Little attention has hitherto been given t the role of timber construction in Sri Lanka’s ancient architecture, and its photo-coverage has not until now appeared in one place. The buildings described here are mostly close to folk architecture but they comprise an important part of the ancient building tradition of Monsoon Asia-an immense area that includes parts of India, Nepal, Burma, Bal, and Japan, as well as Sri Lanka itself. Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka makes a permanent contribution to South Asian studies. The authors search out the ancient picturesque temples in the central hills. Guided by the well-known scholar, Professor Seneviratna, the book centres on colour photographs taken by architect Polk during an eight month sojourn in 1980-81. Both archaeological and architectural expertise thus combine, and added to this is the research into the writings of early travellers, researched by Emily Polk, poet and painter, who has put the threads of history of those adventurous days into a dramatic form. This collaboration is the result of their common interest in the ancient architecture of South Asia, and is written hoping that continuities from past to future may be maintained in these troubled present times. In Sri Lanka there are forests where modern ways have not overwhelmed tradition and where the old wood buildings tradition and where the old wood buildings still flicker in the magic of the trees. Here is the drama of the land and its people: the stream of pure notes from an invisible flautist, the first glimpse of Adam’s Peak, the romantic narrative of the Sacred Tooth kept secret for 900 years before emerging in Serendib. And then Kandy, where "high on the island the winds from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean are on a collision course and the sensation of colours, movement and light is electrifying." So, we believe, is this book.
View cart “The Ancient Geography of India, Volume I: The Buddhist Period Including the Campaigns of Alexander and the Travels of Hiuen-Tsiang” has been added to your cart.
Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines
$60.30
$67.00
In stock
Free & Quick Delivery Worldwide
All orders amounting to US$ 50 or more qualify for Free Delivery Worldwide. For orders less than US$ 50, we offer Standard Delivery at $14 per book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anuradha Seneviratna
Anuradha Seneviratna is Professor of Sri Lankan Culture at the University of Sri Lanka, and is one of the leading writers on the subject, having about twenty publications to his credit, some of which were UNESCO sponsored. He was formerly a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, has concluded a visiting fellowship at Oxford University under the Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship Organization, and is on the Board of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. He is a resident in Kandy. His publications include Architectural History of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, published by the Sri Lanka Government; Historical Monuments of Kandy, published by UNESCO and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; The Golden Rock Temple of Dambulla, UNESCO.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Benjamin Polk
Benjamin Polk is an American architect and planner whose personal design practice has been largely in South Asia. Among his important works are the great Buddhist Tripitaka Library in Rangoon, the Royal Palace for His Majesty the King of Nepal, Kathmandu, and the beautiful Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar, along with university and college groups, museums, and theatres, as well as extensive industrial, apartment, business, and residential buildings. Publications by Mr. Polk include Architecture and the Spirit of the Place, Rupa, 1961, and, with Emily Polk, India Notebook, Michael Russell (Publishing) Ltd., Salisbury, 1985, and Two Americans in the South Asia of Nehru's Time, Arts & Architecture Press, Santa Monica, 1986. The Polks are resident in England.
reviews
0 in total
Review by Anonymous
Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines
Be the first to review “Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines” Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a review.
Bibliographic information
Title
Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines
Author
Edition
1st ed.
Publisher
Abhinav Publications, 1992
ISBN
8170172810
Length
152p., 27cm.
Subjects
tags
#Sri Lankasimilar bookssee more
Hinduism: In The Context of Manusmriti, Vedas & Bhagavad Gita
Hinduism is often difficult ...
$37.80
$42.00
Women and Gender in Ancient Inida: A Study of Texts and Inscriptions
Subordination of women is a ...
$74.70
$83.00
There are no reviews yet.