Apparently, none of these civilizations survived.

Some points I disagree and agree with: 1. Dharmic religions are unique ie not congregational while all the structures presented have the common function of being structures around which public events take place. 2. The contrast drawn between Garba Griha and European cathedrals is not equivalent. The philosophical underpinning to the design of Garbagriha is to find either the deity or the light(Deepa) hidden within while the outside is a distraction. The point is to evoke a feeling of humility rather than awe. 3. Superstructures are a sign of an elite class that either has acquired power recently or needs a display to cement position. If that is the benchmark, 500 years from now, people will point to the middle eastern towers to show how the region was ahead of Europe. 4. One thing that is entirely true is there is a lack of public architecture and engineering even in the south unmolested by invasions. We have to accept that the grand Anicut is an abberation. We should have seen things like aqueducts, canals or even grand places of public interaction like halls. 5. The phenomenon of large structures is often an ode to centralisation that comes after conquest. It can be posited that native rulers who united after the Mughals did not get the opportunity to stamp their mark on the landscape as the obsession was with a reconquista of sorts(regaining back the lost sites, Kashi Vishwanath being case in point). It can also be recalled that Nehru was under considerable pressure to build a public structure, to which his response was 'dams are the modern temples of Indipendant India'

Here AIM is wrong in getting basics as he is comparing apple to orange. Indian temples and religious structures are not built for mass prayer as other civilizations had. Indian temple was never aimed for mass prayer at one particular time, rather it is a place where a deity resides in seclusion and people can visit in a time window.

Honestly one should make an educational video for AIM about what Agama Shastras are and why Indian temples were built in accordance to them.

It is promising to see people in the comments section who are more knowledgable on the subject matter than the speaker. I urge you folks with your fantastic rebuttals to make your own videos and share them. We need serious scholarship to understand our history, identity and future path; disingenuity and self deprecation just to create controvery and depression should not be welcome.

Ok, step-walls and rock-cut temples do not need engineering? Being an engineer I completely disagree with AIM. These days he has become overrated with having opinion on everything from food to engineering to architecture to defense to foreign policy to politics to religion to social issue to linguistics. I think new categories of noble prizes are needed for giving justices to his intellects.

So he’s talking about about konark, but mind you, a larger taller Building was there behind it that is not existant today. All the stones are gone. Its not visible. We might have that level of architecture in olden times and it might have been buried underground. Or burned down if it was wooden. Like look at the fort Raigad. One of the largest forts in the country. But it was burned down completely 200 years ago. Today you see nothing but ruins. How many more structures could be there that look like mountains? Even Nalanda wasn’t visible a few hundred years ago. So imagine how much of it could be just buried? I think we should just fund more time in in finding our History.

Confession: I came prepared to be depressed after a real tough week. This wasn't half as bad, quite fun actually. Lesson learnt. Guys, come with low expectations for AIMs sessions. 😅😂

Abhijit used to talk about expertise. Now he is himself talking about each and everything architecture, food, economics, bollywood....

I’ve been to Cambodia. It’s truly stunning.

Abhijit can you tell me how many temples or churches are there in each civilisation, you will find 2 ,3,10 not more than that. After lots of invasion still we have 5223 temples with small and big sizes. I think you didn't saw architecture of Indian temples in khajuraho, kailash temple.Ajanta Kailash temple carved upside down by digging whole mountain. The height of kailash temple is very big. India has number quantity and architecture.

I'll make a prediction of what AIM is gonna say b4 watching full vid = India has gr8 sculpture not architecture, less usable area inside it's structures opposed to more internal area in western stuff , in modern age sulputures can be replicated with mold and stuff whereas western stuff is fairly modern , usable amd unique

During Kakatiya rein there is entirely different architecture &civil engineering ,ex: thousand pillar temple,ramappa temple and many more.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE try and get Praveen Mohan and AIM together on one podcast. I know he does some pseudoscience but he really has extensive lived experience on India's temples.

Can you call KK Mohammad to your show? So that this chap gets some archeological lesson.

I felt the examples he took were cherry picked and the comparison between the architectures seemed lil unfair.... I would have included Ellora caves because it's carved in single monolith rock and some of caves do have a large space for the gatherings but most importantly they cover a lot of area

Kushal please bring praveen mohan, abhijit is not architecture

very well done ! also the subject is amazing....lots of room to expand and educate !

Oh I had to hold back on so much triggering hahaha! Thanks for the analysis guys, lots to think about 😊🙏🏾

Nice video, but the only disagreement I have is the constant comparison of structures of all different civilisations with only the brihadeeshwara temple. Certainly this isn't the only grt structure in India. Or are we claiming that this is the best pieced of indian architecture over the past 1000-2000 years. Try to get praveen mohan on your podcast to talk about this. Despite some of his claims which are pseudoscientific, his analysis of temples is quite insightful.

I think AIM should get more knowledge about History and Architecture from Abhijit Chavda and Praveen Mohan.

I appreciate the sheer beauty of these structures. But aren't we forgetting the Agamashastras. I mean they clearly focus on dimensions of the temple. So I mean this is kinda pointless

Construction of large monuments is not necessarily an indication of level or quality of a civilisation. Take China for example. A longstanding, successful and sophisticated civilisation but with almost none longstanding large monumental architecture. Architecture is largely a product of the civilisation's core values and available building materials. Chinese architecture, for example, is largely guided by Taoist and Confucian principles with some Buddhist thrown in. They did not build long lasting monumental buildings because they largely built from wood. Your assertion that European architecture is better than Indian simply because they built larger structures is wrong. The Greeks did what they did because of their core principles and the materials they chose to use. A better use of time would have been to compare Indian architecture with other architectures but then this would take a lot of time and effort. Much easier to say- this is bigger, so it is better.

when you realise the amount of archeological work done in india is less than 5% let that sink in

Even though I agree to some extent with AIM that we could've built bigger and better. But honestly, what purpose that would've served? Temples are not places of congregation like Churches and Mosques. They don't need to be big and hold space for thousands of people. Most people go to Temples for darshan and spiritual seeking, not to be awestruck and dumbfounded. Secondly, Temples are built according to Vaastu Shastra and they need to have specific form shape and form. What's the point in building bigger if it does not serve the intended (spiritual) purpose? A few kings here and there might have tried to build temples as showcases of their might and prowess but other than those it's quite plain to see that most Sanatanis never felt the need to show-off aspects of physical building prowess and rather focused inwards on the development of consciousness. Modern civic architecture in India is ugly as fuck and I agree wholeheartedly with AIM here.

Kushal watched this video today. I love your podcast. AIM and sham are my fav too. Having said that I urge you to have someone who is a subject matter expert in these kinda topics. AIM is great with political and historical topics but not on architecture. See if I have to give an anology it’s like this a doctor can talk about diseases but I need to find a specialist to pin point and isolate the problem and to get the appropriate treatment

Abhijit seems really fascinated by sheer size, height and types of pillars 😜🤪🥵

This reminded me of Akhilesh Yadav's comment on Rafale. Also, there is a difference between architectural design and Civil Engineering. Shapes, complexity, structural design comes in architecture and not the size of it. Just visit any of the big step-well of Gujarat and compare it to any other similar architecture from that period. Also, Cambodia's temple is a Hindu temple (Indian architecture). FYI, there are temples in other parts of India too.

# abhijit, what do you think of Elllora temples Isn't it tough to build a temple cutting a mountain

did aim considered kailasa temple in the video somebody pls tell i am not going to watch whole stream. if not then he must go learn about it and everybody should then you would know what indian architecture was and what was it able to do. it can't be expressed in words.

It was good to hear what Abhijit has observed about the world, also good to see the pushback from the engineering community. It proves that at least people are talking about things. Perspective - Churches and Mosques are part of monotheistic cultures, the places they were built in HAD an obligation to be HUGE considering how many would visit. Hinduism, each temple is dedicated to a specific God and sometimes built by a specific community for a specific purpose. This is the REQUIREMENT that the engineering community in the comments are talking of. At least that's how I see it.

AIM is a perfect example hoe Indians hate each other- 1.Just because Indians have the tallest statue doesn’t mean Americans and Japanese can’t built it.They don’t need it. 2.Height doesn’t matter as much as the architecture and intricate designs that have survived Harsh climatic conditions. Let’s not forget the Kedarnath Temple that has survived Even after being under the snow for years

Spengler theorized that different civilizations had/have unique driving animus/spirit behind them. ID remember or if he mentioned India. Ex: the push upwards of the Catherdal reflected the Faustian spirit of the West. Space tech and push is also a reflection of this force. The capped Onion Domes of Russian churches reflect a need for expanse horizontally into the steppe. Something about this lecture reminds me of that, but he peesenter never quite comes to a conclusion encapsulating the animus tying Indian architecture together.

Architecture of Indian medieval forts can be a topic in itself for a week. Aisa kuch topic rakho yaar.

also it explains something that has always baffled me about the lack of civic pride in India...it seems like it didnt occupy much mindspace even back in time ,,,of course there is no conclusive evidence but the best that one can surmise from ruins of histories across the globe ..!

Somehow this guy spits some intelligent stuff here and there which makes me come to this podcast But most of the time this guy is found mindlessly criticizing india. Don't compare apples with oranges We had every tool required for building big architecture marval .And we showed that we could by building a few like kailasha temple which is bigger than many Greek and Roman structure .It has the biggest cantilevered stone celling in the world now thas some engineering Also for making bigger structure we need to have a need for that .we didn't wanted to showel big in a building for some prayers .We made consecrated spaces which were made for good of people coming there not that the king were all who were allowed to be there Also for the demand of the bigger population there deities and temples in every village. Now we were able to bring machined finish on hardest of all rocks in form of shivlings . And why are you seeking for some kind of innovation in the design of temple . Don't you know we have scriptures for how a temple should be it should be the it is .what do you mean by saying they were copying Design of older temple ,small or big that's how the temple were ment to be .And don't show that cringed out face when the point of mass temple distructions is mentioned as the lack of evidence doesn't proves it's absence . And how could you include Konark temple and says all these Don't yo know it had a52 ton magnet to levitate the main idol isn't that some engineering .You want a big fucxxing dome for good engineering I could clearly see your fantasy of big big rounded things .I am sorry we couldn't satisfy your fantasies

AIM - Please see the Chaturbhuj Temple in Madhya Pradesh and see the internal volume generated.

Deliberately making a conversation on controversial topic that make lots of Indians triggered and locking Q&A behind pay wall is good tactics but ahole way of making money. I can understand putting pay wall if there are thousands of viewers but at any point of the stream there where only less than 400 at max, so WHY?.

Rani ki vav,, in gujarat .is 11.6 acres?what u think about it.

Thanks!

I hope AIM sees all the comments

Before accepting his rant, just observe how intentionally he concentrates on the size of the architecture and completely ignores the intricacy and complex nature of Indian architecture. Anyone could build huge stone blocks but it takes real engineering to withstand thousands of years of structural attack and still inspire the people. Had those pillars of temples so thin just like those in Persepolis, they wouldn't have tolerated Delhi Sultanate and Mughals. People like AIM are the reason why no one notices Indian architecture marvels and talk nonsense about Indians.

Aaj Abhijit bhaiya Architect and Engineer hain. The number of times AIM is wrong is mind boggling. Still gets a lot of time on you tube.

one of point that he didn't speak of is the amount of stone availability in india is scarce compared to Egypt or middle east where they have mountains of just stone thats why they could build big and because we are an idol worshipping country indian focused on sculpting art work on that stone slab which no civilization can match like those of hoysala temples and many more southern indian temples.

Outstanding topic !❤

The new under construction ISKCON temple in Mayapur is phenomenal!

I want to watch a full detailed discussion on Gothic Architecture it is fascinating, if AbhijeetIyerMitra and Kushal Bhai keep a session on the topic it will be great ☺️

Good work guys!

Awesome. Thanks

Amazing analysis ❤️❤️❤️

AIM is 💯% correct the Europeans were the pioneers of architectural engineering , ppl commenting does not know the difference between scalpturing on rocks & actually creating new architectural engineering technology 😂😂

22:51 Pillars are tall, yes, but with no roof to support on top of it! Don't get the comparison!

Ajanta ka kailash temple single stone se bna h uske bare me aapke kya vichar hai?

46:00 Building Construction also need study of land and soil nearby , if it can handle structures of bigger heights , etc .

The Roman true arch was a huge technological achievement. I wish India had the arch before the medieval changes. Then we could have had interesting structures of that period that would have endured.

great discussion

If only I had teachers like Abhijit

2nd PART NEEDED

Most people are confused between sculpting for architecture.

The problem with KZfaq channels is, everybody has a channel and everybody is an expert in all things. Worse than TV experts.

why you don't showং kailash tempal in elora

Naa…need someone who is actually literate in the field of architecture. Abhijit has a strong intellectual glass ceiling upto which he peaks like a 120 IQ midwit does. It’s like blabbering about wars after having read Ian Morris.

'upto 23:00' but the Vijaya Stambhas and Garuda Stambhas are huge, like really huge, + sculptures carved on them all over, not just the top, Idk if you will clarify this afterwards but just saying this

There has been a pattern with AIM, taking an apple template and apply it on orange and say this orange sucks as it is not according to this Apple template.

Using stone, which is high in compression strength and low in tensile strength needs knowhow of arches and domes to build big hollow structure.This was absent in ancient India.

please ask him to do video on oldest education system too thank you

Abhijit, the Spiers of the Cologne Cathedral itself was built in the 19th century..

What about the sun temple at konark

Apparently abhijeet is expert in everything under the sun..🤣🤣🤣🤣

Such a trove of knowledge

36:00 AIM talking about light . Go and search the Surya Tilak Technology in Indian temples .

I wonder how environment plays into architecture.

AIM was trapped in the "in between" years in India's fncked up education system and the advent of the Internet. Thus his view of architecture is heavily euro. Indian temples that have survived show a level of "engineering marvel" that is kept under the radar by gatekeepers even today because they would be rendered impotent. The key is India's BUILDING (fnck "architecture") in relation to India's CULTURE. Everything we built in the pucca "Hindu" period was centered on achieving moksha--the goal of life. Personal digs can be huts. There are engineering enigmas worldwide but nothing even comes close to "Hindu" building technology. Nobody could built columns sing musically in tune but the "Hindus". Very good subject and discussion though. Well done. We need more like this to examine India's "different" aesthetics (another firangi word) from ancient times. It is going to be a long journey of many decades but India must undertake it. And it will be very rewarding. Kudos to AIM for taking the lead. But he needs to find out what India was all about. The world is finding out as we speak.

Dwarka was in our accounts and now it is discovered underneath the water .

Superb !! The structures in the west are bigger in size, it has a history.

He didn't answer my question precisely. Rome remained as cultural center despite rise and fall of each dynasties. So was Bhagdad and other cities. Go by temple count it would be right parameter to measure.

Standardization of Temple building techniques due to compilation of Temple building technology as 'Sacred' text might be the reason.

Arre AIM you missed the entire point, 1. Domes are directly supported by pillars at the base so they can be built much bigger, the Shikaras are not supported by pillars so there is a limit to how tall they can be built. India did not adopt domes due to traditions, look up the Mahabodhi temple built during the time of Mauryas, the Shikara style had made its place long back in those days. Indians kings will not suddenly start abandoning Shikaras for Domes just like Pandits will not abandon Sanskrit for a much widely spoken language like English, simply because it is the tradition. The purpose of a Shikara is to mimic a mountain peak, so this is the best possible design for it, you can't simply build a dome in its place just because you want to build big. 2. You said we did not have public architecture, just visit ruins of Hampi for that, most of the public architecture elsewhere simply do not survive. Indian cities are very long inhabited, structure materials like stones were commonly reused from older structures. Only in places like Hampi which were quickly abandoned you will find some preservation. Public architecture is widely mentioned in ancient texts, I am surprised that AIM will claim that we did not have public architecture. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. Hampi had received so much praise from contemporary European travellers, one guy even called it better than Rome! You just need to read more. 3. Climate - It will be quite stupid to build large domes and cram everyone inside them in the Indian climate, it is better to construct a shikhara in India in the image of mount Meru and let people gather all around it under the open sky, that way you can reach more people than the dome can ever will. Large domes are beneficial in places with extreme cold as they will protect the devotees from the winds. 4. If you read Buddhist literature, India was a wooden paradise, like China. Wood is an extremely strong and light and cheap material and tall skyscrapers like W350 can be built entirely out of wood. The problem is that they require more maintenance so most of them do not survive. China is also a great civilisation with great architecture, you cannot judge the rest simply because of your love of Domes. 5. If you compare old forts with their contemporaries in Europe, Indian forts were much bigger and very numerous. I am talking about forts dating back to the last millennia, visit Reddit r/Castles and you can see the difference yourself.

I was wondering where rock-cut architectures went away. Tell me a single engineering marvel which can match kailasha temple (till today). AIM has just become another rathee, having slight more knowledge.

What about Ajanta and Ellora caves ? How can those marvels be explained

North mein bhi to black stone hi use kiya jata hai statue ke liye.... nahi?

1:27:10 At last something to agree on!

Jack of all arts...

As a foil for chest thumping Hindus with no knowledge of history , AIM is perfect. As a scholar of comparative studies, AIM is a waste of time.

No one can bullshit with as much confidence as AIM. All one hears is... bigger than this, bigger than that and engineering. Everything except what the podcast is supposed to be about... A R C H I T E C T U R E.

Temples and piligramage centers were not meant for only kings. Visiting different rivers and temples (Theertha Yatras) was an integral part of ordinary Hindus, as explained in Mahabharata..

I feel like he totally ignored the design and the amount of intricate planning gone into making sure the Indian temples arent just big or beautiful but pleasing to look at from every angle. Every piece of the temple is carefully carved out and so much thought goes into this. Its not about stacking bricks or building tall spires and large halls. This is what makes Indian architecture beautiful and i dont think ive seen any other civilisations architecture give so much thought to every single detail in their structures. the west may have many huge structures but that is clearly due to the nature of their religion and the climate. 1/4 of the year the weather is unsuitable for outdoor gathering and they have to meet every week for prayers. Islam is very much similar in this sense. Why even compare the size of our domes like that isnt a feature of Hindu architecture. If we had large domes that wldnt be hindu lol itll look somewhat islamic. We have small domes and huge pyramids thats just the style we have and thats what indians feel look beautiful and i personally like the look of the gopuram more than that of a dome. u just cant compare different styles that have different aims to fulfill.

what about kaniska stupa 400 to 560 feet high

AIM misses the points completely, temples are different, they are not meant for huge congregations like Mosques and Churches. My first dislike on the Charvaka Podcast.

Indian inferiority complex/insecurity was mentioned a lot of times in this podcast. It would be great to listen to AIM's take on this.

Bring Ramakrishna Kongalla on the show who is an expert in temple architecture.

Iyer Idli is the best!

1283ம் வருசத்திலேயே நதிகளை இணைத்த தமிழன் Kalingarayan Anicut by channel Tamil Navigation is an example of an extensive irrigation canal system built in Southern Tamil Nadu. As others have suggested, Praveen Mohan on Indian architecture and their function is a good place to start. Although I don't always agree with his interpretations, his enthusiasm and earnest effort to explore our heritage is exemplary! These two should worship their feet!

This series is great. We badly need a skeptical and critical lens in the space of Indian history and pre-history to balance the much more common tendency to glorify and embellish. Also, instead of simply adopting a neutral, "academic" tone, Abhijit dares to evaluate and compare. These comparative thoughts run in my head when looking into or reading about world civilizations, past or present, but it's very rare to see anyone else talk about it. Some great insights and provocative questions from Abhijit. Personally, I do not identify with any past civilization or people or culture, so I am not offended if one culture comes off slightly worse in a comparison with another. Also, there tends to be so much cross-pollination of memes that no culture can be considered a self-contained entity. But for brief periods, certain cultures do attain a distinct style and that provides enough material to compare and contrast as long as we keep in mind that these are transient meme-clusters that emerge, flourish for a while and then crumble.

Those who are into architecture, should look up the history of Sagrada Familia for inspiration.

I'd like to ask if you could compare houses and livable spaces too before forts. Majority of ancient Indian architectural doctrines were about dealing with climatic conditions so maybe a comparison of that to the Western civilizations would also be interesting. For example japanese architectural ajenda was dealing with earth quakes and other natural calamities that occurred in that island.You really can't call that inferior. Also agree that we shouldn't follow ancient doctrines with blind faith as now pandits have corrupted these and is one of the reasons why modern Indian architecture is at the state it is in. PS: As a practicing architect love that you have taken this topic up as very seldom do we have discussions like these in the public domain.

Nice one Kushal, but as proud Indian I am not happy. But learning point good points. We need to understand this podcast.

Akshardham Temple is not a cement temple. It is a stone temple built using interlocking.

I think I am going to disagree. architecture is not about making everything a desighn should include social and morale consideration .indian architecture is about micro detailing with each individualistic styles of that region

Despite the hate AIM gets about this, i understand his point. India always had a superiority complex, Indians always took pride 8n being vishwaguru, and a guru loses his headweight when he is forced to learn from those he consider as having inferior knowledge (not inferior architectural but inferior philosophical and mathematical knowledge). The problem is even temple construction is trapped in tradition. Innovation is stifled by tradition and romanticism in the field of architecture. Whats necessary for an old civilisation to remain on the top of any field of knowledge is innovation and evolution. The greek vs roman architecture, and angkor wat vs Indian architecture are prime examples. Its not that Indians are incapable of such marvels, but rather they were unwilling to learn adapt and evolve sue to pride and superiority complex.