Shilpashastra, Śilpaśāstra, Shilpa-shastra: 13 definitions
Introduction:
Shilpashastra means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Śilpaśāstra can be transliterated into English as Silpasastra or Shilpashastra, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
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In Hinduism
Vastushastra (architecture)
Source: The India Center: Architecture (Vastu Shastra)Shilpa Shastra deals with sculpture – forms, statues, icons, stone murals etc.
Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Source: Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India: Education: Systems & PracticesŚilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र) refers to the “science of architecture” and represents one of the nine divisions of the Paurūṣeya classification of Śāstra knowledge; all part of the ancient Indian education system, which aimed at both the inner and the outer dimension of a person.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Shilpashastra (iconography)
Source: Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India: Painting: A SurveyŚilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र).—The śilpa-śāstra texts of art and architecture deal with the art of mural and miniature painting and also paintings executed on wood and cloth. The most comprehensive text is the Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa, which deals with the interdependence of dance, music and the visual arts. It is one of the eighteen Upapura6as.
Source: Shodhganga: The significance of the mūla-beras (śilpa)Śilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र).—The śāstras that deal with the śilpa are the śilpaśāstras. Śilpaśāstra is the science of architecture. It also includes vāstu-vidya or architecture applied to the construction of houses, fields, buildings of any kind (setu-bandha). The origin of this science has been attributed to Viśvakarma, the divine architect of gods. The śilpaśāstra deals with the rules of the construction of palaces, images, parks, houses and similar works. This science is fully treated in works like the Mānasara, Brāhmiya, and Manusara.
The important texts that give information on the science of architecture and figures (śilpaśāstra) are Māyamatam, Visvakarmeyam, Mānasaram, Kasyapam, Manusaram, Indiramatam, Saraswateeyam, Brahmeeyam, Śilparatna, Sakaladikaram, Ciṟpa Cennūl, and Viṣṇudharmottara.
Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Source: Oxford Reference: A Dictionary of HinduismA category of Sanskrit texts, or manuals, dealing with such arts/crafts (śilpas) as iconography, and the production of paintings and sculptures, particularly of temple mūrtis. More broadly it also covers aesthetics, planning and architecture, although the latter is also dealt with in Vāstuśāstra, resulting in no clear boundary between the two types of text. Śilpaśāstras have been produced from at least as early as the Gupta period (c.320 ce–c.6th century ce), reflecting diverse traditions across the subcontinent. Influential works of this kind include the Aparājitapṛcchā (western India), the Mayaśāstra (southern), the Tantrasamuccaya (southwestern), and the pan-Indian Mayamata. Produced by brahmins rather than craftsmen, they appear more concerned with theory and tradition—the symbolic meaning and ritual significance of the buildings and their contents—than with practical considerations and particular blueprints.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryśilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र).—n (S) A treatise on mechanics or any handicraft.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishśilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र).—n A treatise on mechanics
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryŚilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र).—
1) a book on any art, fine or mechanical.
2) mechanics.
Derivable forms: śilpaśāstram (शिल्पशास्त्रम्).
Śilpaśāstra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms śilpa and śāstra (शास्त्र).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum1) Śilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—archit. [Mackenzie Collection] 131. 132. Paris. (D 238. 13 first chapters). Oppert. Ii, 4187.
—attributed to Maya. Oppert. 5191. 6236. 8291.
2) Śilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र):—Gov. Or. Libr. Madras 95.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र):—[=śilpa-śāstra] [from śilpa] n. = -vidyā, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā] (also Name of a [particular] class of works on any mechanical or fine art, as architecture etc.; cf. [Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams 184]).
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusŚilpaśāstra (ಶಿಲ್ಪಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ):—
1) [noun] the art and sciece of sculpture.
2) [noun] any of the art forms that include drawing, painting, music, dramatic art or dancing; fine-art.
3) [noun] any of several branches of engineering as civil, electrical, mechanical, etc.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Source: unoes: Nepali-English DictionaryŚilpaśāstra (शिल्पशास्त्र):—n. one of the four Upavedas (उपवेद [upaveda] ); dealing with architecture;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Shastra, Shilpa.
Starts with: Shilpashastranusara.
Ends with: Bhanumatashilpashastra, Citrakarmashilpashastra, Sarasvatiyashilpashastra.
Full-text (+535): Bhanumatashilpashastra, Shilpishastra, Shastra, Dakshina, Upaveda, Sarasvatiyashilpashastra, Shilpavidye, Vastusutropanishad, Vardhaki, Sutragrahin, Sthapati, Takshaka, Dhatu, Samharamurti, Anugrahamurti, Sudha, Mudra, Kevalamurti, Alinganamurti, Patrapatta.
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Search found 42 books and stories containing Shilpashastra, Śilpaśāstra, Shilpa-shastra, Silpa-sastra, Silpasastra, Śilpa-śāstra, Śilpaśastra, Śilpa-śastra, Shilpashaastra, Shilpashastras, Shilpa shastras, Silpa sastras; (plurals include: Shilpashastras, Śilpaśāstras, shastras, sastras, Silpasastras, śāstras, Śilpaśastras, śastras, Shilpashaastras, Shilpashastrases, Shilpa shastrases, Silpa sastrases). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad (by Prasanna Kumar Acharya)
Architecture in the Agamas < [Chapter 3 - Classical or post-Vedic Architecture]
Hindu Architecture in Central America < [Chapter 11 - Hindu Architecture in Outer India]
Glories of India (Culture and Civilization) (by Prasanna Kumar Acharya)
Appendix 3 - Prasanna Kumar Acharya’s monumental work on Indian Architecture < [Chapter 7 - Original literatures]
The art of Sculpture (in ancient India) < [Chapter 5 - Basic arts]
Clothes and Ornaments (of ancient Indian culture) < [Chapter 2 - Economic life of Material progress]
Vastu-shastra (Introduction to Indian architecture) (by D. N. Shukla)
(ii) Subject-matter of Architecture (Vāstu) < [Chapter 2 - Scope and Subject-matter]
(v,11) Vāstu in the Śilpa-texts < [Chapter 4 - An outline History of Hindu Architecture]
Arts in the Puranas (study) (by Meena Devadatta Jeste)
2. Texts on the Art of Sculpture < [Chapter 4 - Sculpture in the Puranas]
1. Introduction to Dance in the Puranas < [Chapter 2 - Dance in the Puranas]
6. Proportionate Measurement (in sculptures) < [Chapter 4 - Sculpture in the Puranas]
Early Chola Temples (by S. R. Balasubrahmanyam)
Introduction < [Chapter XIII - Prasada: Component Parts]
Bronze, group 2: Age of Aditya I (a.d. 871-907) < [Chapter XI - Sculpture]
Kailasanathar Temple < [Chapter XIV - Conclusion]
The Structural Temples of Gujarat (by Kantilal F. Sompura)
4.2. Temples at Mandrapur < [Chapter 4 - Structural temples of the Caulukyan period (942-1299 A.D.)]
2.2. Vishwakarma and his works on Architecture < [Chapter 1 - Sources of architectural canons]
2.12. Sutradhara Rajasimha < [Chapter 1 - Sources of architectural canons]
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