Chapter 1 - The Indian conception of a temple

CHAPTER-I THE INDIAN CONCEPTION OF A TEMPLE The conception of deities and their worship has a great antiquity in India The archaeological finds of the Indus civilization include a number of figurines indicative of image worship. The Vedic literature, which is the earliest known literary monument of India, contains hymns addressed to several deities. which supply some hints for their anthromorphical forms. But the beginning of the construction of temples cannot be definitely assigned to these protohistoric times. The earliest known remains of sanctuaries enshrining objects of worship appear in the form of caitya-griha dating some centuries centuries after the period of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira Swami. In the beginning these religious creeds, especially Buddhism, showed a sort of aversion to representing the bodily form of the Buddha for worship, who was, therefore, worshipped through the stupa, the Bodhi tree, and other symbols. The tradition of constructing sanctuaries for enshrining the stupa seems to have commenced after the end of the Mauryan period (c. 322 B. C.-185 B. C.) The Sunga period (c. B. C. 185- c. 70 B. C.) also marks the beginning of temples constructed for enshrining images of deities. In course of time the Buddhist and Jains adopted the worship of the bodily form of the Buddhas and the Tirthankars and began to construct temples for their worship. Now the temple generally represents a sacred building enshrining the image of a deity or an emancipated personage designated as a deity.

2 The Structural Temples of Gujarat The Indian temple is generally styled a mansion (Prasada)¹ built as a place of residence for the deity (Deva) concerned. Originally the deity was housed therin in the form of the image of his or her person or limb, or a symbol representing the deity. It corresponds to the Temple which forms the dwelling house of the deity to which it is consecrated, whose presence is marked by a statue or other sacred symbol, 3 Thus it differs from a prayer hall (like that of a mosque or a Protestant church or a bethel of the Jews or Zoroastrians). The early temple in India consisted of a single celler enshrining an image or symbol of the deity. In course of time it gradually developed into a complex building with one or more pillared halls added to the cella. The cella enshrining the deity, then, formed the inner apartment of the House of the Deity, (Devatayatana), while the hall or halls added to it in front or those added on sides of the central hall served as an accessary to the innermost cella (Garbhagara) or the shrine proper. When an image or a symbol is consecrated with all due rituals prescribed for it, the soul (prana) of the deity is regarded as entering into and dwelling in it. Since the performance of this rite known as Pranapratistha, the deity is to be attended and worshipped with due ceremonies regularly. 1. Or Mandira, Bhavana, Vimana. 2 Griha, Agara, Ayatana, Alaya, Kula, Sthana Vesa etc. 3. Ency, of Religion & Ethics, Vol. XII, p. 236., Ency. of Britanica, (9 th edi.) Vol. XXIII, p. 165.