India is called as the “Treasure house of Temples” known for its wide range of temple architecture spanning from the tip of the country to the coastal areas of Kerala. It can be safely established that every Indian and its visitors must have visited and basked in the spirituality and the beauty of the gods resting place. So, today I am going to talk about our own temples and how different they are.
Yes! You have heard right. Temples are similar in their spirit and purpose but are very different in their construction techniques and architectural features.
Indian temples are broadly defined in three styles known as: Nagara (between Himalayas and Vindyas), Dravida (South of Deccan) and Vesara (Deccan region). However, every part of the country has temples in their distinctive styles and are evolved over time on the basis of the climatic conditions, materials available, religious understandings, terrain, artistic expression and the wealth of the kingdom.
The First Shrines –
The first temples are built mainly from materials like wood and clay which perished over time. The early constructions were in the form of stupas and later evolved with a simple statue enclose in stone encasements with pictographs of puranas and vedas on the walls. They had a simple structural layout with gurbhagriha (womb house where the god’s statue houses), compound wall and pradirshina path. The first well developed temples of the south are of the 10th Century during the Chalukya empire in Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal region.
The Basic components of a temple –
Irrespective of the location of the house of god, they are comprised of few defined architectural features.
1. Sanctum (garbhagriha literally ‘womb-house’): A small cubicle with a single entrance and grew into a larger chamber in time.
2. Mandapa: The entrance to the temple which may be a portico or colonnaded hall that incorporates space for a large number of worshippers
3. Shikhara/ Vimana: Freestanding temples tend to have a mountain-like spire, which can take the shape of a curving shikhara in North India and a pyramidal tower, called a vimana, in South India
4. Vahan: The mount or vehicle of the temple’s main deity along with a standard pillar or dhvaj is placed axially before the sanctum.
The Striking differences –
1. Compound Wall: One of the striking experiences of a South Indian temple are the huge compound walls with great wooden doors opening up to the magnificent views of the temple. But alas! this is not the case when you travel up north. The Nagara style temples don't seldom have a compound wall and a pond which can be seen in the Dravidian temple complexes. This may be the case as South Indian rulers showcased temple complexes as the witness of their wealth and an important collection to their kingdoms as their palaces are built near the house of gods.
2. Magnitude of the Temple complexes: As discussed earlier south indian temples are symbolism of grandeur, wealth and prestige. Hence, the temples of south are spanned over large acres with smaller temple structures spanning across the main structure. It takes a few stops in a south indian complex rather than its counterpart in the north.
3. Gopuram: The north indian temple structures are generally crowned with short curved shikahra. On the contrary, the dravidian temples gopuram are designed as stepped pyramidical forms that rises up geometrically to a pinnacle. The gopuram is adorned with a crowning element at the top of the temple which is usually shaped like a small stupika or an octagonal cupola— this is equivalent to the amlak and kalasha of North Indian temples.
The North Indian idea of multiple shikharas rising together as a cluster was not popular in South India.
4. Garbha Griha: The entrance to the North Indian temple garbhagriha, it would be usual to find images such as mithunas and the river goddesses, Ganga and Yamuna, in the south you will generally find sculptures of fierce dvarapalas or the door-keepers guarding the temple. At some of the most sacred temples in South India, the main temple in which the garbhagriha is situated has, in fact, one of the smallest towers. This is because it is usually the oldest part of the temple. With the passage of time, the population and size of the town associated with that temple would have increased.
5. Ornamentation: Dravidian temple architecture usually has a Raja Gopuram (biggest tower) at the main gate and a small tower for the sanctum sanctorum (exception being Tanjore Big temple). South Indian temple gopurams are extremely intricate filled with statues and ornamentation.
This is quite the reverse in North Indian temples, where the height of the structure is progressive starting from a lower height gate leading to a tall tower where the sanctum is present. Also North Indian temple towers are mostly presented in a minimalist fashion with less or no statues in them.
And to make the differences simpler, easier to grasp and crisp check out the below table -
So, the next time you go to a temple
"explore its beauty where every inch of the stone is brought back to life to tell a story so enticing, spiritual and beautiful.. A story of ages worth knowing which can be seen by a keen eye, open mind and a pulsating heart which becomes an experience worth living"...
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