Architecture and sculpture, both sacred and secular, through, have wit-nessed the best of human imagination and innovation serving culture and civilization in their evolution all over the world. Coming to the present generation, while the global necessity is protection of the nature, sustainable development and eco-friendly creations and constructions, the artists, sculptors and architects in the east and the west have started rediscovering the classic oriental standards outlined in scriptures or presented in scientific details in specific technical texts in Sanskrit and allied languages, which have been practice for a very long time in human history. This invariably proved by the great monuments and heritage sites in incredible India and Indian sub-continent.
Manasara is regarded as the most standard and complete treatise, rather the fountainhead of all the silpa texts. The very name Manasara means the Essence of Measurement. Of the seventy chapters of Manasara, the first eight are introductory, the next forty-two deal with architectural matters, and the last twenty are devoted to sculpture, where sculptural details of idols of deities of the Hindus, the Buddhists and Jains, statues of great personages and images of animals and birds are given.
This new revised edition contains the original Sanskrit text along with the English translation and explanatory notes. Besides General Index, a Glossary of the technical terms is also appended to the work.
However, the present work is sure to inspire the specialist with rare information and insight and also will bring home to the lay reader the contribution of ancient India in this highly technical area of human enterprise. |
