Talking Buildings

Where the book falls apart is in its scope and method of communication. Indian architecture is much too varied—there are over 4,500 protected monuments—to be slotted into convenient categories. To give cohesion to the despairing spread of history, Kamiya resorts to simplification: "...Bihar where Bihari is spoken, Orissa where Oriya is spoken." He’s much like a first-time tourist smitten by the remains of Indian history. (How the lic and stc buildings in Delhi creep into this collective of ancient and colonial landmarks is a mystery). The diligent work of the drawings and the exceptional photos falter with the author’s incessant fawning. Instead, he could have used the text to express cultural and historic peculiarities.