILL RECEIVE NO CREDIT !)

            PLEASE NOTE: Essays written during class-time will be counted as LATE!

1.         “Houses of Prayer”: What Are They?:

                Write a  brief Introductory paragaph DEFINING “Houses of Prayer.”  Please be broad and

                mindful of cultural differences.

2.         Briefly DISCUSS (1 paragraph) the CLASSICAL GREEK IDEALIST

            philosophy of the “BODY BEAUTIFUL” AS it was expressed in Classical

            Greek ARCHITECTURE (as for example, in theParthenon).

                1. First discuss the MEANING of Protagoras’s quote “Man is the measure of all things.”

                2. Then discuss HOW this quote APPLIES to the ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE of the

                                Parthenon (the Athenian Acropolis): REFER TO SPECIFIC EXAMPLES!

                3. Be sure to mention HOW this temple was USED!

3.         Briefly DISCUSS (1 paragraph) the ANCIENT INDIAN BUDDHIST concept of

            “DHARMA” as it relates to the Great Stupa at Sanchi:

                1. First discuss the MEANING of “Dharma.”

                2.  Then discuss HOW Dharma is accomplished at this Buddhist “House of Prayer.”

4.         Briefly DISCUSS (1 paragragh) the ANCIENT INDIAN HINDU concept of

            SACRED SEXUALITY as it relates to:

                1. The Temples at Kajuraho

                2. Tantric Yoga

                3. Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda (video)               a. one example from the story/poem

                                                                                                b. one example from the dance/music

5.         Briefly DISCUSS (1 paragraph):

                1. Key DIFFERENCES between Classical Greek & Ancient Indian Religious

                                Attitudes/Ideas/Philosophies (summarize)

                2. Key SIMILARITIES between Classical Greek & Ancient Indian Religious

                                Attitudes/Ideas/Philosophies (summarize)

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