Download divine aspects of hindu temples in concept and design

DIVINE CHARACTER OF HINDU TEMPLES IN CONCEPT AND
DESIGN
Hindu temple may be regarded as a direct descendant of the Buddhist Stupa on its
popularity, which in turn might have been evolved from the primitive funeral mound and
which is pre-vedic in origin. Installing a Linga or stone block in the spot of burial is still
practiced in India by tribal folks. The tombs of saints (Samadhi or brindavana) are
considered as shrines, as that of Raghavendra, Saibaba etc. Stupa itself is a successor to vedic
practice. Agnidriya, stupa of vedic period is the fore-runner of harmika of Buddhist stupa.
The temple is but a later version of vedic times Yajnasaala. Nanda deepa in temples of
modern times, represents vedic fire (agnihotra) kept in every house in the vedic culture by
Agnihotris.
Hindu temples in India which have the greatest appeal have folk origin—Lord Venkateswara
in Tirupati, Lord Jagnnatha in Puri, Kali in Kolkata, Vaishnodevi in Kashmir,
Vindhyaavaasini in Kaamaakhya etc.
Tree worship is popular in India. But not all the specimens of even the sacred trees of
Asvattha, Vata and Bilva are worshipped. It is only the tree that is associated with a shrine
like Vatavriksha in Gaya, Bodhi in Bodhgaya and Sthala Vrikshas that are enclosed trees in
many temples that are worshipped as shrines.
Famous temples in India dedicated to several gods and goddesses house in their sanctum
only rocks or small or large stones: Viwanath in Varanasi; Tribhuvanesvar in Lingaraj
Temple in Bhuvanesvar; Narasimha in Ahobilam; Mahakala in Ujjain; Kedaresvara in
Kedanath; Mukambika in Kolluru; Ganapati in Khumbhasi and others. Not all the stones are
worshipped by Hindus. It is only the stone which is associated with a sacred enclosure in a
holy place that is worshipped as cited above.
Puranas celebrate certain places as favorite of Gods. These places have become great pilgrim
centers. These are: Badrivana; Kedarnath; Jagannth Puri; Varanasi; Prayaag; Somnath;
Simhadri; Tirupati; Setu (Ramesvaram); Melukote; Kanchipuram and others. Here the icons
are not man made and reputed to be self-manifests (svayam –vyakta). Temples were built
over them by devotees. These places became holy and visits to them are considered to be
meritorious. This forms the basis for the present day pilgrimage, the places having been
glorified in Puranas. The essence of the holy place is concretized in a shrine often containing
the icon that is reputed to be self manifest. Whole Township has grown out of shrines,
besides the huge temple complexs to accommodate pilgrims, tanks to provide water, free
refectories to cater to their needs and other acts of charity.
Celebrated text, Vishnudharmottara gives an interesting account of the origin of temples:
In Kritayuga or Satyayuga, there was no need for temple because gods lived and moved
amongst humans. In Tretayuga, the presence of gods became scarce and they descended on
earth only when man invoked them in sacrifices, like Dasaratha of Ayodhya. In
Dwaparayuga, men had only to make images of these gods and worship them; and the gods
came down in disguised forms, showering their grace. The worship at that time was only
domestic; the shrines were within the precincts of homes. In Kaliyuga temples as public
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shrines began to be built and icons were installed or vice –versa. But the gods ceased coming
down in their own or disguised forms. However, their presence was felt when the icons were
properly installed and temples correctly built.
In the Indus Valley Civilizations, we find evidences of domestic shrines, but there is no trace
of a public temple. It is after the popularity of the Buddhist stupas, temple construction
became popular for common worship, though had its link to the vedic period.
The Hindu temple as an art form has a human as well as divine character. The temple has
also a psychological effect and spiritual significance. It is in the nature of sacred art bringing
human being into contact with the divine. It enables man to feel the spiritual presence and to
find it in the cavity of his own heart. It is not so much to pray that a devotee visits temple as
to feel the divine presence. We could pray anywhere. The popular temples of the present
days are the last places in the world where one can really get into a prayerful mood.
If the devotee is not seeking this divine presence in the temple, he does not go beyond what
is a physical visit. It is not the belief in God, or belief in the efficacy of prayer but an
intuitive apprehension of the divine presence that makes the temple a sacred enclosure and a
shrine.
Many texts describe ―the human body to be the temple and soul, the icon‖. The architectural
terms used in temple building are the names of parts of the human body: feet (paada); knee
(jaanu); thighs (janghaa); belly (kukshi); neck (greeva); shoulders (kandhara); nose (naasika);
face (mukha); Head (seersha); and so on. Some Orissan architects also liken the temple
structure to the human body. The names given to the vertical sections of the temple tower
correspond to the human body: the platform (pishta); the lower storey (bada); the upper
storey (gandi or human trunk); the head (mastaka). The Vimana of South Indian temples are
designated as deul which forms the curvilinear tower over garbhagriha in Orissan
architecture. They also include a kalasa, water-pot as in South Indian temples. The crown
called Amla surmounted by semicircular skull (khapuri), named after the popular fruit
myrabolan whose branches are also worshipped along with Tulasi plant in the South, in
brindavans worshipped at home regularly. Lord Jagannatha’s car is also shaped like a vimana
or sanctuary, deul, as also rathas in South Indian temples.
As a temple is laid out, it is said to picture a man lying down: his feet connote the entrance
tower; Gopura, his genital organ, Flag-staff; his belly, the Assembly Hall (Ranga Mandapa);
his heart, the Porch (antaraala or sukavaasi); his head, the Sanctum; and, the brows meet ,
the Seat of the Icon. It is also sometimes considered neck as the Sanctum and head as the
Tower, and the heart as the Porch where the devotee stands to look at the icon. The icon is
located at the ―aajnaa‖ center, the space between the eyebrows. The finial of tower is unseen
above head in the region called ―sahasraara‖, and the womb of the sanctum (garbha-griha) at
the tip of the nose. Thus the human body is glorified as the housing (temple) for the
―Jeevaatma‖ (Consciousness or Aatman) in every individual.
In accordance with this scheme of human body representation of temple structure, the
architectural and sculptural details vary from phase to phase in the devotee’s onward
movement towards the sanctum.
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Some texts point out that the base of the temple represents the Earth, the intermediate
Space, and the tower the Heavens. The Tower (vimana) comprises three worlds: the Seat—
Janaloka; the Pot portion—Tapoloka and the Spike (stupi)—Satyaloka, out of the seven
Worlds’ scheme.
Vimana in samskrit means: ―that which has no comparison‖ or ―that which brings about
fruits‖—this refers to Agni, fire god. Vimaana the tower over the sanctum is a physical
representation of fire. Foundation of temple represents Earth (Prithvi), the walls of the
Sanctum, Water (Aapa) and the tower over it Fire (Tejas); the finial of the tower stands for
Air (Vaayu) and above it is the formless Space (Aaakaasa). Thus the Sanctum is a
constellation of five elements.
The Balipeetha (dispensing seat) represents the meeting place of the active consciousness of
the devotee with the passive consciousness of the divinity. The Balipeetha is located in the
―navel‖ (nabhi) in the projection of the temple image on the human body. Before the
devotee enters the path in front of the sanctum, the devotee ceremonially goes round the
Balipeetha and offers obeisance of ashtaanga or panchaanga pranaamam (eight or five parts
of the body touching the earth in prostration) to receive the emanations from the icon.
The flag-staff is often close to the dispensing seat, Balipeetha. Its position is to indicate the
position of the sanctum. The stylized flag-staff came during the Chola and Pandyan periods
in South India. The flagstaff was uniquely royal insignia, and the icon was considered Lord
of the Universe. It also indicates the characteristic animal and insignia of the icon on the
banner. It gives a direction to the devotee’s desire and will. When the devotee sights the
banner and bows to it he resolves (makes the Sankalpa) to rise high.
The interior scheme of the sanctum is plain. It is dark, but for the oil lamps that lit up the
icon. It is the inner square of Brahman, and is in direct communion with the chief source of
power (nucleus) in the temple-mandala. The sanctum represents the concrete and worshipful
(archaa) manifestation of the divine power. The icon inside in it is the ―inner controller‖
(antaryamin), corresponding to the divine presence in the ―cavity of the heart‖ of each
individual being. The Vimana over the sanctum represents the ―glory‖ (vaibhava) aspect of
the divine. The crown vessel on top of the Vimana is the ―patterned expression‖ (Vyuha) of
the divine power; and pinnacle which vanishes in a point is the ―transcendent‖ (para) aspect.
The Mandala, pattern of powers (spiritual magnetic field) is the very essence of a temple.
As soon as the devotee sights the threshold of the gateway he bends down and touches the
Mandala on it before crossing it. This marks the ―the way of the World‖ to the ―Way of
God‖. He continues in the common state of ―wakefulness‖ until he reaches the flag- post
(dvajastambha) or dispensation seat (balipeetha). He then has the first vision of the sanctum
in the vestibule and sinks into the state of ―deep sleep‖. Higher state of ―semi-tranquility‖
(shaantoedita), descends on him, when he looks at the icon. And when he has suffused
himself with the vision of the icon, he gets into the state of tranquility (Saanta). This is the
silent and serene atmosphere in the Garbha-griha (Sanctum--womb house). The prevailing
darkness of these areas is suggestive of sleeplike condition. The devotee can forget all the
states and phases he has passed through and get absorbed in the beauty and serenity of the
icon in the presence of the nandaadeepa or perennial oil-wick on reaching the sanctumsanctorum.
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The devotee goes to the temple with faith in his heart and hopes to find the grace in the
shrine. Faith leads to grace. It does not need gnosis or understanding of symbolism involved
in the temple. What it needs is the appropriate mood. In order to create an atmosphere
which would enable a devotee’s faith to become more receptive to this spiritual presence,
certain traditional prescriptions like physical cleanliness, dress code, postural reverence and
ritual offerings have been introduced.
In order to enable our understanding the aesthetic as well as spiritual aspect of the temple
symbolism Hindu tradition has developed a doctrinal approach in ―Aaagamas‖ which means
―that which has come from the hoary past‖. The true devotee intuitionally apprehends the
symbolism. The temple as the symbol is the medium of rituals. Rituals are active thought.
Rituals are actions that lead to contemplation, and contemplation strives to achieve the
serenity of the Consciousness that lifts one from the stress of common life. The Aagamas
focus attention on the temple, as a pattern of rituals. We find in these texts descriptions of
icons as visible symbols of divinity and details of worship with regard to them (archaa).
Sometimes they expatiate on alternative accessory approaches such as Homa (fire rituals),
Dhyaana (meditation exercises), Japa (Recitation) and Jnaana (intellectual appreciation of
spiritual involvement).
The hold of the Aagamas though appear stronger in South Indian temples than in their
North Indian counterparts, they play a very significant role in the worship procedures among
the more celebrated temples in the North—Varanasi, Dwaraka, Kalighat, Puri Jagnnath,
Kaamaakhya, Badri etc.
An enlightened devotee would have intuitionally apprehended the symbolism. He would
therefore not mistake the human looking or physical looking icon for a mere human being
or a solid block of stone, nor the temple for a mere building. Art in the temple will not
distract him, and technical skill will not hold his attention. He floats over these pretensions
and directly reaches the sanctum to receive grace. The pretensions and prejudices of modern
mind can easily lead one astray without the thought of divine presence on entering the
temple. Unless sincerity and humility are allowed to inspire the urge to understand, the
understanding is bound to be defective and superficial.
Modern temples have introduced lot of things outside the divine purview of Aagamas in
temple design. Despite its immensity and artistic profusion, the Gopuram on the gateway is
not considered as an essential feature of the temple. It is unique to the South Indian temples.
Neither the enclosing wall (praakaara) nor the gateway tower (dvaara gopura) figures
prominently in the North Indian temples. Many temples are even devoid of the enclosing
walls.
The Hindu temple has been an art gallery, economic institution, political power, social
organization, crafts guild, fortress and refectory. All these have contributed to the decay of
the temple as a spiritual institution. With the march of civilization, human perspective has
changed and the temple has become a mere building and worse an office or bureaucratic
institution. Despite all these distractions, a true devotee visits the temple regularly to have
the vision of the Lord even if he is not allowed to spend few seconds at the sanctum or
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amidst the chaotic conditions prevailing around the sanctum in some celebrated temples. His
thoughts focus around the only fact of the divine presence.
The priests who are professional performers of worship, backed by aagama saastra studies
are the ones who are competent to compel the divine presence; others are only participants
and beneficiaries. In the early periods, the sages like Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhva,
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa etc. installed the icons, and the divine presence was with them
ever after. But in the present periods, this divine presence could be secured only by
continuous worship and periodic festivals. The priest performs the worship ritual, not for his
own sake but for the sake of devotees, unlike the worship at home. For the devotee worship
at home is obligatory as nitya karma (daily ritual) while the visit to temple is obligatory. That
is the reason why Hindu religion does not compel anyone to go to temple on a particular day
of the week or time as in many other founded religions, and leaves it to his conveniences.
“Agnirdevoe dvijaateenaam muneenaam hridi daivataam; pratimaa svalpabudhdheenam sarvatra
viditaatmanaaam”—God is in the fire for one who performs rituals; the learned find Him in
the cavity of their own heart; a dull-witted one seeks God in an icon but those with higher
understanding see God in everything‖.
This lecture has been prepared by N.R. Srinivasan for the Vedanta Class of Sri Ganesha
Temple, Nashville based on the elaborate research work done by Prof. S.K. Ramachandra
Rao, Kalpatharu Research Academy of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Bangalore, and drawing
additional help from the following publications:
1. Robert & Roma Bradnock, India Handbook 2001, Footprint Handbooks, U.K.
2. Swami Harshananda, Hindu Pilgrim Centers, Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore-560019.
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