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The Hindu TempleWhere Man Becomes God

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The Hindu Temple: Where Man Becomes God

Article of the Month - May 2003

Ancient Indian thought divides time into four different periods. These durations are referred to as theKrta; Treta; Dvapara; and Kali.

The first of these divisions (Krta), is also known as satya-yuga, or the Age of Truth. This was a goldenage without envy, malice or deceit, characterized by righteousness. All people belonged to one caste,and there was only one god who lived amongst the humans as one of them.

In the next span (Treta-yuga), the righteousness of the previous age decreased by one fourth. The chiefvirtue of this age was knowledge. The presence of gods was scarce and they descended to earth onlywhen men invoked them in rituals and sacrifices. These deities were recognizable by all.

In the third great division of time, righteousness existed only in half measure of that in the first division.Disease, misery and the castes came into existence in this age. The gods multiplied. Men made theirown images, worshipped them, and the divinities would come down in disguised forms. But thesedisguised deities were recognizable only by that specific worshipper.

Kali-yuga is the present age of mankind in which we live, the first three ages having already elapsed. Itis believed that this age began at midnight between February 17 and 18, 3102 B.C. Righteousness isnow one-tenth of that in the first age. True worship and sacrifice are now lost. It is a time of anger, lust,passion, pride, and discord. There is an excessive preoccupation with things material and sexual.

Temples appeared on the horizon only in the Kali-yuga. During this existing last phase, temples (aspublic shrines), began to be built and icons installed.But the gods ceased to come down and appear intheir own or disguised forms. However, theirpresence could be felt when the icons were properlyenshrined, and the temples correctly built. Incontrast to the previous periods when the gods wereavailable to all equally, now it is only the priests,belonging to a traditional hierarchy of professionalworshippers, who are the competent individuals tocompel this presence.

From the contemporary point of view, temples act as safe haven where ordinary mortals like us can feelthemselves free from the constant vagaries of everyday existence, and communicate personally withgod. But our age is individualistic if nothing else. Each of us requires our own conception of the deity

based on our individual cultural rooting. In this context it is interesting to observe that the word ‘temple,’and ‘contemplate’ both share the same origin from the Roman word ‘templum,’ which means a sacredenclosure. Indeed, strictly speaking, where there is no contemplation, there is no temple. It is an irony ofour age that this individualistic contemplative factor, associated with a temple, is taken to be its highestpositive virtue, while according to the fact of legend it is but a limitation which arose due to ourcontinuous spiritual impoverishment over the ages. We have lost the divine who resided amongst us(Krta Yuga), which is the same as saying that once man was divine himself.

But this is not to belittle the importance of the temple as a center for spiritual nourishment in our presentcontext, rather an affirmation of their invaluable significance in providing succour to the modern man inan environment and manner that suits the typical requirements of the age in which we exist.

Making of the Temple

The first step towards the construction of a temple is the selection of land. Even though any land may beconsidered suitable provided the necessary rituals are performed for its sanctification, the ancient textsnevertheless have the following to say in this matter: “The gods always play where groves, rivers,mountains and springs are near, and in towns with pleasure gardens.” Not surprisingly thus, many ofIndia’s ancient surviving temples can be seen to have been built in lush valleys or groves, where theenvironment is thought to be particularly suitable for building a residence for the gods.

No matter where it is situated, one essential factor for the existence of a temple is water. Water isconsidered a purifying element in all major traditions of the world, and if not available in reality, it mustbe present in at least a symbolic representation in the Hindu temple. Water, the purifying, fertilizingelement being present, its current, which is the river of life, can be forded into inner realization and thepilgrim can cross over to the other shore (metaphysical).

The practical preparations for building a temple are invested with great ritual significance and magicalfertility symbolism. The prospective site is first inspected for the ‘type,’ of the soil it contains. Thisincludes determining its color and smell. Each of these defining characteristics is divided into fourcategories, which are then further associated with one of the four castes:

- White Soil: Brahmin- Red Soil: Kshatriya (warrior caste)- Yellow Soil: Vaishya- Black Soil: Shudra

Similarly for the smell and taste:

- Sweet: Brahmin- Sour: Kshatriya- Bitter: Vaishya- Astringent: Shudra (a reminder perhaps of the raw-deal which they have often been given in life)

The color and taste of the soil determines the “caste” of the temple, i.e., the social group to which it willbe particularly favourable. Thus the patron of the temple can choose an auspicious site specificallyfavourable to himself and his social environment.

After these preliminary investigations, the selected ground needs to be tilled and levelled:

Tilling: When the ground is tilled and ploughed, the past ceases to count; new life is entrusted to thesoil and another cycle of production begins, an assurance that the rhythm of nature has not beeninterfered with. Before laying of the actual foundation, the Earth Goddess herself is impregnated in asymbolic process known as ankura-arpana, ankura meaning seed and arpana signifying offering. In thisprocess, a seed is planted at the selected site on an auspicious day and its germination is observed aftera few days. If the growth is satisfactory, the land is deemed suitable for the temple. The germination ofthe seed is a metaphor for the fulfilment of the inherent potentialities which lie hidden in Mother Earth,and which by extension are now transferred to the sacred structure destined to come over it.

Levelling: It is extremely important that the ground from which the temple is to rise is regarded asbeing throughout an equal intellectual plane, which is the significance behind the levelling of the land. It isalso an indication that order has been established in a wild, unruly, and errant world.

Now that the earth has been ploughed, tilled and levelled, it is ready for the drawing of the vastu-purusha mandala, the metaphysical plan of the temple.

The Metaphysical Architecture of the Temple

The basic plan of a Hindu temple is anexpression of sacred geometry where thetemple is visualized as a grand mandala. Bysacred geometry we mean a science whichhas as its purpose the accurate laying out ofthe temple ground plan in relation to thecardinal directions and the heavens.Characteristically, a mandala is a sacredshape consisting of the intersection of acircle and a square.

The square shape is symbolic of earth,signifying the four directions which bind anddefine it. Indeed, in Hindu thought whateverconcerns terrestrial life is governed by thenumber four (four castes; the four Vedasetc.). Similarly, the circle is logically theperfect metaphor for heaven since it is aperfect shape, without beginning or end,signifying timelessness and eternity, a characteristically divine attribute. Thus a mandala (and byextension the temple) is the meeting ground of heaven and earth.

These considerations make the actual preparation of the site and laying of the foundation doublyimportant. Understandably, the whole process is heavily immersed in rituals right from the selection ofthe site to the actual beginning of construction. Indeed, it continues to be a custom in India thatwhenever a building is sought to be constructed, the area on which it first comes up is ceremoniallypropitiated. The idea being that the extent of the earth necessary for such construction must bereclaimed from the gods and goblins that own and inhabit that area. This ritual is known as the‘pacification of the site.’ There is an interesting legend behind it:

Once when Shiva was engaged in afierce battle with the demonAndhaka, a drop of sweat fell fromShiva’s forehead to the ground,accompanied by a loud thunder.This drop transformed into aravenously hungry monster, whoattempted to destroy the threeworlds. The gods and divine spirits,however, rushed at once on to himand held him down. When thedemon fell on the ground facedownwards, the deities lodgedthemselves on to the different partsof his body and pressed him down.It is because of this reason that therecumbent individual came to beknown as ‘Vastu,’ which means the

lodgement of the gods. He is pictured as lying down inside the mandala with his arms and legs so foldedas to cover the whole area, and his head pushed into the north-eastern corner of the square. As many asforty-five gods are lodged on his body directly on the limbs and joints.

This vastu-purusha is the spirit in mother-earth which needs to be pacified and is regarded as a demonwhose permission is necessary before any construction can come up on the site. At the same time, careis taken to propitiate the deities that hold him down, for it is important that he should not get up. Tofacilitate the task of the temple-architect, the vastu-mandala is divided into square grids with the lodgingof the respective deities clearly marked. It also has represented on it the thirty-two nakshatras, theconstellations that the moon passes through on its monthly course. In an ideal temple, these deitiesshould be situated exactly as delineated in the mandala.

In the central grid of the vastu-mandala sitsBrahma, the archetypal creator, endowedwith four faces looking simultaneously in alldirections. He is thus conceived as the ever-present superintending genius of the site. Atthis exact central point is established themost important structure of the sacredcomplex, where the patron deity of thetemple is installed. Paradoxically this area isthe most unadorned and least decoratedpart of the temple, almost as if it is createdin an inverse proportion to its spiritualimportance. Referred to as the sanctumsanctorum, it is the most auspicious regionin the whole complex. It has no pillars,windows or ventilators. In addition to ametaphysical aspect, this shutting off of airand light has a practical side to it too. It wasmeant to preserve the icon, which, in oldendays, was often made of wood. Also,

Sanctum of a Hindu Temple

besides preventing the ill effects of weathering, the dark interior adds to the mystery of the divinepresence.

Throughout all subsequent developments in temple architecture, however spectacular and grandiose,this main shrine room remains the small, dark cave that it has been from the beginning. Indeed it hasbeen postulated (both by archaeology and legend), that the temple developed from the cave-shrine ofthe extremely remote past. This is another instance in Hinduism where the primitive and the modern,along with all the developments in-between, can be seen to co-exist remarkably and peacefully.

When the devotee enters a temple, he is actuallyentering into a mandala and thereforeparticipating in a power-field. The fieldenclosures and pavilions through which he mustpass to reach the sanctum are symbolic. Theyrepresent the phases of progress in a man’sjourney towards divine beatitude. In accordancewith this scheme of transition, architectural andsculptural details vary from phase to phase in thedevotee’s onward movement, gradually preparinghim for the ultimate, awesome experience, whichawaits him in the shrine.

This process mirrors the four-phased spiritual evolution envisaged in yoga, namely the waking state(jagrat); dream state (swapna); the state of deep sleep (sushupti); and finally the Highest state ofawareness known in Sanskrit as turiya. This evolution takes place as follows:

On reaching the main gateway, the worshipper first bends down and touches the threshold beforecrossing it. This marks for him the fact that the transition from the way of the world to the way of godhas been initiated. Entering the gateway, he or she is greeted by a host of secular figures on the outerwalls. These secular images are the mortal, outward and diverse manifestations of the divinity enshrinedinside. In this lies a partial explanation behind the often explicit erotic imagery carved on the outer wallsof temples like those at Khajuraho, where the deity inside remains untouched by these sensuousoccurrences. Such images awaken the devotee to his mortal state of existence (wakefulness). Theprocess of contemplation has already begun.

As he proceeds, carvings of mythological themes, legendarysubjects, mythical animals and unusual motifs abound. Theyare designed to take one away from the dull andcommonplace reality, and uplift the worshipper to the dreamystate.

Dilwara Temple, Mount Abu, Rajasthan

The immediate pavilion and vestibule before the iconare restrained in sculptural decorations, and theprevailing darkness of these areas are suggestive ofsleep-like conditions.

Finally the shrine, devoid of any ornamentation, andwith its plainly adorned entrance, leads the devoteefurther to the highest achievable state ofconsciousness, that of semi-tranquillity (turiya),where all boundaries vanish and the universe standsforth in its primordial glory. It signifies the coming torest of all differentiated, relative existence. Thisutterly quiet, peaceful and blissful state is the ultimateaim of all spiritual activity. The devotee is now fully-absorbed in the beauty and serenity of the icon. Heor she is now in the inner square of Brahma in thevastu- mandala, and in direct communion with thechief source of power in the temple.

The thought behind the design of a temple is acontinuation of Upanishadic analogy, in which theatman (soul or the divine aspect in each of us) islikened to an embryo within a womb or to somethinghidden in a cave. Also says the Mundaka Upanishad:

‘The atman lives where our arteries meet (in the heart), as the spokes of the wheel meet at the hub.’Hence, it is at the heart center that the main deity is enshrined. Befittingly thus, this sanctum sanctorum istechnically known as the garba-griha (womb-house).

The garbhagriha is almost always surrounded by a circumambulatory path, around which the devoteewalks in a clockwise direction. In Hindu and Buddhist thought, this represents an encircling of theuniverse itself.

No description of the Hindu templecan be complete without a mentionof the tall, often pyramid-likestructure shooting up the landscapeand dominating the skyline.

Chhapra Temple, Central India

Kandariya Temple Khajuraho

This element of temple architecture isknown as ‘shikhara,’ meaning peak(mountain). It marks the location of theshrine room and rises directly above it. Thisis an expression of the ancient idealbelieving the gods to reside in themountains. Indeed, in South India thetemple spire is frequently carved withimages of gods, the shikhara beingconceived as mount Meru, the mythicalmountain-axis of the universe, on the slopesof which the gods reside.

In North India too, it is worthwhile here to note,most goddess shrines are located on mountaintops. Since it rises just above the central shrine,the shikhara is both the physical and spiritual axisof the temple, symbolizing the upward aspirationof the devotee, a potent metaphor for his ascentto enlightenment.

Conclusion

Man lost the divinity within himself. His intuition, which is nothing but a state of primordial alertness,continues to strive towards the archetypal perfect state where there is no distinction between man and

Temple of Minakshi, Madurai

Temple of Mahabodhi, Bodhgaya

god (or woman and goddess). The Hindu Temple sets out to resolve this deficiency in our lives bydissolving the boundaries between man and divinity. This is achieved by putting into practice the beliefthat the temple, the human body, and the sacred mountain and cave, represent aspects of the samedivine symmetry.

Truly, the most modern man can survive only because the most ancient traditions are alive in him. Thesolution to man’s problems is always archaic. The architecture of the Hindu temple recreates thearchetypal environment of an era when there was no need for such an architecture.

References and Further Reading

- Danielou, Alain. The Hindu Temple (Deification of Eroticism): Rochester, 2001.- Elgood, Heather. Hinduism and the Religious Arts: London, 1999.- Kramrisch, Stella. The Hindu Temple (2 Vols.): Delhi, 2002.- Lundquist, John M. The Temple (Meeting Place of Heaven and Earth): London, 1993.- Marathe, Kaumudi. Temples of India (Circles of Stone): Mumbai, 1998.- Maxwell, T.S. The Gods of Asia (Image, Text, and Meaning): New Delhi, 1997.- Rao, S.K. Ramachandra. Indian Temple Traditions: Bangalore, 1997.

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Copyright © 2003, ExoticIndiaArt