Encyclopaedia of Indian temple architectureIndian books dkagencies, The 'Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture' comprises a vast research on the architectural features of Indian temples spread all over the Indian subcontinent. This encyclopaedic study is divided into forty-five chapters which delineate the various characteristics of temple architecture starting from the Gupta period (4th c.A.D.) to the Kashi Visvanatha temple rebuilt by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore (1776 A.D.). The work begins with an insight into the Indus Civilization that flourished in the Indus Valley region (now in Pakistan) with the two most important sites of Mohanjo-daro and Harappa revealing a marked degree of controlled urban planning.
As for the temple architecture, the Imperial Guptas had established their sovereignty over almost the whole of northern India and the regular building of structural temples in brick and dressed stone started in their regnal period. The period under their immediate patronage fully deserves the name ‘The Golden Age’ of Indian art and culture as aesthetic principles of architecture, sculpture and painting were formulated in their region. The Hindu temples evolved during that period with the basic features of the cella, the mandapa and the vestibule.
Encyclopaedia of Jaina studiesIndian books dkagencies, This volume entitled Jaina Art and Architecture is the first volume of the Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies brought out by the Parshwanath Vidyapeeth to present a complete picture of the Jaina religion in its various aspects. The Encyclopaedia will cover, apart from Jaina art and architecture, Jaina spirituality, religious culture, Jaina literature, sciences, ceremonies, festivals and customs. The first volume, in Part 1, showcases Jaina art and architecture from the earliest time to the thirteenth century AD, collecting and collating the entire material on the subject in a chronological order, or thematic order where necessary. It discusses secular and religious buildings of the Jaina tradition in detail, referring to specific examples for scrutiny like the ruined Jaina stupa of Mathura, rock-cut Jaina caves excavated throughout the country and structural Jaina temples of North and South India. It studies the evolution of the style of Jaina architecture in a particular region.
The age of Traikutakas, coins, inscriptions and art
Dkagencies.com- Indian Books- This book is an attempt to understand the contributions of the Traikutakas, a dynasty that ruled over North Konkan in the 5th 6th century CE, by considering various types of data and art history related to them. This book primarily focuses on the artistic developments in this region during the reign of the Traikutakas and also details the motivational factors behind specific developments in art and architecture; further, there has been an attempt to assess their contributions to artistic developments and continuity in their position as the ruling dynasty of the region.
The first two chapters deal with the political career of the Traikutaka kings and the issues and problems related to their chronology. The third chapter deals with the 5 important copper plates of the 'Traikutaka Age' as well as the coinage issued by Traikutaka kings. Translations of two of these copperplates are published here for the first time. In the fourth chapter, the cultural background (5th and 6th century CE) is described using epigraphical, numismatic, and art historical data. An attempt has been made to understand art historical data by employing archaeological methods. The subsequent three chapters deal with Traikutaka architecture, sculptures & iconography, and their chronology. Finally, a brief review of the book with concluding remarks ends the book.
Encyclopaedia of Indian coins| ancient coins of northern India
Indian books dkagencies, Coins form an important source of the history of ancient India; in fact, for certain periods, like those of the Indo-Greeks, the Saka-Pahlavas, and the Western Kshatrapas, monetary issues are almost the only source of our information. In the Preface of his magnum opus, The Indo-Greeks, A K Narain very aptly remarks, 'For certain periods of Indian history the historian has to be a numismatist'.
In the A-Z encyclopaedia, there are some references at the end of each entry. They represent only those books, monographs, and research papers, which had a direct bearing on the subject. An Introduction, in the beginning, deals with such aspects of ancient Indian numismatics, as the origin and antiquity of coinage in India, and the authority to issue coins. This is followed by the A-Z encyclopaedia. In this, the issuers -- kings/queens, dynasties, tribes, etc, and the devices -- deities, symbols, etc, have been introduced briefly, mostly at the beginning of the respective entry, before dealing with the numismatic aspects. However, it was felt that the introduction of the political background of certain issuers, mostly kings, of the mythological background of certain deities, and the significance of certain symbols, deserves a somewhat fuller treatment, either by virtue of their importance, or their obscurity, even at the cost of some repetition. This has been done, again in an alphabetical order, in the Appendix, 'More About Some Issuers and Devices', which comes after the A-Z Encyclopaedia. All such entries in the body of the A-Z Encyclopaedia, as having a companion entry in the Appendix, have been indicated by means of a cross (†), placed at the end of the entry. A Select Bibliography is
given at the end for the benefit of those who wish to pursue further reading.
Indian Books Online, Indian Books Centre, Popular Indian Books, English Books in India, Kannada Books
