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The Hindu Temple: Where Man Becomes God
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Ancient Indian thought divides time into four different periods.
These durations are referred to as the Krta; Treta; Dvapara; and
Kali.

The first of these divisions (Krta), is also known as satya-yuga,
or the Age of Truth. This was a golden age 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 chief virtue of this age was
knowledge. The presence of gods was scarce and they descended to
earth only when 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 their own images, worshipped them, and the
divinities would come down in disguised forms. But these
disguised 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. It is believed that this
age began at midnight between February 17 and 18, 3102 B.C.
Righteousness is now 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 (as public shrines), began to
be built and icons installed. But the gods ceased to come down
and appear in their own or disguised forms. However, their
presence could be felt when the icons were properly enshrined,
and the temples correctly built. In contrast to the previous
periods when the gods were available to all equally, now it is
only the priests, belonging to a traditional hierarchy of
professional worshippers, who are the competent individuals to
compel this presence.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...priests_11.jpg

>From the contemporary point of view, temples act as a safe haven
where ordinary mortals like us can feel themselves free from the
constant vagaries of everyday existence, and communicate
personally with god. 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 sacred enclosure. Indeed, strictly speaking, where there
is no contemplation, there is no temple. It is an irony of our
age that this individualistic contemplative factor, associated
with a temple, is taken to be its highest positive virtue, while
according to the fact of legend it is but a limitation which
arose due to our continuous 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 present context, rather
an affirmation of their invaluable significance in providing
succor to the modern man in an 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 be considered
suitable provided the necessary rituals are performed for its
sanctification, the ancient texts nevertheless 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 of India's ancient
surviving temples can be seen to have been built in lush valleys
or groves, where the environment 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 is considered a purifying
element in all major traditions of the world, and if not
available in reality, it must be present in at least a symbolic
representation in the Hindu temple. Water, the purifying,
fertilizing element being present, its current, which is the
river of life, can be forded into inner realization and the
pilgrim can cross over to the other shore (metaphysical).

The practical preparations for building a temple are invested
with great ritual significance and magical fertility symbolism.
The prospective site is first inspected for the 'type,' of the
soil it contains. This includes determining its color and smell.
Each of these defining characteristics is divided into four
categories, 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 will be particularly
favorable. Thus the patron of the temple can choose an auspicious
site specifically favorable to himself and his social
environment.

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

Tilling: When the ground is tilled and ploughed, the past ceases
to count; new life is entrusted to the soil and another cycle of
production begins, an assurance that the rhythm of nature has not
been interfered with. Before laying of the actual foundation, the
Earth Goddess herself is impregnated in a symbolic process known
as ankura-arpana, ankura meaning seed and arpana signifying
offering. In this process, a seed is planted at the selected site
on an auspicious day and its germination is observed after a few
days. If the growth is satisfactory, the land is deemed suitable
for the temple. The germination of the seed is a metaphor for the
fulfillment 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.

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

Now that the earth has been ploughed, tilled and leveled, 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 an expression of sacred
geometry where the temple is visualized as a grand mandala. By
sacred geometry we mean a science which has as its purpose the
accurate laying out of the temple ground plan in relation to the
cardinal directions and the heavens. Characteristically, a
mandala is a sacred shape consisting of the intersection of a
circle and a square.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/td16.jpg

The square shape is symbolic of earth, signifying the four
directions which bind and define it. Indeed, in Hindu thought
whatever concerns terrestrial life is governed by the number four
(four castes; the four Vedas etc.). Similarly, the circle is
logically the perfect metaphor for heaven since it is a perfect
shape, without beginning or end, signifying timelessness and
eternity, a characteristically divine attribute. Thus a mandala
(and by extension the temple) is the meeting ground of heaven and
earth.

These considerations make the actual preparation of the site and
laying of the foundation doubly important. Understandably, the
whole process is heavily immersed in rituals right from the
selection of the site to the actual beginning of construction.
Indeed, it continues to be a custom in India that whenever a
building is sought to be constructed, the area on which it first
comes up is ceremonially propitiated. The idea being that the
extent of the earth necessary for such construction must be
reclaimed 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 a fierce battle with the demon
Andhaka, a drop of sweat fell from Shiva's forehead to the
ground, accompanied by a loud thunder. This drop transformed into
a ravenously hungry monster, who attempted to destroy the three
worlds. The gods and divine spirits, however, rushed at once on
to him and held him down. When the demon fell on the ground face
downwards, the deities lodged themselves on to the different
parts of his body and pressed him down. It is because of this
reason that the recumbent individual came to be known as 'Vastu,'
which means the lodgment of the gods. He is pictured as lying
down inside the mandala with his arms and legs so folded as to
cover the whole area, and his head pushed into the north-eastern
corner of the square. As many as forty-five gods are lodged on
his body directly on the limbs and joints.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...purusha_07.jpg

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

In the central grid of the vastu-mandala sits Brahma, the
archetypal creator, endowed with four faces looking
simultaneously in all directions. He is thus conceived as the
ever-present superintending genius of the site. At this exact
central point is established the most important structure of the
sacred complex, where the patron deity of the temple is
installed. Paradoxically this area is the most unadorned and
least decorated part of the temple, almost as if it is created in
an inverse proportion to its spiritual importance. Referred to as
the sanctum sanctorum, it is the most auspicious region in the
whole complex. It has no pillars, windows or ventilators. In
addition to a metaphysical aspect, this shutting off of air and
light has a practical side to it too. It was meant to preserve
the icon, which, in olden days, was often made of wood. Also,
besides preventing the ill effects of weathering, the dark
interior adds to the mystery of the divine presence.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...utemple_41.jpg

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 has been postulated (both by archaeology and legend), that the
temple developed from the cave-shrine of the 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 actually entering into a
mandala and therefore participating in a power-field. The field
enclosures and pavilions through which he must pass to reach the
sanctum are symbolic. They represent the phases of progress in a
man's journey towards divine beatitude. In accordance with this
scheme of transition, architectural and sculptural details vary
from phase to phase in the devotee's onward movement, gradually
preparing him for the ultimate, awesome experience, which awaits
him in the shrine.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages..._temple_03.jpg

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 of awareness 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 before crossing it. This marks for him the
fact that the transition from the way of the world to the way of
god has been initiated. Entering the gateway, he or she is
greeted by a host of secular figures on the outer walls. These
secular images are the mortal, outward and diverse manifestations
of the divinity enshrined inside. In this lies a partial
explanation behind the often explicit erotic imagery carved on
the outer walls of temples like those at Khajuraho, where the
deity inside remains untouched by these sensuous occurrences.
Such images awaken the devotee to his mortal state of existence
(wakefulness). The process of contemplation has already begun.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages..._erotic_12.jpg

As he proceeds, carvings of mythological themes, legendary
subjects, mythical animals and unusual motifs abound. They are
designed to take one away from the dull and commonplace reality,
and uplift the worshipper to the dreamy state.

The immediate pavilion and vestibule before the icon are
restrained in sculptural decorations, and the prevailing darkness
of these areas are suggestive of sleep-like conditions.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages..._sleepy_08.jpg

Finally the shrine, devoid of any ornamentation, and with its
plainly adorned entrance, leads the devotee further to the
highest achievable state of consciousness, that of
semi-tranquility (turiya), where all boundaries vanish and the
universe stands forth in its primordial glory. It signifies the
coming to rest of all differentiated, relative existence. This
utterly quiet, peaceful and blissful state is the ultimate aim of
all spiritual activity. The devotee is now fully-absorbed in the
beauty and serenity of the icon. He or she is now in the inner
square of Brahma in the vastu- mandala, and in direct communion
with the chief source of power in the temple.

The thought behind the design of a temple is a continuation of
Upanishadic analogy, in which the atman (soul or the divine
aspect in each of us) is likened to an embryo within a womb or to
something hidden 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 is technically known as the garba-griha (womb-house).

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

No description of the Hindu temple can be complete without a
mention of the tall, often pyramid-like structure shooting up the
landscape and dominating the skyline.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...ajuraho_04.jpg

This element of temple architecture is known as 'shikhara,'
meaning peak (mountain). It marks the location of the shrine room
and rises directly above it. This is an expression of the ancient
ideal believing the gods to reside in the mountains. Indeed, in
South India the temple spire is frequently carved with images of
gods, the shikhara being conceived as mount Meru, the mythical
mountain-axis of the universe, on the slopes of which the gods
reside.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...madurai_05.jpg

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

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages...odhgaya_01.jpg

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

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

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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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The illustrations along with the text can be seen
at the HTML version of the article:
http://www.exoticindia.com/article/hindutemple/

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Nitin G.
http://www.exoticindia.com