Page 149 - Design Thinking C11

Hierarchy ensures clarity and intentionality in design. By guiding the viewer’s eye, it:
• Communicates meaning (e.g., a deity’s centrality in a sculpture).
• Enhances functionality (e.g., bold headings in manuscripts aid navigation).

• Creates emotional impact (e.g., the grandeur of a temple’s Garbhagriha inspires reverence).

Organizing Space with Grids
In design, when we need to place different elements like shapes, figures, or even rooms in a building, we
need a system that keeps everything balanced and organized. That system is called a grid.

A grid is a network of lines—these could be vertical, horizontal, circular, or star-shaped—that help a designer
plan where each part of a design will go. You can think of a grid as the skeleton or framework behind a
beautiful design. It brings order, clarity, and meaning to the artwork or structure.

Types of Grids in Indian Design
Indian artists and architects have used different types of grids for centuries. These grids were not just about
structure, but also had symbolic meanings.
Square Grids – Used in Hindu Temples
Square grids were most commonly used in temples. Each square in the grid was carefully measured and
placed. The central square usually held the most important part of the temple.
Example: The Kandariya Mahadev Temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, was built using a 16-square grid.
Every part of the temple—doorways, inner sanctum, towers—was arranged on this grid to maintain symmetry
and spiritual balance.
In this case, the grid helped show which part of the temple was most important (the central sanctum) and
ensured that the entire structure felt balanced and sacred.

Kalasha
Amalaka
Urushringa
Sikhara (Subsidiary sikhara)
(tower)
Antarala
Garba griha (Shrine, (Vestiblue)
inside the sikhara)
Maha mandapa
Pradakshina (Great hall)
(circumambulation)
Mandapa
(Hall)

Ardha mandapa
Jagrti (Entrance porch)
(platform)

Adhisthana
(base platform) East
Transepts

Circular Grids – Used in Buddhist Stupas

Circular grids are based on the idea of cycles, wholeness, and continuity. They are often used in Buddhist
architecture, especially in stupas.

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