The Concept of a Temple (देवालयस्य सङ्कल्पना)

Introduction

Almost every civilization throughout the course of human history developed a religious system centering around some kind of super natural or divine power. Belief in such a concept of a divine power in Indic culture can be traced back to the pre-historic times. Neolithic cultures in India have produced evidence of highly stylized images of mother goddesses who embody fecundity. Due to the paucity of more convincing evidence, we cannot say with exactitude about the religious conditions prevailing during the time of the Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization (c. 3500 BCE-1900 BCE). However it is certain that this civilization did possess a religious system and structures like the Great Bath at Mohen-jo-daro may have served as some kinds of religious buildings. We do not have a concrete proof about the existence of temples during this civilization though some scholars are inclined to consider an apsidal structure unearthed at the site of Banavali in Haryana as a temple. The origins of Sanatana Dharma are embedded in the Vaidika Dharma. The Vaidika Culture represented by the vast corpus of literature consisting of the Veda Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads had a very highly developed religious organization. The Yadnya Samstha was the nucleus of Vaidika Dharma and it is through the myriad Yadnyas, Richas and Samans that our Vaidika ancestors expressed their devotion to the Vaidika Devatas. The Yadnyas were performed in specially designated areas known as Yadnya or Yaga Shalas and it would be in the Yadnya Shalas that the Chiti or altar would be constructed. Almost all scholars on temple architecture converge on the point that the Hindu Temple evolved from the Vaidika Chiti as a response to the growing impact of the Bhakti traditions. In addition, it is highly doubtful whether temples existed during the Vaidika period.

Temples (देवालयाः) are one of the most redeeming and prominent hallmarks of Sanatana Dharma and its most representative feature. The land of Bharata is perceived as the land of temples with every region manifesting its own unique traditions of temple architecture and culture. Temples, as a general practice are constructed in the close vicinity of tirthas (तीर्थानि) which mean fords or crossing places on rivers or sea shores. The word 'tirtha' is derived from the Sanskrit root (धातु ) Tr (तृ ) which means a ford or crossing at a water source. At a spiritual level a tirtha is understood as a means to help us cross the ocean of existence (भवाब्धि ).

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