The Concept of a Temple (देवालयस्य सङ्कल्पना)

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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 Yajna Samstha was the nucleus of Vaidika Dharma and it is through the myriad Yajnas, Richas and Samans that our Vaidika ancestors expressed their devotion to the Vaidika Devatas. The Yajnas were performed in specially designated areas known as Yajna or Yaga Shalas and it would be in the Yajna 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 ).

Temples enable us to connect to the divine and are thus channels which help us transcend our mundane material world and attain Moksha. Temples are known by different names: Devalaya, Devayatana, Mandira, Prasada,Vimana, Devagriha etc. They are essentially a structure where the presence and potency of the divine are felt. In other words, temples are the very abodes of God or Ishvara or Bhagavan. The term prasada is synonymous with a palace. The Devata installed in the temple is accorded the status of a king and the prasada is his palace. The late Swami Harshananda ji of the Ramakrishna Mission remarks that the high walls surrounding the temple complex are similar to the ramparts of a fort and the tall gopurams are an emulation of the great gateways of the capital cities (Harshananda, 2007: 12). Many temples in India, specially Southern India have 'Dhvaja Stambhas' in their courtyards. These Dhvaja Stambhas represent the insignia of the deity enshrined in the temple. The Ishanashivagurudevapaddhati, an early medieval Shaiva text (c. 1000 CE) testifies that the temple is a concrete form of Lord Shiva and should be contemplated on and worshipped and the temples made up of the presence of Lord Shiva and Shakti. The site of a temple is invariably a Tirtha irrespective of its location. . According to the Vishnudharmottara Purana images should be installed  in forts, auspicious cities, markets , in villages of cowherds where there are no markets , in gardens , on river banks , mountain tops, valleys and particularly in caves. The construction of temples is concomitant to the installation of the images at the different localities just mentioned. The presence of water is essential at the site where a temple is built.

Nomenclatures of the Temple

The two most common names for a temple in Indic texts on architecture are 'Vimana' and 'Prasada'. In Sanatana Dharma,the temple is also equaled to the cosmic, primordial Purusha. According to the Vayu Purana (IV.30-31), the Purusha holds the measuring rod considers himself as comprising of various constituents. 'Vimana' is a building constructed on sound proportions. The measuring of an object implies the creation of an object by according it a definite shape and existence. Just like the primeval Purusha is made up of different parts, the temple is also composed of various parts. The Purusha is perceived as the primary form of the Brahman and it is because of this reason that he bears the measuring rod. He is the architect of the universe and is therefore given the appellation of 'Vishvakarman'. The manifested world around us is constituted of all things which can be seen, have a concrete shape and can be measured. The term 'Vimana' has been frequently used to denote a temple. The constituents of the Vimana are measured and in fact the universe itself, which is the manifestation of the Supreme God is a Vimana and a macrocosm. The temple with its proportionate parts is also a Vimana created by man and represents the microcosm. Proportionate measurement (pramana) is crucial in the construction of the temple (Vimana) and to the image (pratima) installed inside it. The Vimana thus formed through the integration of numerous measured components is the very abode and body of the Supreme God.