torana
Sign in to saveA torana (tawr-uh-nuh) is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in East Asia and parts of Southeast Asia. Chinese Shanmen gateways, Japanese torii gateways, Korean Iljumun and Hongsalmun gateways, Vietnamese Tam quan gateways, and Thai Sao Ching Cha may have derived from the Indian torana. They are also referred to as vandanamalikas.
Article
18 sectionsContents
- History
- Types of ''torana''
- Socio-religious significance of ''torana''
- ''Thorana'' ([[Vesak]])
- Usage outside India
- East and Southeast Asia
- ''Torii'' in Japan
- ''Hongsalmun'' gateways and ''Iljumun'' gates in Korea
- ''Paifang'' in China
- Gallery
- Toranas in India
- Toranas overseas
- Derived styles
- See also
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- External links
A torana (tawr-uh-nuh) is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in East Asia and parts of Southeast Asia. Chinese Shanmen gateways, Japanese torii gateways, Korean Iljumun and Hongsalmun gateways, Vietnamese Tam quan gateways, and Thai Sao Ching Cha may have derived from the Indian torana. They are also referred to as vandanamalikas.
==History== thumb|left|Torana of Sanchi Stupa. The stupa dates to the period of the [[Mauryan Empire (3rd century BC), but the torana itself dates to the Satavahana period, in the 1st century BCE. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.]] Indologist art historian and archaeologist Percy Brown has traced the origin of torana from the grama-dvara (village-gateways) of the vedic era (1500 BCE – 500 BCE) village which later developed as a popular adornment for cities, places, and sacred shrines. According to the vedic text, the Arthasastra, gateways of different forms were to adorn the entrance to a city or a palace.