Sounds of the Hindu Temples of South India

Shashank Aswathanarayana – shashank@american.edu
Instagram: @shashankaswath

American University, Department of Performing Arts, American University, Washington, DC, 20016, United States

Braxton Boren, Department of Performing Arts, American University
X (twitter): @bbboren

Popular version of 2pAAa12 – Acoustics of two Hindu temples in southern India
Presented at the 186th ASA Meeting
Read the abstract at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0027050

–The research described in this Acoustics Lay Language Paper may not have yet been peer reviewed–

What is the history behind the sonic experiences of millions of devotees of one of the oldest religions in the world?

Hindu temple worship dates back over 1,500 years. There are Vedic scriptures from the 5th century C.E describing the rules for temple construction. Sound is a key component of Hindu worship, and consequently, its temples. Acoustically important aspects include, the striking of bells, gongs, blowing of conch shells, and chanting of the Vedas. The bells, gongs, and conch shells all have specific fundamental frequencies and unique sonic characteristics that play out of them, while the chanting is specifically stylized to include phonetic characteristics such as pitch, duration, emphasis, and uniformity. This great prominence of the frequency domain soundscape makes Hindu worship unique. In this study, we analyzed the acoustic characteristics of two UNESCO heritage temples in Southern India.

Figure 1: Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal

The Virupaksha temple in Pattadakal, built around 745 C.E, is part of one of the largest and ancient temple complexes in India.1 We performed a thorough analysis of the space, taking sine sweep measurements from 36 different source-receiver positions. The mid-frequency reverberation time (the time it takes for the sound to decay by a level of 60dB) was found to be 2.1s and the clarity index for music, C80 was -0.9dB. Clarity index is a metric that tells us how balanced the space is and how well complex passages of music can be heard. A reverberation time of 2.1s is similar to a modern concert hall’s reinforcement, and a C80 of -0.9dB means that the space is very good for complex music too. In terms of the music performed, it would be a combination of vocal and instrumental South Indian music with the melodic framework being akin to melodic modes of western classical music set to different time signatures and played at various tempi ranging from very slow (40-50 beats per minute) to very fast (200+ beats per minute).

Figure 2: The sine sweep measurement process in progress at the Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal

The second site was the 15th century Vijaya Vittala temple in Hampi which is another major tourist attraction. Here the poet, composer, and the father of South Indian classical music, Purandara Dasa, spent many years creating compositions in praise of the deity. He was known to have created thousands of compositions in many complex melodic modes.

Measurements at this site spanned 29 source-receiver positions with the mid-frequency reverberation time being 2.5s and the clarity index for music, C80 being -1.7dB. These values also fall in the ideal range for complex music to be interpreted clearly. Based on these findings, we conclude that the Vijaya Vittala temple provided the optimum acoustical conditions for the performance and appreciation of Purandara Dasa’s compositions and South Indian classical music more broadly.

Other standard room acoustic metrics have been calculated and analyzed from the temples’ sound decay curves. We will use this data to build wave-based computer simulations and further analyze the resonant modes in the temples, study the sonic characteristics of the bells, gongs, and conch shells to understand the relationship between the worship ceremony and the architecture of the temples. We also plan to auralize compositions of Purandara Dasa to recreate his experience in the Vijaya Vittala temple 500 years ago.

1 Alongside the ritualistic sounds discussed earlier, music performance holds a vital place in Hindu worship. The Virupaksha temple, in particular, has a rich history of fulfilling this role, as evidenced by inscriptions detailing grants given to temple musicians by the local queen.

Read JASA Express Letter: Acoustic analysis of two Hindu temples in Southern India

 

Here we are…Hear our story! Brothertown Indian Heritage, through acoustic research and technology

seth wenger – seth.wenger@nyu.edu

Settler Scholar and Public Historian with Brothertown Indian Nation, Ridgewood, NY, 11385, United States

Jessica Ryan – Vice Chair of the Brothertown Tribal Council

Popular version of 3pAA6 – Case study of a Brothertown Indian Nation cultural heritage site–toward a framework for acoustics heritage research in simulation, analysis, and auralization
Presented at the 184 ASA Meeting
Read the abstract at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0018718

The Brothertown Indian Nation has a centuries old heritage of group singing. Although this singing is an intangible heritage, these aural practices have left a tangible record through published music, as well as extensive personal correspondence and journal entries about the importance of singing in the political formation of the Tribe. One specific tangible artifact of Brothertown ancestral aural heritage–and focus of the acoustic research in this case study–is a house built in the 18th century by Andrew Curricomp, a Tunxis Indian.

Figure 1: Images courtesy of authors

In step with the construction of the house at Tunxis Sepus, Brothertown political formation also solidified in the 18th century between members of seven parent Tribes: various Native communities of Southern New England including Mohegan, Montauk, Narragansett, Niantic, Stonington (Pequot), Groton/Mashantucket (Pequot) and Farmington (Tunxis). Settler colonial pressure along the Northern Atlantic coast forced Brothertown Indian ancestors to leave various Indigenous towns and settlements to form into a body politic named Brotherton (Eeyamquittoowauconnuck). Nearly a century later, after multiple forced relocations, the Tribe–including many of Andrew Curricomp’s grand, and great grandchildren–were displaced again to the Midwest. Today, after nearly two more centuries, the Brothertown Indian Nation Community Center and museum are located in Fond du Lac, WI, just south of their original Midwestern settlement.

During contemporary trips back to visit parent tribes, members of the Brothertown Indian Nation have visited the Curricomp House at Tunxis Sepus.

Figure 2: Image courtesy of authors

However, by then it was known as the William Day Museum of Indian Artifacts. After the many relocations of Brothertown and their parent Tribes, the Curricomp house was purchased by a local landowner of European descent. The man’s groundskeeper, Bill Day, had a hobby of collecting stone lithic artifacts he would find during his gardening around the property. The land owner decided that having the Curricomp house would be a perfect home for his groundskeeper’s musings, as it was locally told that the house belonged to the last living Indian in the town. He had the Curricomp House moved to his property and named it for his gardener, the William Day Museum of Indian Artifacts.

The myth of the vanishing Indian is a commonly held trope in popular Western Culture. This colonial, or “last living Indian” history that dominates the archive, includes no real information about what Native communities actually used the space for, or where the descendants of Tunxis are now living. This acoustics case study intends for the living descendants of Tunxis Sepus to have sovereignty over the digital content created, as the house serves as a tangible cultural signifier of their intangible aural heritage.

Architectural acoustic heritage throughout Brothertown’s history of displacement is of value to their vibrant contemporary culture. Many of these tangible heritage sites have been made intangible to the Brothertown Community, as they are settler owned, demolished, or geographically inaccessible to the Brothertown diaspora–requiring creative solutions to make this heritage available. Both in-situ and web-based immersive interfaces are being designed to interact with the acoustic properties of the Curricomp house.

Figure 3: Image courtesy of authors

These interfaces use various music and speech source media that feature Brothertown aural Heritage. The acoustic simulations and auralizations created during this case study of the Curricomp House are tools: a means by which living descendants might hear one another in the difficult to access acoustic environments of their ancestors.