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

34

INDIAN

SELF-GOVERNMENT

communities, which embraced within

theirpale many

schools

of thought differing in philosophical

theories, yetall having

their common root in the life of thevillage and in

theVedic

philosophy,which

remainedthe

motivepowerofits

social and

intellectual
progressevenwhen

teachersarose,liketheBuddha,

who disputed the efficacy of sacrificial

rites and the divine

authoritywhichthe Brahmansattributedtothe

Vedas.

The Indianvillagealwaysremained the political

unit of

thestatethroughoutthe centurieswhendynastyafter

dynasty

succeeded one anotherin building empires upon that founda-

tion,until the foundation itselfwas recklessly broken up to

makeanewoneaftermodernWesternmodels. Itswonderful

organisation was thetruesecretof India's recuperative power

whenonehordefollowed

another

in ravagingthe land,orwhen

thecontinued failureof themonsoonrains broughtdesolation

and famine. The working of the secular bureaucratic ma-

chinery, which

has been

substituted for a system of self-

government probably the most perfect the world has ever

knownandconsecratedbythereligioussentimentoftheIndian

people,mayjustlyexcitetheastonishmentoftheworld. Itis

an amazing experiment based upon the same ignorance of

Indian historywhichinspired thewritings of

Fergussonand

his followers, but ithas stilltojustifyitself.

Just astheroot of Indian religion is tobe found

in the

daily life of the people, rather than in dogmas

or religious

feasts and ceremonies, so the derivationsof Indian

temple-

architecture must be looked forin thesimple shrines

of the

Indianvillage,where Indian life continues to find

its fullest

and mostcharacteristic

expression, rather thanin

the splendid

monuments bywhich royal devotees sought

toestablish the

supremacyoftheir

ownparticularcult; though

thesculptures

of Asoka's monuments disclose

someof the

characteristics of

Indianvillageshrines

inthe thirdcentury

B.C.