3. Temple Architecture (Prāsāda or Vimānā)

The Divine transcends all temporal limitations; but man needs a temporal set-up that can help him to visualise the divine or establish contact with it. This is precisely where a symbol or an image or a place of worship comes to his rescue.

A temple is a link between man and God, between the materialistic world and the spiritual world, between the actual and the ideal. The word devālaya which is frequently used to denote a temple actually means “the house of God”. Devaprāsāda is another word to denote a temple.

Amidst many broad classifications of architecture that have been advanced by scholars in India, the temple architecture dedicated to the divine has been the most favourite architectural activity, for the genius of the architectural skill and craftsmanship culminated into the profoundest of expression, both from the point of view of art and culture.

Temple architecture in India is symbolic of the spiritual outlook of its people. It is the principal, visible and material record of the invisible and spiritual evolution of our civilisation. The temples that stand today are a testimony of our rich architectural heritage.

The various terms that denote a temple are Prāsāda, Vimāna, Devagṛha, Devāgāra, Devāyatana, Devālaya, Devakula, Mandiram, Bhavana, Sthāna and Veśma. Of these the first two are the most commonly used terms.

Prāsāda, means a palatial place of gods that are serene wherein the minds of men experience delight (Śilparatna, XVI. 1):

devādīnāṃ narāṇāṃ ca yeṣu ramyatayā ciram |
manāṃsi ca prasīdanti prāsādāstena kīrtitāḥ ||

In other words, the prāsādas by their beauty, please (prasīdanti) the minds of gods and men.

Vimāna is another synonym for a temple which is often used to denote the upper structure of the garbhagṛha in the temple and generally it has remained as one of the most accepted names to designate a temple as a whole. Mayamata (XIX. 10-2)^[1] mentions the term vimāna while enlisting the various synonyms to denote a temple.

Prāsāda Styles

Indian Temple Architecture is classified into three broad divisions of styles namely, Nāgara, Drāviḍa and Vesara. Standard norms of judgement of a particular branch of art or literature, science or philosophy are evolved only after a good deal of progress in that branch. Similarly, different styles of architecture could have only evolved after a good deal of progress in the architecture itself.

Indian architecture in its initial stages of development did not bother about classification of styles like Drāviḍa etc. The Śulbasūtras and the manifold injunctions in the various Sūtra literature, regarding vāstu, the layouts, proportionate measurements and materials, etc. formed the guiding manual for the Sthapatis and the Sthāpakas of those times. As time advanced and the architecture took an independent course, separate treatises in this field were written by the great Ācāryas. Brahmā, the Creator of the Universe is said to be the first Ācārya. This knowledge was passed on to Viśvakarmā, the divine architect. The Vāstu-vidyā gave rise to two distinct styles viz., Drāviḍa and Nāgara. The former belonging to the school of Maya flourished in the south of the Vindhyās and the latter rising from the school of Viśvakarmā had its foot-hold in the northern India.

There has been a lot of discussion on the import of these styles of Indian architecture. According to Dr. P.K. Acharya^[2],

“From all the literary and epigraphical instances given (above), it appears that certain expressions–Nāgara, Vesara and Drāviḍa are primarily geographical. But the precise boundaries of the Nāgara like those of Drāviḍa and Vesara, is not traceable.”

In some of the texts on the Vāstuśāstra the temple is described on the basis of the shapes of the buildings. Accordingly, Nāgara styled temples are quadrangular in shape or āmalaka shaped; the Vesara circular in shape and the Drāviḍa octagonal or pyramid shaped.^[3]

(a) Nāgara Style:

The Śikhara in this type of temples has a sloping curve as it rises and is topped by an āmalaka shaped disk and a kalaśa. The śikharas are usually built on raised platforms called jagatis. There are many sub-varieties in this style depending on the shape. Later Nāgara temples featured multiple śikharas. The garbhagṛha is located directly under the tallest tower. All the north Indian temples are of this style. The Kandariya Mahadeva temple at Khajuraho is said to be one of the best examples of this style of architecture.

(b) Drāviḍa Style:

Unlike the Nāgara temple, the Drāviḍa style temples are enclosed within prākāras. The outer prākāra is endowed with an entrance gateway or the gopura. The shape of the main temple is known as Vimāna. This Vimāna is like a stepped pyramid with various storeys rising up geometrically. Only the superstructure over the grabhagṛha had the vimāna structure. Multiple śikharas rising together as a cluster was not popular in Drāviḍa style. All the south Indian temples built under the rule of the Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas and the early Chalukyas, are of this style.

(c) Vesara Style:

The temples of the Deccan region, which incorporated both the styles of Nāgara and Drāviḍa are categorised under the Vesara style or mixed style. This hybrid style became popular after the mid 7^th Cent. A.D during the reign of later Chalukya rulers, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara kings. Durga temple in Aihole is a classic example of this style.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

vimānaṃ bhavanaṃ harmyaṃ saudhaṃ dhāma niketanam |
prāsādaṃ sadanaṃ sadma gehamāvāsakaṃ gṛham ||
ālayaṃ nilayaṃ vāsamāspadaṃ vastu vāstukam |
kṣetramāyatanaṃ veśma mandiraṃ dhiṣṇyakaṃ padam ||
layaṃ kṣayamagāraṃ ca tathodavasitaṃ punaḥ |
sthanamityevamuktāśca paryāyākhyā hi paṇḍitaiḥ ||

[2]:

Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture, by P. K. Acharya Oriental book centre, Delhi, 2004 p. 69.

[3]:

See Appendix I for photos of different styled temples.