ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 290

SCHOOL
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In the ancient days, architecture was a fully developed art and the professions of mason and carpenter were main professions of the day. Masons and carpenters used to work for houses, mansions, palaces, basements, ponds and temples. Kokkas carpenter of was a skillful sculptor and he made a mechanical pigeon by using his sculpture skills. On the request of Kalinga king, he constructed a seven storied mansion. Bricks, clay, sugar, sand stone, etc. were needed for construction work. Brick houses were painted generally with lime. Houses were made out of stone too.
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
The Mandapa i.e. auditorium made for Draupadi's Svayamvara (an ancient tradition of choosing a bridegroom by a bride) was erected on hundreds of pillars and it looked beautiful due to many pockets. The floors of the bath chambers of kings were studded with stones, Pearls and gems.
There was a tradition of constructing Catusālā mansions in the older days. Sanghadāsa Gani has mentioned about Catusālā mansions.
A block of four houses or a quadrangle surrounded by four mansions on all four sides is called a Catuśālā. Sanghadāsa has also mentioned Sarvatobhadra palaces. Anything that has gates on all four sides is called Sarvatobhadra. Sarvatobhadra really hints towards the sculpture charisma of ancient vastu knowledge. In first century B.C., Varāhmihira has given the method of building Sarvatobhadra in Bṛhadsamhita. Buildings which have no gates in the direction of west and which have platforms in four directions built in circumambulatory manner are called Nandyavartya.
In the second Javanika of Karpūrmañjarī the description of the ornamentation of the heroine expressed in the dialogue between the King and far seeing is actually done in terms of sculpture science. In the first act of Mudraraksasa, when Cāṇakya himself expresses the wish for a place to sit in front of his disciple, then the disciple directs to him to a chamber consisting of Vetrasana (shape of lower world). Similarly, we find hints towards several points of sculpture science and the art of Vastu in the incidents of reference to Nanda Bhavana, Rajabhavana-dvāra, Kanakatorana, Sugargaprasada and Kusumpura etc.
Establishment of Towns
Form the ancient times, the construction of towns has remained important in architecture. The terminology of architecture has been used in ancient texts like Rāmāyana,
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