The Hindu Temple: Where Man Becomes God

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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/hindu_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/vastu_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/sanctum_hindutemple_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/dilwara_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/khajuraho_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/khajuraho_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/kandariya_khajuraho_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/minakshi_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/mahabodhi_bodhgaya_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