The Conceptual, Cultural and Artistic Significance of Purna-Kalasa and its Use in Hindu and Muslim Architecture of the Subcontinent

Indian art and its iconography represent one of the richest expressions of philosophical thought and religious devotion known to man. From initial conception of the Vedas to the prevailing symbolism in both art and culture, there is a historical continuity in which thought and expression persist and display an unwavering integration. Each and every symbol used in Indian art, be it painting, sculpture or architecture, is loaded with layers upon layers of meaning. An inquiry into the concepts that enrich the cultural significance of a symbol inevitably leads one the fundamental paradigms of Indian thought, which primarily assumed a philosophical character and then in the wake of political, cultural and economic needs, fostered Hinduism and subsequently Hindu culture. In a presumably dialectical fashion the symbols we find in art feed the Indian culture with philosophical resonance of the past.