Music in Stone: the application of Rasa theory on Jain temple architecture
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Sunita Manian, James Winchester
Abstract
Rasa theory is a theory of Indian aesthetics that defines a difference between the normal, everyday, personal emotions we experience, and the transcendent, universal emotions evoked by good art. Rasa theory attempts to define ‘good’ art, as well as explain how the universal transcendent art-emotions can be reached by looking at classic examples of theater, poetry, music, painting, and sculpture. Only recently in Western academia has architecture become a consideration in the application of rasa theory. With the beautiful and extravagant details major Jain temples such as Ranakpur, Dilwara, and Ellora are renowned for, I hope to investigate how these spaces can evoke rasa through their intended design and the application thereof. I hope to do this by first examining the basic concepts of rasa theory introduced by ancient Indian scholar Bharata Muni and explaining the importance of his theory in the study of understanding aesthetic philosophy, and then applying his theory by looking at how various aspects of rasa are applied in Jain temple architecture.
Start Date
27-3-2024 11:10 AM
End Date
27-3-2024 11:18 AM
Location
Arts and Sciences 2-75
Music in Stone: the application of Rasa theory on Jain temple architecture
Arts and Sciences 2-75
Rasa theory is a theory of Indian aesthetics that defines a difference between the normal, everyday, personal emotions we experience, and the transcendent, universal emotions evoked by good art. Rasa theory attempts to define ‘good’ art, as well as explain how the universal transcendent art-emotions can be reached by looking at classic examples of theater, poetry, music, painting, and sculpture. Only recently in Western academia has architecture become a consideration in the application of rasa theory. With the beautiful and extravagant details major Jain temples such as Ranakpur, Dilwara, and Ellora are renowned for, I hope to investigate how these spaces can evoke rasa through their intended design and the application thereof. I hope to do this by first examining the basic concepts of rasa theory introduced by ancient Indian scholar Bharata Muni and explaining the importance of his theory in the study of understanding aesthetic philosophy, and then applying his theory by looking at how various aspects of rasa are applied in Jain temple architecture.