Chapter 3 Solutions — A Journey through Indian Architecture

Questions and Activities

1. 1.
   In Fig. 3.5, calculate the full width of the house; compare with the length of your classroom. How many staircases can you make out? If the house owners lived upstairs, what might the rooms downstairs be used for?
2. 2.
   Form groups of four or five students and imagine you are artisans with just simple tools. Looking at Fig. 3.8, how would you go about building a dome of bricks? Looking at Fig. 3.12, how would you carve such a ceiling? Discuss and compare the different groups' conclusions.
3. 3.
   Why should there be so many stairways in Fig. 3.15? And in Fig. 3.17?
4. 4.
   Which pillars are easier to sculpt in your opinion—those in Fig. 3.25 or 3.27? Justify your answer.
5. 5.
   What are some common features across the different types of temples you have visited in this chapter? What are some of the differences?
6. 6.
   In the houses shown in Fig. 3.46 and 3.47, the central courtyard will receive a lot of water during rains. Will this not flood the house?
7. 7.
   If you had to create a Pan-India Architecture Museum, which ten monuments would you select to represent India's diversity and why?
8. 8.
   Choose an ancient monument in your region. Identify what type of architecture it belongs to and the markers you used to classify it.
9. 9.
   Different groups in the class take up examples of different types of architecture in your region. Prepare a small exhibition with brief descriptions. (Hints: Use different sources to get more information. Request your teacher to invite a scholar or expert from your region to interact with you.)
10. 10.
    Highlight the biggest threats to our architectural heritage today and discuss how can we protect it.