Mohenjo-Daro: Best preserved site in Indus Valley Trefoil: Three-lobed Veds: Body of sacred writings that took shape over these years Upanishads: Metaphysical texts which examine the meaning of earlier Vedic hymns Atman: Individual soul Brahman: Universal soul Samsara: Relentless cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth Buddha: "Enlightened One"; formed basis of Buddhist religion Mahhavira: Founder of Jain religion Pathfinder: Highly purified super-human beings Dharma: Divinely ordained moral law believed to keep world from falling into chaos Yakshi: female spirit associated with the productive forces of nature Yakshas: Male counter part of yakshi Ashokan Pillar: Monuments dedicated to Buddha, built by Ashoka Axis Mundi: Axis of the world, joins the earth with the cosmos Abacus: Slab forming the top of capital Chakras: One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body Stupas: Religion monument enclosing a relic chamber Dressed stone: Highly finished cut block of stone Toranas: Stone gateways Nirvana: Liberation from rebirth Mandala: Diagram of the great cosmos Viharas: Buddhist monastery Mandapas: Halls Garbhagriha: Houses an image of the temple deity; has a flat stone ceiling and windowless walls Shikharas: Towers on stupas designed in the north Amlakas: Crown shikharas; circular, cushion-like element Vimanas: Towers on stupas designed in the south Capstones: Crown vimanas Chaitya: Meaning "sacred" usually an enshrined stupa Sun window: Horse-shoe shaped window Chaitya window: see sun window Mithuna couples: Amorous male and female figures that evoka harmony and fertility of life Mahayana: Result of the evolution that Buddhism went through during the Kushan perion Iconography: Basic visual language Sanghati: Monks robes Lakshana: Two distinguishing marks on the Buddha Urna: Tuft of white hair between eyebrows Ushnisha: But or topknot Mudras: Type of sign language used to get certain messages in art Bodhisattva: Enlightened beings who postpone nirvana to help others achieve enlightenment Finial: Sculpted ornament in the shape of a leaf or flower at the top of a gable, pinnacle, or similar structure Lingham Shrine: A place of worship centered on an object or representation in the form of a phallus, which symbolizes the power of Shiva Shakti: Divine energy understood as feminine Bhakti: Devotional Bkagavad Gita: Sanskrit text xomposed of 700 verse from the Mahabharata
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Art History -Chap 9 -Vocab
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