Gopal Arushi Nirbhay

HT4001

The dimensions of a building are a decision that stems from an ideology and an understanding of buildings in the larger order of the universe. My research confirms the use of proportional systems in the design of the chatrams of Thanjavur lays out possible reasoning behind their use. My research methodology decodes the chatram’s proportions through a study of its smallest module ; the column. It also analyses the design/construction grid of the building layout and develop its co-relation to the proportions of the column. At the onset the paper addresses the conceptual and methodological assumptions of the research which helps in determining the ideology of the proportion systems used. The research concludes with comparing the design ideology of the chatrams to the concept of ‘magical thought’ expressed by Claude Levis Strauss in ‘The Savage Mind.’