The Khadira Wedges and Architectural Lore: Re-Examining the Materials Used in the Making of the Vajrakīla in India, 6–8th Century AD

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

It would be nice for the general readership if some concepts would be explained to them. Especially maṇḍala -- perhaps a good photo of a maṇḍala in the making, with the phur-ba's being visible would be great. Also, perhaps two or three sentences about the relevant Padmasambhava myth.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Perhaps 99% of the English is undersandable (although at times not too nice), still, there are some problems or typos. Have a patient friend read the paper with you and ask questions: I think so you would be able to find all (or most) of them.

Author Response

The title of this article has been changed to 'The Khadira Wedges and Architectural Lore: Re-examining the Materials Used in the Making of the Vajrakīla in India, 6-8th Century AD.'

In this article, a maṇḍala refers to a plot of land controlled by wedges inserted in four corners. The associated kīla maṇḍala ritual involves a series of actions performed in a prescribed order. 

The historic secular use of khadira wood, expectation for subduing the site spirit, rain-controlling nāga, and the mindset that wood products have "life spirituality", all suggest that wooden wedges and pegs have been preferred over their metal counterparts in architectural history. This preference is evidenced by the use of the khadira kīla in maṇḍala and site subjugation ceremonies, where original architectural beliefs were not only integrated but also evolved.

By narrowing the scope to specific sizes, times, and material (khadira), this revised article has been restructured. For instances found in Hugli and Yogyakarta, unlike the four khadira kīlas inserted at corners, these might be defined as the unique Indrakīla. Indrakīla and Phur-pa are beyond the scope of the wedges I am focusing on in this paper, ensuring that the argumentation process is clearer and not as discursive as in the previous version."

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

A basic premise of the paper is dubious. The author has accepted Huntington's research of 1975 that surviving evidence for kīlas exists only in the Himalayas; but that idea might seem pretty dated by now. 

Kīlas evidently do exist outside of the Himalayas, herewith an image of an 8th-10th century kīla from Yogyakarta.

Having accepted Huntington 1975, the author's central proposition is that the paucity of surviving Indic examples of kīlas is because they were usually made of khadira wood, or iron, and have therefore decayed over time, leaving no remains. Yet this point has already been made in one of the sources the author quotes, Mayer 1990: 182

The author has failed to cite any of the prolific works of Matin Boord. Inter alia, Boord's "A Bolt of Lightning from the Blue" page 26ff looks at the lengthy descriptions of kīlas in the  Guhyasamāja tantra, Chapter 13 . Here the kīla is described very much as the Bon tradition uses it, a kīla below and a deity above. Samten Karmay, a leading scholar of Bon, claims that Bon adopted this form from tantric Buddhist sources, and not vice versa. rNying ma also use this form, but often prefer a heruka form who wields a kīla in his hands.  rNying ma phur pa scriptural tantras reuse passages from the Guhyasamāja literature, reinforcing the perception of Karmay that the entire kīla tradition is essentially alien to Tibetan cultural patterns, so that it is more likely adopted from Indic sources. Note that the Śaiva 

The author claims that "Throughout my exploration of these texts, kīla (normally 12 aṅgula long) was never referred to as a post or column; therefore, this paper will define it to be a wedge or a prong in a small size". I took the trouble to look up one of the author's claimed sources, and find that de Silva (1978: 240) actually describes the Indakhīla as in many cases being "tall, 15-20 cubits:"

While the author does bring some useful new materials to the table from Chinese sources, I don't think this is ready for publication in a premier academic journal.

 

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Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

no

Author Response

I am grateful for the photo and the works of M. Boord shared by the reviewer.

The title of this article has been changed to 'The Khadira Wedges and Architectural Lore: Re-examining the Materials Used in the Making of the Vajrakīla in India, 6-8th Century AD.'

By narrowing the scope to specific sizes, times, and material (khadira), this revised article has been restructured. For instances found in Hugli and Yogyakarta, unlike the four khadira kīlas inserted at corners, these might be defined as the unique Indrakīla. Indrakīla and Phur-pa are beyond the scope of the wedges I am focusing on in this paper, ensuring that the argumentation process is clearer and not as discursive as in the previous version."

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf