-
Early Buddhist Artisans and their Architectural Vocabulary
Author: S Settar
The early Buddhist architectural vocabulary, being the first of its kind, maintained its monopoly for about half a millennium, beginning from the third century BCE. To begin with, it was oral, not written. The Jain, Hindu, and other Indian sectarian builders later developed their vocabulary on this foundation, though not identically. An attempt is made here to understand this vocabulary and the artisans who first made use of it.
In the epigraphic ledger, the first reference to the mythical creator of the universe, the Visvakarma (Visakama), is made on the thupas at Sanchi and Kanaganahalli; the earliest excavators of cave temples, comprising five specialists – selavdhaki, nayikamisa, kadhicaka, mahakataka and mithaka – as well as a team of master-architects and supervisors, called the navakamis, appear at Kanheri. Besides these, there were also others called avesanis, atevasinas, acaryas, and upajjhayas all over the Buddhist world. The list does not end with these, because there were yet others called vadhakis (carpenters), seli-vadhakis (stonecutters), sela-rupakas (stone sculptors), mithakas (polishers), and so on. All these artisans who have recorded their life stories on the stone surface are identified, and their professional contributions evaluated here for the first time.
International Edition available on South Asia Edition available on -
Administrative and Social History of Mysore under the Wodeyars, 1600-1800 CE
Author: D S Achuta Rao Editor: S Settar
In Administrative and Social History of Mysore Under the Wodeyars (1600-1800 CE), Prof D S Achuta Rao presents an engaging account of the period. Believed to be the lineal descendants of the Vijayanagara, the kings of Mysore were described as ruling the earth seated on the jeweled throne of Karnataka. Tracing the earliest descent of Raja Wodeyar, the first remarkable ruler of the dynasty till the mid-1900, the book vividly draws before us a portrait of the political, military, law, social, religious, education, art and culture, and administrative construct of two centuries of the Wodeyar rule in Mysore. Capturing the significant features of the governance of the day, the book is a detailed and masterful telling of this phase in the history of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Scholarly and impressive, the book is a formidable achievement in terms of coverage and content.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.