The shrine, although, is a simple square tower built around 500 AD. The temple was designed and built by architects of the Gupta Empire. Despite being heavily damaged in places, it still is a brilliant example of the elaborate beauty of Gupta style architecture, and containing some fine works of Gupta style sculpture and art.
Hinduism is known for having many gods and like many Hindu temples of the period, it is dedicated to a single deity. The Vishnu Temple, located north in Deogarh, India in the early sixth century, the preserver of the Universe is to be found, portrayed with four arms. The Vishnu temple is among one of the first constructed temples using stone blocks. Vishnu is shown asleep on the coils of the giant multi-headed serpent Ananta, who drifts endlessly on the cosmic waters. As the god sleeps, he dreams the cosmos into reality. In the center Brahma the four-headed Hindu god of creation, here Brahma is described separately above, seated on a lotus blossom and accompanied in the upper register of the relief by other deities including Indra riding his elephant and Shiva on the bull. Lakshmi is also shown as an obedient Hindu wife, massaging her husband’s legs. On the lower section of the panel, six figures are shown; the four at the right are personifications of Vishnu’s various powers to defeat the two-armed demons on the left.
The Vishnu Temple it’s very interesting since it describe their practices and beliefs by leaving their saga behind.
Zulay Ninapaytan/Chapter 1
Artistic representations of the Hindu gods through reliefs are impressive. The Hindu religion and depiction of the gods reminds me of the Greek mythology. There are three Hindu gods that represent the circle of life. Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation; and Shiva, the god of destruction are those three Hindu gods. I read that when one steps into the entrance of the temple it is recognized as a way of purification. I also read that the reliefs are found both inside and outside of the temple. To me the way the artwork was created as reliefs into the stone is very impressive. I am sure many sculptures appreciate the toil that the makers had to go through to create these representations of the gods. I really find how the individuals pieces, people, deities, and such inside the artwork have different stories or meanings behind them to be fascinating. There are so many interesting and intricate details to learn about within each piece of artwork. Here is another interesting piece I found while online looking through pictures of the temple: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vaticanus/2073661731/in/photostream/.
ReplyDeletePriscilla Key