The ancient and medieval architecture of India: a study of Indo-Aryan civilisation

CHAPTER V

SYMBOLISM

THE LOTUS-LEAF ARCH,
OR SUN-WINDOW—PILLARS, CAPITALS,

AND BASES THE

VISHNU STANDARD AND PILLAR—THE

HOLY MOUNT

THE SYMBOL OF DEATH

Ithasbeen

explained

alreadythattheAsokanarched window

(fig.

17),

commonlycalled

"

horseshoe

"

byWesternwriters

—

aform

alsoapplied

tovaultsand

domes—wasderivedfromthe

useofbent

bambu,

as

in

Bengalithatched

roofs. Theexquisite

Fig.17.—Sun-windowofthe

HtnaylnaSchool.

Fig. 1

8.

—Sun-windowofthe

MahaydnaSchool.

Fig.19.—Mah^yanaSun-

window

usedasaShrine.

symbolism,inspired by

thepoetryof the

Vedic hymns,

which

wasreadintothestructural

use ofit,wasagain

thatofthesun

andof its

floral emblem the lotus

orwater-lily

;

it

suggested

thesunon the horizonin

acloudless

skyrisingorsetting

over

sea, lake, or river. As a

theological

symbol, therefore,

it

stoodforBrahm^,or

Buddha,orSiva,

andwhen

image-worship

gradually
crept

into

Indo-Aryan ritual

the arch

became the

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