Acoustic characterization of the Buddhist temple of Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, India

Abstract

This article presents the study of acoustics of the Deekshabhoomi, a Buddhist monument, with an imagery and external form of the Stupa in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the large hollow Buddhist Stupas in the world, with religious activities such as meditation, chanting, and sermons being delivered associated with it. The aim of the research was to assess the acoustical behavior of the space. The research includes in situ measurements at the monument, in an unoccupied condition. The virtual simulation models were then built which were validated with the in situ measurements in the unoccupied condition. These models were further simulated and analyzed for both occupied and unoccupied conditions. The average reverberation time of 5.6 and 9.7 s has been reported at mid-frequencies for occupied and unoccupied conditions, respectively. The article also compares other worship spaces of different religions, like structures with similar nature of the reverberant field, as less research has been done on hollow Buddhist Stupa. It explicates the acoustical condition present in the monument, and its impact on the Buddhist chanting and other religious activities.