Sonic Spatiality in Heritage Spaces

Sound has long played a central role in Hindu worship, with Vedic chants, bells, conch-shells, and gongs shaping the spiritual soundscape. Unlike the time-domain focus typical in Western religious acoustics, Hindu rituals emphasise frequency-rich sounds, forming what is termed as “frequency domain soundscape of worship.” This talk presents an acoustic analysis of six UNESCO heritage South Indian temples, four rock-cut cave temples in Badami and Aihole, and two freestanding temples: the Virupaksha temple in Pattadakal and Vijaya Vittala temple in Hampi. Using impulse response measurements, standard acoustic parameters such as reverberation time (T30) and clarity index (C80), and non-standard parameters like resonance quality and resonance width are computed to provide an insight into their acoustic properties. The findings highlight how temple architecture supports ritual acoustics, with implications for both heritage preservation and the virtual recreation of ancient sonic environments. By integrating architectural acoustics, and heritage studies, this research presents new tools for managing and interpreting cultural heritage.

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