Hindu Temple Architecture

The architectural style of Hindu temples has developed over thousands of years, and has played a major role in the maintenance of Hindu traditions and beliefs. Most art and design elements in Hindu culture are religious in nature or at the very least possess strong religious influences. For this reason, Hindu architecture and design has been characterized by a strong trend toward conservatism. Many design elements that can be traced back to the earliest periods of recorded history are still used, centuries or even millennia later, because of the importance placed by Hinduism on adhering to tradition and incorporating it into all aspects of daily life. Some of the stylized archways found in many temples had their origin in designs that were required by the building materials available thousands of years ago; even though superior materials are now widely available, the style remains in use because of the long history associated with it.

Background

Beginning many centuries ago, students of Hindu architecture distinguished between different regional styles. Just as the northern and southern regions of India are separated by differences of culture and climate, so too are they noteworthy for their varying architectural motifs. The northern style is known as the Nagara, the southern style as Dravida, and the areas between these two regions are said to follow the Vesara style, which is in some sense a hybrid of Nagara and Dravida. These descriptions are found in the Shastras, which are ancient texts devoted to the study of architecture and design.

Differences in these styles can partially be attributed to the nature of the raw materials available in the different regions. Some areas only had hard stone such as granite, so their temples tended to include fewer displays of highly detailed carving, and more reliance on bulky structures and decorative bas reliefs. In areas where softer stone such as sandstone or soapstone was abundant, Hindu temples tended to be much more ornate, often covered from ground to spire in elaborate figures with impressively executed artistic touches. In addition to these variations in source material, Hindu temples also tended to focus on the priorities of the local rulers and epochs in which the temples were constructed. Thus, temples built in the north during a period of expansion often focused on different deities and themes from those constructed in the south, during a period of retrenchment. It is often possible for experts in Hindu architecture to identify the dynasty that produced a temple’s design, even without knowing where the temple is located, just by viewing the details of its construction and decoration. A less simple task would be to determine which Hindu cult or school of thought produced a given temple’s design. This is because, contrary to scholars’ expectations, there tend to be few if any significant differences between temples devoted to different sects or cults. It is thought that during the construction of the typical Hindu temple, the desire to remain faithful to design traditions usually overcomes the impulse to add flourishes particular to a specific Hindu deity.

Overview

Hindu temples, apart from their decorations, contain several components that are almost always present. There is usually a central chamber at the heart of the temple, which contains one or more representations of the deity to whom the temple is dedicated. From this inner sanctum, other chambers and areas radiate outward. The layout of a Hindu temple is typically on a four-sided axis, with numerous squares dividing up the overall area of the temple. The square at the center of the structure is what houses the inner sanctum, and expanding rings of squares surround this center in concentric rows. A circle or mandala also encapsulates the central square, signifying that all things are both connected to one another in the physical realm and united in the spiritual realm. The concentric rings of padas (squares) represent a progression from mundane and corrupt elements at the outermost edge to transcendent and holy elements at the center. Many temples are constructed with ambulatories, which are intentional pathways for worshippers to follow, drawing them in towards the center of the temple along a spiral path. This is meant to symbolize the journey that human beings take as they live their lives and learn about the nature of the universe—they start at the outside edge, where existence is brutish and ordinary, and as they gradually come closer to the center of things, they are exposed more and more to the world of spiritual existence and ideas, coming at last to the center of the temple where they are able to perceive the unity of all things.

Hindu temples also will usually have a tower-like structure rising above the central shrine. This spire is called a sikhara or sometimes a vimana. The tower generally has a symmetrical structure, composed of either circles or squares, with each higher level of the tower having a smaller diameter, so the overall effect is of a pointed shape tapering upward into the sky. It has been conjectured that the spire or dome shape on top of Hindu temples is intended to represent the dwelling place of the gods either in the heavens or atop a sacred mountain.

When possible, Hindu temples are constructed near water. It is thought that this is because ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams are natural meeting places for many different types of creatures, who come to the water to refresh themselves. On a symbolic level, this represents the idea of universal harmony among all creatures, a central value of Hindu theology and thus an aspect of life that temple builders were anxious to incorporate into their creations. When a location near to a body of water is not available, Hindu temples may also be constructed close to other types of natural beauty, such as mountaintops and forests.

Bibliography

Bharne, Vinayak, Krupail Krusche, and Leon Krier. Rediscovering the Hindu Temple: The Sacred Architecture and Urbanism of India. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2012. Print.

Datta, Sambit, and David Beynon. Digital Archetypes: Adaptations of Early Temple Architecture in South and Southeast Asia. Burlington: Ashgate, 2014. Print.

Dhaka, Ambika. Brahmanical Temple Art and Architecture in Hadoti: From Earliest Times to Seventh Century A.D. Delhi: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, 2012. Print.

Dodson, Michael S. Banaras: Urban Forms and Cultural Histories. New Delhi: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Fazio, Michael W., Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse, and Michael W. Fazio. A World History of Architecture. London: King, 2013. Print.

Krishnan, Gauri P. The Power of the Female: Devāṅganā Sculptures on Indian Temple Architecture. New Delhi: D. K. Printworld, 2014. Print.

Sears, Tamara I. Worldly Gurus and Spiritual Kings: Architecture and Asceticism in Medieval India. New Haven: Yale UP, 2014. Print.

Tartakov, Gary M. Dalit Art and Visual Imagery. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.