its significance
in Society Seema Bhalla
In India, sculpture has played a role of importance
with a different purpose. The Stambha (pillar) outside the
temples have been having, on its top, the sculpture of a
deity. The purpose of this was visibility of the temple and its
affiliated deity, far and beyond. It was also an affirmation
of the omnipresence of the Supreme Being while
simultaneously strengthening the faith of its believers.
Many such pillars can be seen, as part of temple complex,
particularly in villages and towns of Himachal Pradesh. In
the villages of Tamil Naidu, it is part of collective social
tradition to have larger than life terracotta horses that are
an offering to Lord Aiyannar. Sculptural architecture has
played an important role in India. Jantar Mantar , New
Delhi ,built in 1724, is one of the five such observatories
built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur and it is an
astronomical instrument .