Origin of the Temple

CHAPTER III TEMPLES The word temple, defined as a place of worship,' denotes a class of buildings consecrated to Brahmanical gods and goddesses 2 The Indian. silpa texts on architecture usually call temple a prasada³ which commonly denotes a palace. This makes it clear that there is no distinction between a temple and a palace or a temple and an ordinary house (terms like devalaya, devagrha, devasadna etc. contain words standing for ordinary houses) on architectural level It is only at the level of the use to which palatial or ordinary structures are to be put that the distinction can be seen. A prasada is distinct from rajaprasada because the prasada associated with the raja or king is put to a different sort of use, whereas devaprasada or prasada was put to the religions use. Similarly the association of Deva, 5 Hari, 6 Purusa,7 Siva and Sakti³ with the terms alaya, grha, vesma, sadana or prasada shows a house made exclusively for religious use. Temple or prasada or devagrha in the opinion of silpasastra was a special kind of building devoted exclusively to religious use. This definition unless further restricted would not exclude buildings like those of a matha or vihara 10 which were meant for religious use but were not temples.

94 ORIGIN OF THE TEMPLE The temple as Vimana is the house and body of god. By temple is understood the main shrine only in which is contained the garbhagrha, the womb and house of the embryo, the small innermost sanctuary with its generally square plan. All other buildings within the sacred precinct are the hall, mandapa in front of the entrance, is itself, as in Orissa, a semi separate structure to which may be added several more such buildings. preparing the devotee for the entry into the temple. These accessory buildings conform in each case with the proportionate measure of the temple, the vimana, the mandapa generally coalesces with the vimana. Vimana is the name of the temple built according to sastra by the application of various proportionate measurements or various standards of proportionate measurement. The module is either purely architectural or being taken from the Linga or image enshrined in the garbhagrha is in principle common to the building the main object of worship and the builder. This is explained in detail in the Matsya Purana and GP. The purely architectural standard of proportionate measure is generally the width of the square of the prasada This is the width of its wall, measured on the outside The wall of the garbharha is generally half of its external width. 11 The total height of the Vimana is double the external width of the wall 12

95 13 The other standard of proportionate measurement of the plan and section of the building is not architectural it is the height of the Linga¹³ or the image 14 in the garbhagrha. Vimana, as name of main temple building, is synonymous with prasada. These two are the most significant words for temple. 15 This is incomplete conformity with the meaning of the temple and the bricks of which it is built. They are imbued with the presence of Siva and all the principles of existence. 16 Other words for temple are devagrham, devagara, houses of God; devayatanam, devalaya, 17 devakulam, meaning seat or residence of God; mandiram, bhavanam, sthanam,18 vesman, 19 meaning waiting or abiding place, dwelling, abode, station, entrance or dwelling, respectively kirtanam, 20 harmyam 21 a palatial building and vihara