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    Sthapati Qualification

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    Umapathy Acharya
    The document discusses the qualifications and hierarchy of Sthapatis, who are hereditary Hindu temple architects and sculptors. It states that according to ancient texts like the Vedas, a Sthapati must be born into the Viswakarma community and have mastery over numerous subjects including architecture, sculpture, engineering, mathematics, philosophy and more. They must pass through lower ranks like Taksaka and Vardhaki before becoming a Sthapati. Inscriptions from 11th century temples provide evidence that Sthapatis in history did possess the extensive qualifications prescribed in ancient texts.

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    Sthapati Qualification

    Uploaded by

    Umapathy Acharya
    170 views4 pages
    The document discusses the qualifications and hierarchy of Sthapatis, who are hereditary Hindu temple architects and sculptors. It states that according to ancient texts like the Vedas, a Sthapati must be born into the Viswakarma community and have mastery over numerous subjects including architecture, sculpture, engineering, mathematics, philosophy and more. They must pass through lower ranks like Taksaka and Vardhaki before becoming a Sthapati. Inscriptions from 11th century temples provide evidence that Sthapatis in history did possess the extensive qualifications prescribed in ancient texts.

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    This is an important document abour Viswakrma

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    The document discusses the qualifications and hierarchy of Sthapatis, who are hereditary Hindu temple architects and sculptors. It states that according to ancient texts like the Vedas, a Sthapati must be born into the Viswakarma community and have mastery over numerous subjects including architecture, sculpture, engineering, mathematics, philosophy and more. They must pass through lower ranks like Taksaka and Vardhaki before becoming a Sthapati. Inscriptions from 11th century temples provide evidence that Sthapatis in history did possess the extensive qualifications prescribed in ancient texts.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    170 views4 pages

    Sthapati Qualification

    Uploaded by

    Umapathy Acharya
    The document discusses the qualifications and hierarchy of Sthapatis, who are hereditary Hindu temple architects and sculptors. It states that according to ancient texts like the Vedas, a Sthapati must be born into the Viswakarma community and have mastery over numerous subjects including architecture, sculpture, engineering, mathematics, philosophy and more. They must pass through lower ranks like Taksaka and Vardhaki before becoming a Sthapati. Inscriptions from 11th century temples provide evidence that Sthapatis in history did possess the extensive qualifications prescribed in ancient texts.

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    QualificationforaSthapatyasperSilpaSastras

    K.P.UmapathyAcharya HereditaryArchitectandSculptor www.templearchitecture.com

    ThetermSthapatyisoneofthesurnamesofViswakarmacommunity,othersurnamesbeing Acharya, Viswakarma, and Oja etc. However, in these days, it is used to refer persons who are engaged in the civil engineering works of Hindu temples. In Rig Veda and Atharva Veda, the term has been used to denote the chief or viceroy. There are four important ranks: Sthapati, Sutragrahin, Vardhaki,and Taksaka in the hierarchy of architectsculptors in which Sthapatyisthechiefamongthem. Sthapati:HemustbeborninthefamilyofViswakarma.Heisthechiefarchitectsculptor. Sutragrahin:HeshouldbeadiscipleorsonofSthapati,Vedicscholarandanexpert surveyor. Vardhaki:Heshouldbeanaccuratemeasurerandsculptor.Hemustbeunderthecontrolof Sutragrahin. Taksaka:Heshouldbeabuilder,carpenterandunderthecontrolofVardhaki. Thesthapatiatthehighestpositioninthehierarchy,andbeforeonecouldattainthisstatus; he has to pass through the stages of Taksaka, Vardhaki, and Sutragrahin in that order. One canbeginworkasTaksaka,onlyifonehasbeenthediscipleofSthapaty. EssentialQualificationsforaSthapaty: HemustbewellversedinVedas. HemustbewellversedinSilpaSastras. HemustbewellversedinPuranasandEpics. Hemustbeanexpertinthefollowingsubjects: 1.Animalbehaviorandlanguage 2.Astrology 3.Astronomy 4.Calligraphy 5.CivilEngineering 6.Cultureofdifferentcountries 7.Economics 8.Epigraphy 9.Etymology
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    10.Geographyofdifferentcountries 11.Geology 12.Historyofdifferentcountries 13.Knowledgemanagement 14.Materialmanagement 15.Mathematics 16.MechanicalEngineering 17.MilitaryEngineering 18.Music 19.OpticsandLightengineering 20.Painting 21.Philosophyofdifferentreligionsorsect 22.Phonetics 23.Processoffluency 24.Prosody 25.Qualitymanagement 26.Sculpture 27.Soundengineering 28.Surveying 29.TownPlanning HemusthavethefollowingPersonalQualities: 1.AlwaysSpeaktruth 2.Charitableingivingfoodtoothers 3.Compassionate 4.Faithfultohisfriends 5.Firmindecisionmaking 6.Goodreputation 7.Happyinmind 8.Selfcontrol 9.Shouldnotbegreedy 10.Softspoken 11.Sweettongued 12.Shouldbefreefrom a.Addictiontoliquor b.Addictiontowomen 13.HeshouldnotresorttoBlackmailing 14.HeshouldnotindulgeinDaydreaming,Gambling,andHunting 15.Heshouldbealwayscuriousandeagertolearnothersciences. 16.Heshouldalwaystrytolearnfromothers.
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    The Rishis and Seers had codified these qualifications of the Viswakarma (Hereditary Architect and Sculptor)inthe Silpa Sastras. They arrived at thesequalifications as the result oftheirprolongedpsychologicalexperimentandprofoundinternalexperiences. In the absences of these qualifications as laid down by Rishis the mind become impure and the senses become confused. This results in misunderstanding, misinterpretation,andthereforemisapplicationoftheSastra. The Sastras have hinted as two kinds of knowledge such as lower and higher level of understanding. The lower level is the pure intellectual understating. The higher level of understanding is not intelligence but vision. The Indian systems of learning and education arealwaysinsistedthesignificanceandmagnitudeofthepowerofvisiondrsti. Drsti consists of two dimensions such as internal vision\ and, internal experience. Internal vision is not thought process but a sort of light in the soul by which things unseen become evident and real to it. Rig Veda and Mayamata talk about the drsti of the Muni and Rishi. Internal experience is pure psychological experience from which a Sthapaty is capable of creatingsymbols,whichrepresentnotonlyordinaryoperationsofexternallifearoundthem butalsotheexternalprocessesandoperationsofthemindandthesoul. One may wonder whether Sthapatis in the past had these prescribed qualifications, and if so, whether there proof for this. The proof is available in the form of temple inscriptions aboutindividualViswakarmas. Thefollowingaretwosuch11thcenturyCEinscriptionsinKarnataka,India. 1. AnInscriptionfromChannarayapatnamaboutthearchitectViswanatha: BorninthefamilyofViswakarma,thearchitectofthethreeworlds,Viswanatha, sonofBasavaacharya,whowasthesonofVodeyappaconsideredbeingtheJagat Guru. Epi.Carnataka.Vol.V.Part.I.No.187.Tr.P.2 07 2. An inscription about Sri Sarvasiddhi Achary, the chief architect of world famous ViruppakshaTempleatPattadakkal:
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    Hail! Sri Sarvasiddhi Acharya, the asylum of all virtuous qualities, the Pithamaha i.e. the creator, the maker of many cities and houses: he whose Conversation is entirely perfect and refined; he who for jeweled crown and crestjewel the houses and palaces and vehicles and seats and couches that he has constructed, the most eminentSutragrahinoftheSoutherncountry. OldCanarese Inscription.No.100 K.P.UmapathyAcharya Email:sastra1000@yahoo.com www.templearchitecture.com

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