(viii) Conclusion

We have thus trodden a very long path noticing (though very briefly indeed) as many as six standard manuals of Hindu architecture; What have we gained? Firstly our architectural traditions have retained a character, a changeless back-ground, the Adhāra and allowed a changing edifice, the Ādheva. This is truly Indian. Secondly all these texts owe their origin to a common fountain, a neo-religious upsurge as propogated by the Purāṇas and Āgamas in both the parts of our land, the North and the South. Consequently our architectural traditions are not only religious in their origin but also mystic in their evolution. This mysticism is the philosophy of architecture what is the martix [matrix?] of Indian architecture and its perfection as well. This is a general estimation of our architectural lore as is presented by these representative texts.

The next question which was put in the beginning, still remains to be attempted, namely are all these texts equally representative? Yes they are all equally representative in the context of the different evolutions of the art. The Mānasāra to my mind is the earliest representative text on Drāviḍa-Vāstu-vidyā when lofty palaces served to all intents and purposes, the abodes of gods and god-like kings. This is really a very daring proposition, but it is my own thesis as per my theory that Dravidian architecture is earlier than Nāgara-architectutre or the Northern Prāsāda-architecture. Archaeological evidences may not prove this contention of mine, but cultural history of our very ancient land as per the recent finds at very ancient sites like Mohenjodaro and Harappa have proved it cf. the previous chapter ‘An outline history of Hindu Architecture’ (both as a science and art). The Mayamata represents a later phase when admixture of Aryan and non-Aryan traditions of the art had begun. The Śilparatna may be regarded as the consummation of this tendency when all-India-Hindu composite-architecture had taken its emergence. Similar is the story, of the Northern texts, the Viśvakarmā’s works, the Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra and the A. P, and a detailed discussion may not be attempted as much has been said in the proceeding pages.