The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2019
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15466121722527192021-08-03T07:09:26Z The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition Desai, Ankur V. Art History In recent years, the growth of South Asian immigrant communities in North America and Europe has precipitated the founding of new and visually captivating religious spaces. One Hindu organization in particular, known as the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar-Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, has invested astounding resources for constructing traditional stone temples. Established in 1907, Gujarat, India, BAPS, is a sub-sect of a larger Hindu tradition known as the Svāminārāyaṇa sampradāya (tradition), which was founded in 1801 by the religious leader Sahajānanda Svāmī (1781-1830). Between 1907 and the present, BAPS has established over forty-four, large-scale stone temples—thirty-eight of which were founded after 1971—and over 1,100 smaller temple centers in India and abroad. For the adherents of BAPS, these structures serve both as spaces to incorporate the growing influence and evolving identity of Indian religious culture on a global scale and to conduct age-old ritual practices. Yet, despite the international visibility of BAPS’ temples, their historical, philosophical, and aesthetic origins—which are as complicated and fascinating as the buildings’ ornamental forms—have not been studied. Based on original field research, this dissertation synthesizes visual data and historical records and offers the first architectural and iconographic survey of BAPS’ major temples constructed from the early-twentieth century to the present day. In order to fully comprehend the philosophical and aesthetic roots of BAPS, my study further contextualizes this survey of BAPS’ architectural and iconographic traditions not only within the extent of the Svāminārāyaṇa sampradāya—out of which BAPS was founded—but also in the broader religious and artistic environment of nineteenth and twentieth-century Gujarat. Although there are a few scholarly explorations of pre-modern Indic temples that incorporate sectarian histories and narratives as a significant component of their analyses, this approach has rarely extended to studies of sacred architecture created by modern religious movements. This dissertation not only charts the temple building tradition of a particular Hindu sect, but also shows how its practice of constructing sacred structures continues to develop as a living tradition in modern times. Besides generating a crucial, historical mapping of BAPS’ visual traditions, my dissertation also explores the how organization’s most recent structures continue to engage with traditional artistic sources, new visual forms, and technology.By examining the architectural and artistic evidence of this particular community, my research addresses the ways in which recent BAPS temples embody notions of tradition and modernity, and reframes our understanding of Indic temples as an evolving visual expression. 2019-08-27 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1546612172252719 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1546612172252719 restricted--full text unavailable until 2024-05-06 This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Art History |
| spellingShingle |
Art History Desai, Ankur V. The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| author |
Desai, Ankur V. |
| author_facet |
Desai, Ankur V. |
| author_sort |
Desai, Ankur V. |
| title |
The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| title_short |
The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| title_full |
The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| title_fullStr |
The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Art and Architecture of the BAPS Svāminārāyaṇa Hindu Tradition |
| title_sort |
art and architecture of the baps svāminārāyaṇa hindu tradition |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1546612172252719 |
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