Everything conventional is not always purposive, and not everything ancient is ineffectual.
This essay is an attempt to articulate the blind side of architecture and its influence that goes much beyond the apparent level of design efficiency and user-friendly systems.
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Perception is a corridor beyond which lies the boundless experience of existence, and architecture is a manifestation of one’s potential assisting in enhancing the perception. With such an enormous possibility we have reduced its prominence to ergonomics and sustainability.
Today we have reached a juncture where we have to re-examine our conception of development and growth in the form of efficient edifies, and controlling the expanding urban chaos. It amazes me to see that sustainability has become the need of the hour. While technology and machines were made to make life simpler, the unwise use of these tools has landed us in the era of the sixth extinction.
The most unique thing about this extinction is that only one species is responsible for this - we, the humans. Having said this, the major share of responsibility goes to the fraternity of architects. Inhumanly we have poached the forest lands and threatened unique ecosystems under the disguise of evolution and much-needed development. Such an incomprehensible approach is unjustifiable. While this was not enough, our ignorance still dismisses the interlink between covetous human aspirations and the pronounced climate change.
Architecture is seen through a primitive lens of designing and building infrastructure that caters to the current needs of the human population. However, the significance of this realm extends much beyond. Architecture is a fiber that binds the nation. It holds the amplitude that can inspire the user to tap into their dormant inner capabilities. In short, the role of architecture in nation-building is super-colossal. To uncover this bilateral relationship, let us see it through the lens of ancient India.
In ancient India, architects created consecrated spaces. This simply means that the design was rooted not just in science but even in intention. The creation was built with passion infused with possibilities. Today, it is reduced to mere replicative matchboxes deceiving even the creator - the architect. The architects of ancient India were created from a profound premise. The intelligence had its roots across scholarly domains. The structures were organically crafted, and cities flourished in rhythm with the principles of the cosmos.
Among the innumerable masterpieces of architecture in India, I would like to take 2 of them to explain my viewpoint here.
The first one is the Sun Temple in Odisha. This is a true gem that reflects many facets of human intelligence. Various elements are symbolic of comprehensive teachings in the field of astronomy, spirituality, and stages of human pursuit and nature. The name has its origins in the Sanskrit word, ‘Kona’ which means ‘angle’, and ‘ark’ which means ‘Sun’. Hence, it is commonly known as the Sun Temple.
The temple is built in the form of a massive sun chariot drawn by 7 horses. This is the epitome of seven days a week. The 12 intricately carved wheels of the chariot represent the 12 months of a year, and every structure built within represents the passage of time. Every single wheel has 8 spokes, which symbolize a 3-hour period, referred to as ‘prahar’; adding up to 24 hours of a day. This is an incredible sundial that helps the observer calculate time by studying the shadows cast by the wheels.
The well-crafted sculptures that adorned the temple walls depict the four major pursuits of human life: the Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha.
Even a finer detail such as a sculpture right at the entrance which has a lion crushing an elephant, and underneath the elephant is a human being, acts as a powerful reminder. The lion is the epitome of power and the elephant is a symbol of wealth. Thus, this is not just a sculpture that adorns the entrance. In fact, it is a reminder that man is often overpowered by money and power.
The second most fascinating example dates back to the 9th century during the Chauhan dynasty.
Today we struggle with a shortage of water, while a phenomenal rainwater harvesting system existed in the 9th century in the arid zones of Rajasthan in ancient India. India’s largest and deepest step well - The Chand Baori, located in Abhaneri, a small village in Rajasthan. This is a masterstroke of mathematical perfection, which has 3500 steps in perfect symmetry, descending 20 meters to the bottom of the well. This 13-floor deep step is well-ensured water all year round.
This a just a glimpse into how architecture weaved the teachings, aspirations, beliefs, and wisdom into its craft. Sometimes it served as a reminder to align human aspirations with the greater good, some other times it aligned itself with nature, enriching his life experience even in a harsh environment. With such an alignment it strengthened the quest of tapping into one’s limitless potential by understanding the laws of nature. And at the same time, it nurtured an inclusive consciousness where every being was revered and valued and seen as man’s equal.
As a nation, the canvas of this country was not just inclusive to every philosophy, but each one had its space to flourish and grow. With the diversity and harmony that ancient India held, no other country seemed to fathom this possibility. The architecture reflected these ideologies and profound intentions were infused in the creation.
The structures of ancient India were the epitome of subtler and deeper aspects of human intelligence, creativity, and valor. They integrated the essence of humanity into the designed edifices. Many mysteries remain uncovered that exemplify the science of acoustics, temperature controls, and integral security fundamentals. These are a few of the many magnificent things that ancient Indian architecture possessed, while the world went on to recognize her as ‘Sone ki Chidya’ ( The Golden Bird).
To comprehend this correlation between architecture and nation-building, it is imperative to look at what nation truly is, and what goes into nation-building.
A nation is an idea or a concept. This has physical boundaries defining its geography. However, the concept is alive because beliefs, culture, and ideology are its breath. To be breathless is to become imbalanced. Across the globe, the nations have been left imbalanced as the invasions happened.
The history of invasion imported a spectrum of ideas fostering innovation, but its intention remains questionable. When the intent is muddled, this is more harmful and regressive than the apparent evolution that it portrays. The idea of embracing the new and progressing towards unique avenues must stem from inclusiveness, rather than shaming the shortcomings of a civilization.
But the invasions that history witnessed destroyed the essence of that nation. Their beliefs, culture, and ideology were shattered, leaving them confused and ashamed of their origins. With such damage, most nations were left in dismay. Thus, they blindly adopted and replicated the apparent stability that they perceived in the principles applied by the invaders.
One cannot rewrite this spiritedness by a fragmentary outlook of dominance enforcing it to be blindly adopted. However, over the years most nations have adopted and nurtured a shallow perspective towards life. This has manifested in one of the most significant fields of creation - architecture.
The architecture of a nation must not reflect its invasion but its liberation. When the content and the context are aligned, the impossible becomes possible.
Today, unfortunately, our ignorance stands at loggerheads with nature, competing with ‘The Creator and the Nurturer’ herself. In many subconscious ways, we are trying to establish a dominance that stems from manipulation, shrewdness, insecurities, and greed. As a result, in the past couple of decades, the prominence of architecture is reduced to a denominator of infinity. The reason is, architects are trying to portray their competence, rather than engineer through their eternal magnificence.
When the creator himself is entangled in such a constricted perception, how can he contribute to an idea of nation-building, which by itself is an enormous idea to comprehend?
Nation-building is not just about having the best infrastructure that claims at fostering social harmony, ideal military conscription, policies of economic growth, and welfare. There are mere avenues through which an ideology expresses itself. History has recorded innumerable incidents of genocide under the disguise of nation-building. Just like empowerment cannot be enforced, nation-building cannot happen with such a superfluous perspective.
I firmly believe that architecture is that powerful strand that can awaken the defunct awareness. It can revive the worn-out spiritedness and intelligence that was dampened by years of invasion on our minds, imposing fabricated aspirations in the form of altering our idea of inclusive living.
I hope, in these trying times, when the world has come to a pause, we the fraternity of architects reflect on our intent, and our integrity, and revive the barter of our existence. This is the time to raise our consciousness and bring mindfulness to our creation that has been trampled by corrupted learning. We are at a crossroads, and this is surely an opportunity to pave an empowering path for the coming generations rather than leaving them with a distorted legacy. Every structure contributes to the fabric of existence, not just to the realm of nation-building.
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