Author: Achala Moulik
Publisher: UBS Publishers
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 209
ISBN/UPC (if available): 817476271X
Description
Monuments are captors of time and are the link between time and man. In this unique book, the author has selected thirty-four monuments from six continents, which were built between the 10th, and the 20th centuries, reflecting the aesthetic inspirations, socio-econo9mic conditions and the architectural styles spread over a thousand years.
While making the selection, the author has adopted UNESCO's criteria for world heritage monuments. These are: unique quality and representative character, a particular architectural style, association with an impo0rtant historical event and the universal relevance of a monument. She has also added a few monuments which are outside the world heritage but which have a special significance.
The monuments selected in this book span from Senegal to Sydney and from Tokyo to Peru. They traverse the gamut of human spirit. The aspiration to be free is expressed in monuments like the Statute of Liberty, which soars high above the ground, or in the salt sculptures in Wieliczka deep in the bowels of the earth. There are monuments like St. Peter's Basilica which shows the exultation of the human spirit while other are like the Slave House of Senegal which shows the depth to which man can descend. She describes places of worship - Angkor, Isfahan, Byodo-in Charters - as well as citadels of powers - Kremlin, Forbidden City, Versailles. Some are of a melancholy enchantment such as the Alhambra and Borobodur. As sagas in stone or wood, they tell their own story. While describing these 'cultural heirlooms', she also cautions the legatees of threats to the heritage of mankind.