Silva / Chandrasekara The Tämpitaviharas of Sri Lanka

Elevated Image-Houses in Buddhist Architecture
1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-78527-751-1
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 194 Seiten

The Tämpitaviharas of Sri Lanka focuses on one distinctive Buddhist architectural practice from pre-modern Sri Lanka – the construction of Buddha image-houses on elevated wooden platforms supported by stone pillars. As a centre of Buddhism, Sri Lanka has a rich tradition of erecting Buddha image-houses, the origin of which dates to the fifth century. Yet, the tämpitavihara tradition only existed from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The tämpitavihara is an exceptional type of image-house, not only for its specific timeframe and unique construction technology, but also for its complex architectural conception of the Buddhist worldview and soteriology. Except for this period of Sri Lankan history, this architectural exemplar does not exist in anytime or anywhere in the entire Buddhist world. This book examines the significant aspects of tämpitavihara architecture and documents some of the distinctive examples with an analysis of their architectural design and symbolic content. Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book is organized into two parts. The first part examines the significant historical, cultural, and architectural aspects of tämpitaviharas in depth. The second part documents fifty of the distinctive examples of tämpitaviharas in the country with an analysis of their architectural designs and symbolic content. Each example is illustrated with architectural drawings of its plans, elevations, and sections along with photographs. The book also includes a list of over 200 extant tämpitaviharas in the country. This book is the very first comprehensive examination of the subject of tämpitaviharas published in any language and made available for a global audience. It narrates the story of tämpitaviharas from a multidimensional perspective that involves architecture, anthropology, archaeology, art history, geography, history, sociology, and theology. Consequently, it appeals to a vast array of enthusiasts of these disciplines in addition to scholars in Asian studies, South Asian studies, Sri Lankan studies, and Buddhist studies.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Silva, Kapila D.

Chandrasekara, Dhammika P.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Rapoport, Amos

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Gebäudetypen Öffentliche Gebäude, Gewerbliche Bauten
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Architektur: Allgemeines
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Gebäudetypen Sakralbauten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Foreword by Amos Rapoport; 1 Introduction; Part I The Tämpitavihara Tradition; Chapter 1 The Tradition of Buddha Image-Houses in Sri Lanka; Chapter 2 The Tämpitavihara Design; Chapter 3 The Evolution of Tämpitaviharas and Their Variations; Conclusion; Part II Illustrations of Selected Tämpitaviharas; Introduction; Central Province; North Central Province; North Western (Vayamba) Province; Sabaragamuva Province; Southern Province; uva Province; Western Province; Bibliography; Appendix: A List of Tämpitaviharas in Sri Lanka; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Kapila D. Silva is a professor of architecture at the University of Kansas, USA. Dhammika P. Chandrasekara is a senior lecturer of architecture and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.