_________________________________________________________________________

DISSERTATION

FRACTAL CONTENT OF THE SURFACE OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION

THE TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO

DEMIS ROUSSOS BHARGAVA (9604) JULY 2001

Guide: MR. RAJAT RAY

 TULSI VIDYA BHARTI SCHOOL OF HABITAT STUDIES
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

DISSERTATION Title: FRACTAL CONTENT OF THE SURFACE OF

ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION – THE TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements
Intro
Hypothesis
Methodology
Scope and Limitations
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I: Information Content
Painting Space
Layering
Ordering Elements of Composition
Composite Layers, Discrete Elements
Coding Space
Coding Styles
Genes and Systems Generation

II: Fractal Geometry

Infinite Complexity: The Fractured Surface of Space
Variables
Quantifying Complexity

Case Study: Khajuraho

Evolution of a Style: Deconstructing Surface
Coded Layers, or The Spatial Representation Of Ordering Principles
The Complex Surface of Sacred Space
Fractal Dimensions: Quantification of Layered Complexity

Results
Conclusion
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mr. Rajat Ray, for being patient whenever I went off on one of my more ambitious – or
just plain weird – tangents (and for being a closet rock fan),
Dr. K.L. Nadir, for guiding this particular sheep when he needed the help,
Mr. A.B. Lall, for the confidence,
Mr. A.G.K. Menon, for quietly encouraging me to speak up,
Mrs. Madhu Pandit, for the words of encouragement,
Mr. Anand Bhatt, for putting things into perspective and making life a lot more interesting,
Mr. Nikos A. Salingaros, for the prompt and valuable correspondence,
Martin Nezadal and Oldrich Zmeskal, for the HarFA program,
Anvita for her valuable advice,
The rest of the ‘Pandavas’,
Vishal, for the friendship (and the C&Hs),
Jaspreet, for listening,
Anyone else from the class or elsewhere I may have forgotten (please don’t sue me!),
Limp Bizkit, Korn, U2 and all the other bands, for the company during the long days and
the even longer nights,
Stephen King, for the Dark Tower,
Dana and Dev, for the uninterrupted access to the computer (more or less, anyway!),
All my esteemed colleagues at the Academy and

My parents, for everything.

 intro

No one is listening.
Now you may sing the selfsong,
as the bird does, not for territory
or dominance,
but for self-enlargement.
Let something
come from nothing.
….
Texas Suite: Stan Rice

Very little is
more worth our time
than understanding
the talent of Substance.
…
A bee, a living bee,
at the windowglass, trying to get out, doomed,
it can’t understand.
Untitled: Stan Rice
The architectural object is painted space. We relate to the space and respond to it
through its surface. The information encoded by the surface determines our
correspondence with the space defined. The wall becomes a surface of interaction,
rather than a passive element of delineation. While information encoded may not be
designed, modes of transfer and representation are within the scope of the designer.

Information can be defined as an abstraction from any meaning a message might have.
It can be represented as a sequence of bits 0 1 1 0, or as a sequence of alphanumeric
characters. The form of information storage, transmission or retrieval – whether digital or
analog, binary or decimal – is irrelevant to the issue of conveying meaning to people.
Information stored in architectural composition is encoded in and by its very geometry.
Discrete elements and compositional layers combine to form the surface of space. The
complexity of this surface, and its relationship with the ordering principles organizing the
space within, is dependent on the resultant geometry of composite layers. Nowhere is
this complexity more evident than in the temples of Khajuraho. The objective of this
study would therefore be to study the temples of Khajuraho, and test the hypothesis that:

Evolution of the temple style at Khajuraho is characterized by increasing fractal content

of the composite layers constituting its surface, caused by isometric transformations and
addition of sub-elements within the overall shape pattern schema

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

! Metaphysical rituals and belief systems influencing temple form are briefly
introduced. The primary focus is on the physical resultant of these ‘genes’.
! The changing phenotype of the temple form is quantified by fixing variables within the
spatial representation of the generating code. Other variables and the causes for
these changes are not discussed in detail as being beyond the scope of this study.
! Comparisons between different objects within and without architecture highlight
differences in complexity based solely on the variables chosen. They are not
comments on the validity of the generating systems of thought.

METHODOLOGY

! Understanding compositional operations that order discrete elements into the

composite layering of the surface of space.
! Spatially representing the generation of this surface and deriving a method for
quantifying variables within the representation, namely geometrical properties
! Applying this method as a means of deconstructing the evolution of the temple style
at Khajuraho
 I: information content

If we fully apprehend the pattern of things of the world will it not be found that every thing
must have a reason why it is as it is? …a rule [of co-existence with all things] to which it
cannot but conform? Is not this just what is meant by Pattern?
Hsu Heng

A man builds a city,

With banks and cathedrals,
A man melts the sand so he can
See the world outside…
Lemon: U2
 PAINTING SPACE

The wall forms the patina of the spatial painting. This

patina or surface acts as a screen that transmits
information to observers [users]. Information here
refers to an organizing mechanism that allows the user
to deal with the environment defined by the wall.
Information has conventionally been classified
according to its mod of transmission: cultural, genetic
and exosomatic. These units exist through time as
lineages of information, in a manner similar to
genealogical communication. Conservative structures
are passed down different channels of transmission
such as books or CDs.1

Information transmitted by the surface links the user to the building system in a non-
linear manner. Here information flow is not a unidirectional movement through time: it is
two-way traffic taking place in real-time. Architecture, then, is not a collection of non-
interacting forms and voids, abstractly represented through lines on paper.2 It is a
complex system tied together by both static and dynamic linkages.

This complex system represents something not found in isolated, discrete elements.
When elements at one scale combine to form a higher scale, an emergent property
3
arises which may have been completely unanticipated. This means that complex
systems are irreducible, a conclusion that goes against the assumption of 19th century
mechanistic physics that a complex system can never be more than the sum of its parts.

The work of the mid 20th century artist Jackson Pollock offers valuable insight. Pollock
replaced brush-strokes with trajectories: his paintings were created by dripping a
continuous flow of paint from a can suspended over canvas laid flat on the ground. The
process mimics the creation of frescoes, with discrete layers being formed over a period
of months at a time. Following the establishment of an anchor or base layer, subsequent
layers would be added immediately after the preceding layer had dried and set. The
process has been described as ‘chaotic layering in an ordered manner’.4 The difference
arises with the replacement of broken lines by a continuous trajectory.

1
The Evolution of Information - Susantha Goonatilake
2
A Pattern measure – Nikos A. Salingaros
3
A Pattern measure – Nikos A. Salingaros
4
Fractal Expressionism – Richard Taylor, Adam P. Micholich and David Jonas
To prove the use of chaotic flow systems by Pollock, scientists from the University of
New South Wales recreated the process. A pendulum was hung over a canvas and its
normal periodic motion modified using electromagnetic coils. The resultant motion was
recorded on the canvas below by paint dripping from the pendulum. The chaotic patterns
‘painted’ on the canvas were compared with examples of Pollock’s work.

Normal motion Chaotic motion Painting by Jackson Pollock

Natural chaotic systems form fractals in the patterns that record the process. 5 Fractals
are complex geometrical objects that will be discussed in more detail later. They show
statistical self-similarity (SSS), rather than exact self-similarity (ESS). This means that
patterns observed at different magnifications may not be identical but they can be
described by the same statistics.

(a) ESS in geometry: the Koch Snowflake

(b) ESS in physics: Sinai billiard
magnetoresistance
(c) SSS in nature: Coastlines

Fractal patterns can be inferred from the following visual clues:

" Fractal scaling: Difficulty in judging the object’s magnification and the length scale
" Fractal displacement: The possibility of describing the pattern by the same
statistics at different spatial locations.

5
Fractal Expressionism – Richard Taylor, Adam P. Micholich and David Jonas
 LAYERING

Pollock’s paintings serve as a metaphor

for the surface of space. Discrete
architectural elements combine at small
length scales to form higher scales with
emergent properties. Fractal patterns are
built up over time. In Pollock’s paintings, different colors are introduced sequentially, with
the same color deposited during the same period in the painting evolution. Taylor and his
team electronically deconstructed the paintings into their constituent colored layers and
calculated each layer’s fractal content. Fractal content is given by the value of the fractal
dimension – a property explained in II: Fractal Geometry. The higher the fractal
dimension, the higher the coverage of the canvas surface area.

Composition with Pouring II 1943 1.0

Number 14 1948 1.45
Autumn Rhythm 1950 1.67
Blue Poles 1952 1.72

Within the overall composition, each layer consists of a uniform fractal pattern. As each
of the patterns is incorporated to build up the complete pattern, the fractal dimension of
the overall composition increases. Thus the combined pattern of many layers has a
higher fractal dimension than those of individual layer contributions. The first layer acts
as an anchor layer for subsequent layers that then fine-tune the high fractal dimension of
the anchor layer. The anchor layer of ‘Autumn Rhythm’ occupies 32% of the canvas
surface area, with the complete pattern occupying 47%. The anchor layer is thus
designed to dominate the composition.

" Complex surfaces are composed of discrete layers of architectural elements

" Each layer contributes towards building up the fractal content of the overall
composition
" The anchor layer dominates with subsequent layers increasing the fractal
dimension slightly

These principles are valid for the evolution of one building or for buildings belonging to
an architectural style. Pollock’s individual paintings evolved through the addition of
discrete layers, while in the larger context of style evolution, fractal content was
increased. Initial paintings occupy 20% of the 0.35m2 canvas area while later multi-
layered paintings occupy 90% of the 9.96m2 area.
ORDERING ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION

Building up the surface of architectural space therefore involves layering of discrete

elements. The fractured surfaces that results from a high degree of layering encodes
organized complexity.

Information and Detailing in the Horizontal Plane

Vertical facets and flutes Amphitheatres Courtyards

Colonnades Columns and pilasters Fluted columns

Information and Detailing in the Vertical Plane

Facets Roof edges Roof corners Arches

COMPOSITE LAYERS, DISCRETE ELEMENTS

These elements are organized and ordered through compositional rules.

Bilateral symmetry Translation Chiral symmetry

Similarity symmetry Helical symmetry Multiple symmetry

The perception of architectural forms can therefore be divided into three aspects:
(i) The information content depends on the design and geometry of discrete
elements and their subdivisions
(ii) Information access is governed by the orientation of surfaces, their differentiation
on the smallest scale, and the microstructure in the materials
(iii) Interactions between discrete elements create fractured surfaces

Emergent properties arising from these fractured surfaces depend on the geometry
arising from the interaction of discrete elements within the whole. Since the fractal is
governed by its own peculiar geometry, the level of information encoded by it should be
dependent on its geometrical properties.
CODING SPACE

Discrete elements interacting at larger scales change the total subtended angle for which
each solution works. To ensure an averaged equivalence of signal transmission to
observers at different locations with respect to a surface, the overall piecewise concavity
shows spatial differentiation at the smaller and intermediate scales. With enough
segmentation, it shows different substructures. These sub-structures are organized and
ordered through compositional rules that can be coded using shape data schema.

Developed by Myung Yeol Cha and John S. Gero, shape data schema describe patterns
based on visual organization and the recognition factors of typicality, similarity,
frequency, dominance and multiplicity. Conceptual shape descriptions are constructed in
a hierarchical tree structure using pre-defined shape knowledge. Shape pattern schemas
are generalized from a set of multiple representations for a single object or a set of
representations for a class of shape objects using inductive generalization.6

Put simply, transformations applied to an object to create a new one are mathematically
represented. The initial object e1 and the resultants of the operation k repeated n times
designated en. Special conditions that guide the operation are termed as arguments an.

The diagram above shows the four basic possible operations translation, rotation,
reflection and scaling, represented by k = 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Each operation has
a special argument an that dictates the direction of the operation. For example,
translation (1) of object e1 by distance a1 creates object e2. Similarly, arguments a2-5 apply
to operations 2 to 4. The operation is described in further detail using a nesting operator
i= 1Π
x
. The nesting operator denotes x recursive applications of isometric transformation k
to shape elements ei with transformation arguments ak. The resultant shape S is
described by
S = i= 1Πx k { ei, ak }
For complex compositions, the description involves multiple transformations coded in a
hierarchical manner.

For example, the above diagram shows two seemingly different compositions Sa and Sb.
Sa is formed by rotating (k = 2) an oval (ei) through 90 (a2) four (x) times. The process of
rotation is represented by e2 = 2 { e1, (a2, a5) }, where a2 and a5 are the angle and centre
of rotation respectively. Therefore,
Sa = i= 1Π4 2 { Ovali, (90, a5) }
Similarly, Sb can be represented as
Sb = i= 1Π4 2 { Trianglei, (90, a5) }

The two group shapes are therefore structurally similar though composed of different
sub-shapes.

More complex relationships are represented through shape pattern schema where shape
elements and lower level relationship
elements or schemas are considered as
variables.
The composition on the left, for example, is
the result of two operations, translation and
rotation, described by
S = j=1Π3 1 { i=1Π4 2[ei.j, (90, a5)], (a1, a3) }
The sub-shapes are rotated about a5 through 90 four times, and the overall object
translated in the direction defined by a3, at intervals of a1.

6
Style Learning: Inductive Generalization of Architectural Shape Patterns - Myung Yeol Cha and
John S. Gero
CODING STYLE

Shape pattern schema can be used to represent properties that characterize a particular
style. Schapiro defines style as constant forms and qualities, particularly with regard to
replication of shape qualities.
Cha and Gero represent style through a basic schema
Style (N) = {(UM), (UF) }
where N, M and F are the name, members and form elements respectively
For example, the Gothic style can be described by
Style(Gothic) = {(Paris Cathedral, Laon Cathedral, Rheims Cathedral, Nayon Cathedral)
(Pointed arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, stained glass)}
The basic schema is then elaborated to describe the shape pattern schema, so that the
style is characterized by a numerical representation of its distinctive formal qualities.

If Style(Gaudi) = {(Casa Batlo, gratings, windows, Casa Mila roof), (reflection, gradation,
translation) }, the diagram above can be represented through shape data schema as:
 7

GENES, CODES AND SYSTEMS GENERATION

Shape data schema can serve two primary functions:

" Code the formation of the composition from its sub-shapes
" Group objects into styles based on compositional rules

While the first building on the left has an

element being rotated by 90 four times,
the second has one element being rotated
by 45 eight times. The two buildings
therefore belong to the same shape
schema, with Sa nested within Sb.
Similarly, the members of a style can be
confirmed as such by verifying a common
shape data schema, or genetic code.

As a genetic code, shape data schema code, among others,

fractured surfaces. Organisms have a multiplicity of
intermediate scales in the various functional systems of the
human body: circulatory, respiratory, neural and locomotory.
This large hierarchy of structural and functional levels has a
high value of relevance over a continuum of scales, and

7
Image source: Style Learning - Myung Yeol Cha and John S. Gero
mutually interacts. Each of these aspects of living organisms takes place at the level of
molecules as well as at the level of cells, organs, individuals, social groups or
ecosystems. The growth of most organisms is dependent on density: as soon as the
distance between two neighboring relevant levels gets sufficiently large, a new
intermediate level emerges.

In living organisms, DNA translation produces

proteins that constitute fractal networks within the
larger organism – composite layers and discrete
elements. In the human body, the fractal nature of
systems allows for the occupation of a large area
within a restricted volume. The lungs have a large
surface area for air exchange due to the fractured
surface of its constituent bronchioles. Constituent systems maximize surface area within
a fixed volume to maximize efficiency of the overall system.

II: fractal geometry

It is the perfect law of Unreason.
F. Galton

A strange place this dirt ball is…

Dirt Ball: Insane Clown Posse with Twiztid

INFINITE COMPLEXITY: THE FRACTURED SURFACE OF SPACE

Any segment – no matter where, and no matter how small – would, when blown up by the
computer microscope, reveal new molecules, each resembling the main set and yet not quite
the same. Every new molecule would be surrounded by its own spirals and flame-like
projections, and those, inevitably, would reveal molecules tinier still, always similar, never
identical, fulfilling some mandate of infinite variety, a miracle of miniaturization in which every
detail was sure to be a universe of its own, diverse and entire.

…Their [Peitgen and Richter] pictures of such [fractal basin] boundaries displayed the
peculiarly beautiful complexity that was coming to seem so natural, cauliflower shapes with
progressively more tangled knobs and furrows. As they varied the parameters and increased
their magnification of details, one picture seemed more and more random, until suddenly,
unexpectedly, deep in the heart of a bewildering region, appeared a familiar oblate form,
studded with buds: the Mandelbrot set, every tendril and every atom in place. It was another
signpost of universality. “Perhaps we should believe in magic,” they wrote.

Extract from ‘Chaos’ by James Gleick

VARIABLES

8
In the mind’s eye, a fractal is a way of seeing infinity.

Fractured surfaces are therefore composed of individual layers that contribute towards
the overall fractal content. The layers and the way they aggregate is dependent on
compositional rules laid down by the architect, which can be represented through shape
data schema.

Within the shape data schema, the fractal dimension variable is of significance. Either in
terms of a resultant value describing the geometry of the composition, or as a generating
code describing the creation of that geometry, the fractal dimension gives the level of
space occupied by the surface. The higher the value – as seen in Pollock’s paintings –
the more space occupied and, by corollary, the more there is for the user to react to.

A fractal is produced by iterating (repeating) a basic function onto an object, with the
result that each iteration adds a little area to the inside of the preceding figure, but the
total area remains finite, since the figure produced is bounded by the area of the original
figure. However, the length of the figure produced is infinitely long. The end result is that
infinite length exists within a finite area. Fractals therefore occupy fractional dimensions.

8
Chaos – James Gleick
 As a non-fractal object is magnified, no new features are revealed

As a fractal object is magnified, ever finer new features are revealed

QUANTIFYING COMPLEXITY

The concept of a fractional dimension is difficult to grasp intuitively, since we conceive

space as existing in three dimensions, moving through the fourth dimension of time.
Mathematically, it can be described simply:

A point has no dimensions - no length, no width, no height.

A line has one dimension - length. It has no width and no height, but infinite length.

A plane has two dimensions - length and width, no depth.

Space, a huge empty box, has three dimensions, length, width, and depth, extending to
infinity in all three directions.
The concept of a dimension
1. Take a self-similar figure like a line segment, and double its length.

Doubling the length gives two copies of the original segment.

2. Take another self-similar figure, this time a square 1 unit by 1 unit. Now multiply the
length and width by 2.

Doubling the sides gives four copies.

3. Take a 1 by 1 by 1 cube and double its length, width, and height.

Doubling the side gives eight copies.

The dimension is the exponent. So when we double the sides and get a similar figure,
we write the number of copies as a power of 2 and the exponent will be the dimension.
Figure Dimension No. Of Copies
Line 1 2=21
Square 2 4=22
Cube 3 8=23
Doubling similarity d N=2d

This means that a line can be divided into n = n1 separate pieces. Each of these pieces
is 1/nth the size of the whole line and each piece, if magnified n times, would look exactly
the same as the original. In the case of the square, the value 2 signifies that it can be
divided into n2 pieces, and the cube is composed of n3 pieces. This means that if a figure
is divided into pieces, magnifying these pieces by a factor of n reveals the original figure.
As a result, the dimension of the figure can be calculated by dividing the logarithm of the
number of divisions by the logarithm of the magnification factor 1/n. For fractal objects,
this value would be fractional. This fractional value can be calculated for buildings using
the Box Counting Method.

The Box Counting Method (The BCM)

In the BCM, a square mesh of various sizes is laid over the image (containing the
object). The number of meshes N(r) that contain part of the image is counted. The slope
of the linear portion of a log [N(r)] vs. log (1/r) graph gives D the fractal dimension. The
graphed value of N(r) is usually the average of N(r) from the different mesh origins. The
limited resolution of most data renders the estimation of D sensitive to the range of box
lengths ∆ used. In the fractal analysis software used, the range of error caused by low
resolution of the image is negated. The limited resolution of digitized images results in an
underestimation of counts for smaller boxes, resulting in a convex log-log plot (and an
underestimate of D). Probabilities are assigned using a binomial model and solving for p.

case study: khajuraho

If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything.
Edward Johnston

God is in the TV.

Marilyn Manson

EVOLUTION OF A STYLE: DECONSTRUCTING SURFACE

Good examples for a style are maximally similar to members of their category and
9
minimally similar to members of other categories. Commonalities characterize style:
similarity in materials, shapes, and space organization. Shape pattern schemas can be
used as rules for shape generation, and learned shapes and shape patterns can be
initial shape elements for shape grammar generation. Base shapes for shape generation
can be constructed from the combination of properties of family style. The initial
application therefore involves constructing a set of preliminary shape pattern schema
tracing the transformations applied in the evolution of temple style at Khajuraho. These
give the process of addition of sub-shapes to the overall composition: our concern is
more with the resultant fractal contents. Increasing fractal content in the course of
evolution and identification of the anchor layer would prove the relationship between sub-
shape transformations and the changing fractal content of the overall canvas.

In general, temple evolution has been driven by the need to represent:

• The Vastupurushmandala, a square diagram on which the temples are founded, in
the centre of which is the place for Brahman, the formless, ultimate superior reality
• The Cave Mountain and Shelter

9
Style Learning - Myung Yeol Cha and John S. Gero
• The Sanctum as womb/cave
• The Temple as mountain

The north Indian temple had its origins in bamboo

construction, with the base derived from the Vedic sacrificial
altar and the spire from the tabernacle formed by tying bent
bamboo at their apex. This combination of altar and spire
gave shape to the Nagara style of temple architecture in
North India. The configuration of vertical axis, square altar
and enclosure persisted in Indian architecture to
‘demonstrate the participation of each monument in the
cosmogonic process’.10 The temple form evolved from a
centralized, bilaterally symmetrical structure to one with a
defined longitudinal axis to aid access and approach. The
early wooden construction gave way to stone as a building material, with the basic formal
composition being retained. Stone construction in temple architecture was taken to its
pinnacle by the Chandella dynasty at Khajuraho, in the period 950 – 1050 A.D.
The temples demonstrate a unified style that differs
only in detailed surface expression though
belonging to three sects: Shaiva, Vaishnava and
Jaina. The basic code of elevated porch, linear axis
culminating in the garbhgrha, capped by the
shikhara persists throughout. Refinements in the
temple structure were made mainly to the
superstructure and the surface treatment.

10
The Hindu Temple: Axis of Access – Michael W. Meister
Based on parameters of design and form, the temples at Khajuraho were divided into the
following classes by A.G. Krishna Menon and S. Punja in their study of the evolution of
temples at Khajuraho, ‘The Legacy of Khajuraho’:
" Lalguan Mahadeo type
" Varaha type
" Brahma type
" Chaturbhuja type
" Javari type
" Devi Jagadambi type
" Duladeo type
" Lakshman type

The Lakshman group is the highly developed in terms of the complexity of the surface of
its members. It comprises three temples: Lakshman, Visvanath and the Kandariya
Mahadeo, in increasing order of complexity. The isometric operations applied
successively to the skin can be coded by shape data schema. Divided into discrete
elements and composite layers, the fractal content of the overall composition coded can
be calculated. The changing values act as variables describing each schema.
CODED LAYERS

Shape pattern schema when used to describe the Khajuraho style:

A. Basic deconstruction of layering of sub-elements
B. Primary transformations applied to sub-elements within the overall composition
C. Isometric transformation applied to the overall composition
D. Shape pattern schema of Khajuraho temple style, using inductive generalization
E. Fractal content of individual and composite layers coded

A. Layering of sub-elements

Lakshman Temple
 Visvanath Temple

Kandariya Mahadeo Temple

B. Sub-Elements and Primary Isometric Transformations

Scaling
Gradation of translations described by
i= 1Π 4 { 1[j= 1Πn 1 (ej.i, (a1,a3)), (a1,a3)], a4 }
n

a1 = distance, a3 = axis of translation, a4 = scale factor

1 and 4 are isometric transformations translating and scaling respectively.
Reflection
Mirroring of parts within the whole, described by
i= 1Π 3 { 1[j= 1Πn 1 (ej.i, (a1,a3)), (a1,a3)] }
n

a1 = distance, a3 = axis of translation

1 and 3 are isometric transformations translating and reflecting respectively.
The reflection description acts independently as an alternative schema

Layering adds discrete sub-shapes to the overall composition. Here, isometric

transformations applied to elements build up fractal content through successive layering.
C. Overall Composition and Primary Isometric Transformation

Sa: Scaling in the XY plane translated along the z-axis

Sb: Scaling in the YZ plane translated along the x-axis

Sa = i= 1Πn 1 { 4 [eai, aa4] (aa1, aa3) } Sb = i= 1Πn 1 { 4 [ebi, ab4] (ab1, ab3) }
Shape pattern description Sa and Sb have the same predicates, translation axes and sub-
elements, therefore two different shape pattern descriptions in different domains can be
generalized by the turning constants into variables rule.

D. Shape pattern schema describing each stage of temple style evolution

N changes based on the number of sub-elements, but the equations remain embedded
in the schema. If these shapes or patterns are members of a class that are linked to a
style, then the embedded shapes or patterns characterize the style by the dropping
condition rule of inductive generalization [see Style Learning: Inductive Generalization
of Architectural Shape Patterns by Myung Yeol Cha And John S. Gero]

If Sa and Sb : : > [Khajuraho Style] <

Sa & Sb < i= 1Π
n
1 { 4 [xe, xa4] (xa1, xa3) } : : > [Khajuraho Style]
::> is the implication linking a concept description with a concept name and< is the
generalization

Since the two shape patterns characterize the Khajuraho style, the conjunction of two
shapes that is the scaling of sub-elements characterizes this aspect of Khajuraho style.

THE COMPLEX SURFACE OF SACRED SPACE

The temple is a symbol of the manifestation of a dynamic continuum. In its multicentric
form, patterns of expansion, self-similar iteration and radiation from a core organize its
information field. The plan achieves complexity through self-similar iteration in a
diminution scale. The offset projections continue as vertical latas. In the shikhara, this
results in diminutive multiples of its shape in relief. In the aedicules, quarter shikharas at
the corners arise from the half-shikharas on the sides. In a multipartite shikhara, several
sub-spires are attached in a proportionate order, giving sub-scale to the shikhara form.

The shape pattern schema derived for the temple codes the layering that contributes
towards the overall fractal content. The resultant fractal content can be calculated using
the fractal analysis software described earlier.

L1 = 1.121490 L2 = 1.148719 L3 = 1.182849 L4 = 1.312564

∆ L2-1 = 0.027229 ∆ L3-2 = 0.03413 ∆ L4-3 = 0.129715
Ln = Fractal dimension of each layer

With the addition of scaled shape elements, the fractal content increases gradually, with
the anchor layer contributing the most towards the overall fractal content of the schema.
FRACTAL DIMENSIONS: QUANTIFICATION OF LAYERED COMPLEXITY

Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

_____________________________
lakshman temple: front elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c,
where m is the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average
value of:
D = 1.684 +/- 1.2%.

_____________________________
lakshman temple: front elevation
 Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

_____________________________
lakshman temple: side elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c,
where m is the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average
value of:
D = 1.71 +/- 1.2%.

______________________________
lakshman temple: side elevation
 Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

_____________________________
visvanath temple: front elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c,
where m is the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average
value of:
D = 1.694 +/- 1.2%.

____________________________
visvanath temple: front elevation
 Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

_____________________________
visvanath temple: side elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c,
where m is the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average
value of:
D = 1.755 +/- 1.2%.

_____________________________
visvanath temple: side elevation
 Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

________________
kandariya mahadeo temple: front elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c,
where m is the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average
value of:
D = 1.731 +/- 1.2%.

________________
kandariya mahadeo temple: front elevation
 Computer generated mesh overlaid over image

Magnified view of self-similar components composing the temple superstructure

Gradient image created to facilitate fractal dimension calculation

________________
kandariya mahadeo temple: side elevation
 Lines plotted for DB, DBW and DW

Slope analysis of the three lines (from the equation of a line being y = mx + c, where m is
the slope of the line that gives the fractal dimension) gives an average value of:
D = 1.780 +/- 1.2%.

_________________
kandariya mahadeo temple: side elevation
 lakshman temple
.
Fractal Dimension: 1.750

visvanath temple
Fractal Dimension: 1.773

kandariya mahadeo temple

Fractal Dimension: 1.776

_________________
fractal dimensions for perspective views
To serve as a test group, two examples have been taken at different length scales

chaturbhuja temple
Fractal Dimension: 1.560

jagadambi devi temple

Fractal Dimension: 1.567
Results
TEMPLE FDfr FDs FDp FDav
Chaturbhuja - - - 1.567
Jagadambi Devi - - - 1.560
Lakshman 1.684 1.710 1.750 1.714
Visvanath 1.694 1.755 1.773 1.740

Kandariya 1.731 1.780 1.776 1.762

FDfr = Fractal Dimension of the front elevation

FDs = Fractal Dimension of the side elevation
FDp = Fractal Dimension of the perspective view
FDav = Average fractal dimension
In a larger context:

No. Object FD No. Object FD

1 Hong Kong Bank 1.200 11 Eiffel Tower 1.598
2 Villa Savoy 1.200 12 Barcelona Pavilion 1.599
3 Hawa Mahal 1.300 13 Houses at Amasya 1.600
4 Robie House 1.352 14 Mt. Kailash 1.693
5 Protein (sample) 1.410 15 Taj Mahal 1.695
6 Sagrada Familia 1.493 16 Fern (sample) 1.698
7 Apartments by Gaudi 1.520 17 Sydney Opera House 1.712
8 Mt. Meru 1.520 18 Cathedral 1.730
9 Unity Temple 1.538 19 Lightning (sample) 1.734
10 Building by Gehry 1.584 20 Kandariya Mahadeo Temple 1.780

Fractal content increases steadily in the evolution of the temple style at Khajuraho. As
coded by shape pattern schema, sub-shapes added to the anchor layer to increase the
occupation of the canvas that is the temple surface. The temple surface as an ‘interface’
between the devotee and God is thus designed with increasing efficiency.
 conclusion

There are doors I haven’t opened,

Even doors I’ve yet to look through
Ultrasonic Sound: Hive

You stand on the edge, of a silver future

Silver Future: Monster Magnet
 This exploration attempts to describe a generic
shape pattern schema for the fractured surface of
the Hindu temple. The codes themselves are
rudimentary: variables are left as unsolved. The
main objective has been to quantify one of the
variables – fractal dimensions – as an
evolutionary development characteristic of the
temple style at Khajuraho. The fractal dimensions
measure the fractal content of the temple surface,
indicating how sub-shapes are added to the anchor layer devised initially. The schema
codes the addition of these sub-shapes and transformations applied to them. Over a
period of time, the fractal content increases steadily. The anchor layer contributes the
most to the overall fractal content of the composition. This results from the desire to
create a dominant background of color and texture against which additional elements are
added. Fine-tuning leads to increasing occupation of the canvas surface area.

The architectural object as painted space is a recurring motif. Architectural destiny has
always been guided by changes in ‘outside’ fields: metaphysics, programming,
technology, genetics, beliefs, art movements et al. Architecture depends on disciplines
as varied as science and religion: the approach here has been to understand the
architect’s role as ‘an artist and a poet’, and as ‘a scientist and a technologist’.11 Above
all of this there is pure architecture – elements that build the surface of space.

Fiction, Metaphysics and Painted Space: To Sum

‘Imagine the sand of the Mohaine Desert, which you
crossed to find me, and imagine a trillion universes
encapsulated in each grain of that desert; and within
each universe an infinity of others. We tower over
these universes from our pitiful grass vantage point;
with one swing of your boot you may knock a billion
billion worlds flying off into darkness, in a chain never
to be completed. Size, gunslinger...Size... Yet suppose
further. Suppose that all worlds, all universes, met in a
single nexus, a single pylon, a Tower. A stairway,
perhaps, to the Godhead itself. Would you dare gunslinger? Could it be that somewhere
above all of endless reality, there exists a Room...?
You dare not.’12

11
The Theory of Architecture – Paul Allan - Johnson
12
The Dark Tower I : The Gunslinger – Stephen King
Bibliography
1. The Shape of Space Graham Nierlich
2. Space is the machine Bill Hillier
3. The Architect’s Eye Tom Porter
4. Architectural Morphology J.P. Steadman
5. Does God Play Dice Ian Stewart
6. Superforce Paul Davies
7. Origins Rediscovered Richard Leakey
8. The Sleepwalkers Arthur Koestler
9. The Architecture of the Jumping Universe Charles Jencks
10. The Blind Watchmaker Richard Dawkins
11. Nature in Question J.J. Clarke
12. A New Model of the Universe P.D. Ouspensky
13. Chaos James Gleick
14. About Time Paul Davies
15. The Evolution of Information Susantha Goonatilake
16. Imagenation: Popular Images of Genetics Jose Van Dijck
17. Ecology and the fractal Mind Victor Padron and Nikos
A. Salingaros
18. Chaos, Fractals and Self-Organization Arvind Kumar
19. A Text Book of Biology P.S. Dhami
20. Nature’ s Numbers Ian Stewart
21. Cybertrends David Brown
22. The Theory Of Architecture
23. Architecture in the 20th Century Udo Kultermann
24. Fractal Expressionism Richard Taylor, Adam
Micolich and David Jonas
(Physics World Vol.12 No. 10
October 1999)
25. The Hindu Temple Stella Kramrisch
26. Patterns of Transformation Adam Hardy
27. Concept of Space IGNCA Publication
28. Architecture, Time and Eternity Adrian Snodgrass
29. Living Architecture Andreas Volwahsen
30. Form, Transformation and Meaning Adam Hardy
31. The Hindu Temple: Axis of Access Michael W. Meister
32. Architecture of the World: India Andreas Volwahsen
33. Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu) Percy Brown
34. The Legacy of Khajuraho A.G. Krishna Menon
35. Dissertation Geetanjali Chordia
36. Dissertation Harsha Vishwakarma
37. Dissertation Rishi Dev
38. Hindu Temples: Models of a Fractal Universe Kirti Trivedi
The Visual Computer (1989)5
39. Jurassic Park Michael Crichton
40. The Lost World Michael Crichton
41. Timeline Michael Crichton
42. The Dark Tower I : The Gunslinger Stephen King
43. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three Stephen King
44. The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands Stephen King
45. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass Stephen King
46. Style Learning: Inductive Generalization of Myung Yeol Cha And John S.
Architectural Shape Patterns Gero
47. Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Bill Watterson
Goons
48. Interrogating Modern Indian Architecture A.G. Krishna Menon
(Architecture + Design
Vol. XVII No.6 November-
December 2000)
49. Bionic Vertical Space Javier Pioz, Rosa Cervera
and Eloy Celaya
(Architecture + Design
Vol. XVII No.5 September –
October 2000)
50. Time Magazine Special: The Age of Discovery

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