Cultural Continuity through Analysing Architecture of Hindu Temples in India
Hindu Temples, right from their evolution as rock cut to today's cast in situ construct, have continued their functional relevance in the Indian way of life. These are signified as places for hosting basically traditional cultural practices involving treatise based rites rituals that endured through generations. The architectural language historically practiced with essence of the geometry of "Vaastupurushamandala" a grid that imparts proportion orientation in the plan and with a pyramidical superstructure culminating vertically along with the ideational cosmic axis Mundi. Imagery expression of the Hindu temples is so esoteric representations that the demand for reassuring cultural continuity through analysing their architectural grammar is felt. Scholars have identified broadly three architectural languages for Hindu temples that are classical, modern and contemporary. Does the sense of 'authenticity' 'cultural heritage' continue through these different 'design paradigms' in terms of spatial patterns? The paper investigates the argument through selected illustrative case studies employing the primarily visual analysis of their respective published drawings. The research also revisits the existing critical analysis that reinterprets supplements the study process. The continuity of cultural identity in design paradigms are confirmed through the outcomes of the research. They are tabulated as a comparative matrix reflecting the underlining architectural pattern.