Thematic Area 1: New ways of looking at heritage Sub ... - Intbau

of architecture and planning are from 1 to 30 having 2626 verses. However, the parameterslisted above appear in more than one area in the volumes. For example, rituals are describedin chapter 4; Taking possession of site, chapter 8; Offerings, chapter 9; Village planning,chapter 12; The foundation deposit, chapter 18; Making of roof and completion of works,chapter 24; Gateways, chapter 27; Features of houses for the 4 classes, chapter 28; First entryinto house.It was decided to select this book since it is a well structured book, complete with exhaustiveexplanatory footnotes. An added advantage was that it had both the Sanskrit text and Englishtranslation on adjacent pages (Sanskrit on the left page and English on the right one) so thatthe words and their exact meanings could be easily identified.METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE:The process followed for the exploration of architecture as described in ‘Mayamatam’ isgiven in Table 2 below:Table 2: MethodologyStep 1 Studying a chapter; Reading the Sanskrit text and its English translation.Step 2 Tabulating the word to word meaning of the Sanskrit text and English translation.Step 3Step 4Step 5Step 6Step 7In this process, adding notes wherever an alternative interpretation is possible, orsome additional translation is to be done.Based on the understanding, cross referencing and library survey (ASIpublications, books by various authors), making first draft of the sketches on asquare grid sheet along-with comments. The interpretation is at two types, one issequential and other is an integration that is a figure made from informationpresent in different places in the text.Making final sketches on a square grid sheet along-with comments and crossreferences.Preparing CAD drawings and Three dimensional CAD models of each sketch.Presentation of data and findings in the form of sheets, models, tables, images,slides etc., depending on the purpose of the presentation.The exercise of tabulation has been very helpful in a more in-depth understanding of the textas every technical term has become clear. Doing this on a computer also helps in finding thesame word and its different interpretations depending on its context in the ślokā. Generalwords have not been translated and put into appropriate cells in many cases by me.Explanation of Process followed with the help of examples:Steps 1 to 3:In Mayamatam the chapter 13 is titled ‘The Socle’ (Upapitha). The Socle is a building partwhich is placed beneath the base (adhishthana) which acts as a supplementary base andmakes the building more high. The verses 6 to 8 describe a socle named ‘vedibhadra’ type 1.After studying and understanding the text, the word to word translation is tabulated. Thetabulation alongwith comments are shown in Table 3. In chapter 15 ‘Dimensions of Pillarsand Choice of Materials, in verse 29, the translation of one phrase in the ślokā offers analternative interpretation. The details of the verse and the alternative interpretation are shownin Table 4.