Nagara Architecture of Himachal:Form, Geometry, Construction

The Nagara temple constitutes a type of religious monument composed centrally upon a geometric pattern derived from basic Hindu-mandalas. Its major formal significance is the curvilinear shikara tower, the elongate upper section of the building that rises above the sanctum (garbha grha). Its usually carefully detailed and sophisticated structure contributes to the sculptural character of this building type. This technically results from the modular components of the stone construction and a set of elements used to constitute the formal rhythm of the shape. Thus, the form of the Nagara temple is based on the interaction of a mandala-type diagram and a well calculated vertical proportional system. While extensive studies on the floor plans and underlying diagrams are already available, data on the vertical forms are almost non-existent, which is probably due to the difficulties posed by the actual elongated form of this temple type. Accordingly, elevations or sectional drawings of the temples are not available, which would allow for the study of major aspects such as the proportional system or the construction as a whole; therefore, the knowledge on this sophisticated type of religious architecture is highly fragmented. The proposed project aims at the complete documentation of selected Nagara temples from the valleys of the foothill regions of the western Himalaya (i.e. todays State of Himachal Pradesh), where a sufficient number of early monuments have survived until today providing the relevant case- studies for a comparative study. The survey will be conducted with analogue and digital tools supported by photogrammetric photography. Based on the comparative study of the surveyed monuments, the major rules and principles of design will be investigated. Further, the relationship between structural and technical aspects, and formal (aesthetic) conventions, as well as functional demands (ceremonies and rites), and their impact on the over-all shape will be discussed. The project aims at reconstructing and establishing the rules of design and construction, i.e. the relation and inter-dependence between geometry, modular structure, and standardised sizes and forms of the components. To achieve that goal, Shape Grammar, specific software developed for parametric modelling and design, will be adapted to meet the needs for its application in an analytic process. Thus, the study will be primarily based on digitalised 3D models. Construction elements will be parametrically defined. The parametric data will be super-imposed with general data on the construction methods. Based on the established rules, a generation engine will be programmed, through which all steps of the construction process can be virtually visualised. This method allows for an investigation of the general patterns of the typology, but - at the same time - also allows for the reconstruction of the design and construction process of every single architectural object. In addition, the study will include the detailed documentation and visualisation of the iconographic content of every temple and provide scholars of related disciplines (indologists, art historians, etc.) with new data. Beyond that, the proposed project itself will merge two architectural sub-disciplines through the combination of architectural studies and cultural history with advanced digital technology derived from architectural design and presentation methods.

In the course of the project, three field trips to the Western Himalayas and the former Hill States of Himachal Pradesh were undertaken. Thereby approximately 25 sites with about 75 temples were documented within a wide range of diverging conditions. Besides the architecture of the monuments the related art such as sculptures and other religious objects were surveyed. The data was then digitised. For the first time, complete sets of architectural plans of several monuments could be produced. This allowed the study of the proportion and the structural principles, in particular the elongate, curvilinear shikhara towers with their complex ornamental patterns that had so far not been made subject to a proper study. Another focus was on the portal architecture and the design of the door frames. Within the study there were two major tracks. On one hand, detailed studies were carried out in those cases where monuments posed specific research questions and topics. Such a case was the Triloknath Temple of Tunde in Lahul. That temple is being venerated by followers of Shiva as well as Buddhists. Through the architectural analysis of the monument and a close-up study of the portal, new evidence that allows a better understanding of the early history of the monument was brought to light. Another case was the Parahat III Temple near Hatkoti. A study of its structural composition and design paradigms including the portal revealed news hints that allowed the shifting of the date of foundation to the post-Gupta period, i.e. at least 100 years earlier as previously assumed. On the other hand, the study aimed at a more general, large scale and cross-regional study of the various sub-types of Nagara architecture throughout the region. The results are presented open access at the project website ((https://iam.tugraz.at/nagara/). The website contains a general introduction to Nagara architecture and continues with the full documentation of 11 different temples. The innovative aspect of the web presentation was the decision to use 3D-models as the central feature. Architectural plans, photographs and textual descriptions complete the presentation. The Page is partly interactive. It allows the digital rebuilding of the temples and contains a number of tools which explain the various structural components as well as the integrated artifacts such as sculptures. According to the project proposal the project developed towards Digital Humanities. Several of the photo-realistic 3D-models were processed for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) presentations. Four of the monuments were 3D-reprinted by components at scale 1:20. The digitised data not only allows insight into the architectural history and art of the monuments, it also provides crucial data for future restoration and preservation projects. It thereby contribute to a wider, sustainable Cultural Preservation Strategy.