Early Indian Architecture: Cities and City Gates

Ananda K. Coomaraswamy’s Early Indian Architecture is a study of the subject based mainly on the information as available in early Pali literature and as represented in the reliefs of Bharhut, Sanchi and Amaravati. The work is divided into two parts: Part I deals with cities and city-gates, etc. while Part II is on the Bodhi-gharas i.e. representations of the Bodhi-tree with or without a temple structure. Coomaraswamy has assembled the data systematically and in the process brought out details not only from literature but also from sculptural representations. He has confined himself not only to the early texts and material but also has made use of information from later examples, particularly forts, etc. The details about the lay-out of early cities, alongwith their different components, architectural terms as available in early texts and illustrations with copious notes on each have made this work invaluable for those interested in serious study of the subject. This monograph is a must for students of archaeology including art and architecture.