Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Ancient Indian Temple Architecture

One of my good old colleagues in NLB does a great job for living. Apart from his regular digitisation work, He also helps and conducts exhibitions mostly around Indian influences in South East Asia.

One of his popular contributions was evident in the "Kaalachakra" exhibition.

Over a coffee he had asked me to translate few sanskrit terms that were in a book called -
"Temple consecration rituals in ancient India. text and archaeology" By Reknowned Indologist, Anna A. Ślączka.

Anna holds a Ph.D. (2006) in Indology, from Leiden University, in the Netherlands. She was a research fellow at the Research School for Asian, African and Amerindian Studies (CNWS) and is an affiliated fellow at the International Institute of Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden. She presented several papers on consecration rituals of South and Southeast Asia.

I got a chance to skim through the book and was amazed at the amount of research the author had undergone. I was enlightened and ashamed to the fact that I dint know anything about the rich architectural science Indian scholars had left behind for us.

I was trying to help my friend in interpreting the "box" which is laid during the temple construction. the book describes it fantastically. I googled for him before reading the book and sent him an excerpt from a blog article published in http://www.sulekha.com/ by Shri Sreenivasa Rao that describes Temple architecture in the common man's language.

"As per the tradition of Vedic worship, the rituals of Vastupujan, Bhumipujan, Bhumishodhan, and Shilanyasa are performed at an auspicious time before commencing the construction of a building.

Vastu Shastra is counted among the sixty-four principal faculties of knowledge which emanated directly from the Vedas. Several hymns or formulae in the Rigveda and Yajurveda pertain to the origin of Vastukala (architectural and constructional art).

Like the four Vedas there are four Up-vedas, namely, Gandharveda, Dhanurveda, Ayurveda and Sthaptyaveda. Of these, as mentioned in our introductory article, the last one happens to be what was developed as the Vastu Shastra in the successive ages – the periods of the vedic scriptures like the Brahmans, Aranyaks, Upanishads and Puranas. The subsequent post-vedic times of the Ramayana and Mahabharata are believed to be the periods when this knowledge (of Vastu) was deciphered and disseminated in its most evolved and practicable form. The planning and architecture in the grand cities of Lanka, Ayodhya, Hastinapur, Dwarika in that era are regarded as exemplary monuments of Vastukala

Garbhadhana, Shilanyasa is the ceremony for laying foundation stone. It is the laying of the first stone (square in shape) or a brick signifying the start of construction. It is laid in the north-western corner of the building plan, drawn on the ground. After this, the construction of the foundation is taken up. The foundation is built and the ground filled up, up to the plinth level, except in the middle portion of the garbhagraha area, which is filled up three-fourths.


The Brahmasthana , the principal location in a temple where the Garbagraha will eventually come up, is the nucleus of the Vastu Purusha Yantra. At the brahmasthana, as drawn on the grounda ritual is performed called garbhadhana, inviting the soul of the temple (Vastu Purusha) to enter within the buildings confines. In this ritual, a golden box is imbedded in the earth. The interior of the box is divided into smaller units exactly resembling the vastu-purusha-mandala. All the units of the gold box are first partially filled with earth. In the thirty-two units representing the nakshatras (lunar mansions), the units of Brahma and the twelve sons of Aditi, the priest places an appropriate mantra in written form to invoke the presence of the corresponding divinity .An Image of Ananta , the hooded serpent , is also placed in the box. Ananta, meaning eternal or timeless, also represents the energy that supports the universe. The box also contains nine precious stones - diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls, yellow sapphire, and blue sapphire, red coral, cats-eye and jade – to appease the nine planets.

The whole thing is covered by another stone slab called Brahmasila, over which the image of the deity will later be established.


Once the garbhadhana and agni-hotra ceremonies are complete the actual construction of the temple commences according to the plan. When the foundation is finished the vertical structure is raised. The external features of the temple are brought to life through finely sculpted figures and paintings. The art and sculpture frequently portray the forms of divine entities and the different stages of consciousness in the gradual evolution of life throughout the universe.

It is believed that the Vastu Purusha sleeps during Bhadrapada, Ashviyuja and Karhika months facing east. During Margashira, Pushya and Magha months he sleeps facing south; In phalguna, Chaitra and Vaishaka, he sleeps facing west. And, in Jeysta Ashada and Shravana, he sleeps facing north. The doors facing towards those directions are fixed in the respective months.
"

Its amazing that an Indian temple is not just a symbolic place of worship. but its architecture is dedicated to the Brahman aka the human form itself.

Do read parts 1-7 from Shri Sreenivasarao's blog, its enlightening indeed.

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