ABSTRACT
This chapter examines sound as described in 10th-century Hindu ritual and architectural treatises in Sanskrit. The introduction briefly discusses how ancient Indian physics explained sound emission and perception processes and the central role of sound in Indian metaphysics and mysticism. The chapter then focuses on the role of sound in temple religious activities. Ominous noises heard in the forest during the search for temple construction materials and sounds heard in the temple after building may influence the ritual process or call for expiation. Priests’ sacred utterances in the sanctum sanctorum, devotees and professional musicians’ acclamations and musical performances in the temple and the polytonal exuberance of processions outside the temple enclosure respectively define three soundscapes intended to please the deity. These soundscapes reflect the social, spatial and ritual hierarchy of Indian society. The conclusion addressed the emergence of other temple soundscapes in modern India, far from temples themselves: the direct transmission of the three temple soundscapes to individual homes through modern technologies and devotional music’s migration from temples to concert halls for the pleasure of connoisseurs.
