10 must-visit temples that are a study in centuries old architectural wonders of India

Intricately carved sculptures and panels at the Belur Channakeshava Temple depict stories from the Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata. (Photo by Trimurthypapu via Wikimedia Commons 4.0)

Many centuries-old temples in India are still teeming with worshippers who may or may not be aware of the precision with which those temples were built. Perhaps, as an attempt to highlight this, at the upcoming first India Art Architecture Design Biennale, to be held in New Delhi from December 9, one of the seven curated thematic displays, Sthapatya, will explore the timeless design and architectural marvels of ancient Indian temples.

“Temple architecture evolved along with the transition from formless to form based temples,” said architect Yashaswini Sharma of Esthetique Architects. She is collaborating with Cardiff architect and author Prof Adam Hardy in the construction of a Hoysala style temple in Venkatapura in Karnataka which is expected to be ready in 12 years.

Prof Hardy, considered an authority on Indian temple architecture, said: “I have tried not so much to design the temple as to let it emerge out of the architectural principles by which the medieval tradition developed. Those, together with the iconographic requirements – the images of the gods and their placement – generated the temple form in a way that seemed natural and inevitable.”

Khajuraho Temples are an example of the Nagara style. (Photo by JP Bennett via Wikimedia Commons)

Ancient temples, according to Sharma, evolved out of the residential structures of the time, wooden as well as stone. Two classical architectural languages formed, from the northern Nagara style to the southern Dravida style, both of which evolved during the ‘great age of temple construction’ between the 6th and 13th centuries.

“The sthapatis in Karnataka played both styles and developed a new language, Vesara, combining the Nagara and Dravida styles,” Sharma said. The ancient Indian temples had anthropomorphic construction (based on the human form), but it was intrinsically feminine. Sharma said, “The garbhagriha, the innermost sanctuary of the temple, is named after the ‘garbha’ or womb. The rest of the temple is named after body parts like shikhara (head), jhanga (thigh) and so on.”

The blueprint

Ancient temples had the garbhagriha (sanctum) with a single entrance which housed the main idol. Some Hoysala temples, like the Somnathapura Temple, had three garbagrihas or the trikuta. Then there is the entrance to the garbhagriha, mandapa, which was a portico or a colonnaded hall for the worshippers to assemble. Temples had mountain-like spires, a curving shikhar of the Nagara style or the pyramidal vimana of Dravida style. The vahan or vehicle of the main idol and dhvaj or standalone pillar were placed axially before the sanctum.

Key features of Nagara-style temples

· Entire temple would be built on one platform and there was no compound wall.

· Earlier temples had one shikhara while later ones had multiple.

· Garbagriha is always located under the tallest shikhara.

· The simplest shikhara (Latina or Rekha-prasada) had a square base and it sloped upwards to a point.

· Phamsana shikhara was shorter and broader than the Latina style and rose upwards on a straight incline. This style was used over the mandap.

· The valabhi type Nagara temples were rectangular with roofs that rose into a vaulted chamber.

· In Odisha, one variation of the Nagara-style shikhara is the deula which is vertical spire till it suddenly curves inwards

In the Dravida style, look for these features

· The temple would be enclosed by a compound and the front wall had a grand gateway called the gopuram.

· The main temple tower is referred as the vimana.

· Here, shikhara is the crowning element on top of the temple which is an octagonal cupola.

· It was common to have a temple pond or Kalyani.

· Often, the vimana would be the smallest of the towers since it would be the oldest part of the temple. As newer boundary walls were built, the towers would become taller and loftier.

· Five different shapes emerged: square (kuta), rectangular (shala), elliptical (gaja prihta), circular (vritta) and octagonal (ashtasra)

Iconography

While every region and period had its own style of images based on the Shilpa shastra, the placement of the idols or images were carefully planned. In a Nagara-style temple, river goddesses like Ganga (on makara) and Yamuna (on kumbha) are found at the entrance of the garbhagriha. In the Dravida style, dwarpalas or doorkeepers are at the garbhagriha entrance. Mithunas (erotic images), navagrahas (nine planets) and yakshas are also placed at the entrances of the Dravida temples. Ashtadikpalas (deities of direction) face the key directions on the outer walls of sanctum. Ornamentations such as gavaksha, vyala, kalpalata, amalaka, kalasha and so on, were used to decorate the temple.

To get an idea of the diversity and grandeur of ancient temples, experts suggest looking for the following elements:

Carved in stone

Stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata

1. Belur Channakeshava Temple: While many ancient temples have elaborate panels telling stories, like the ones in Ellora, Hazara Rama Temple (Hampi), and Halebid, the Channakeshava Temple at Belur has intricate stories from the Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata. “It’s absolutely amazing,” Sharma said. This 12th century living temple is vibrant, with worshippers and tourists visiting to take in the sights.

The descent of Ganga (Arjuna’s penance)

2. Mahabalipuram: At the seaport of the Palava kings, who built the earliest stone temples in the south, monolithic temples carved from a single piece of rock or cave temples hollowed out of rocks, the bas-reliefs carved on the face of rocks were fine examples of story narration. Here, the world’s largest bas-relief (96’X40’) is said to depict the descent of Ganga to earth. About 150 figures are carved on a pink granite rock that’s naturally split in the centre. It shows sage Bhagirath doing penance and Ganga descending from Shiva’s hair. There are apsaras, nagas and a herd of elephants, one of which is 17 feet long, a comic tomcat, and the Himalayas on the upper part of the bas-relief. The locals believe the panel depicts Arjuna doing penance. This panel dates to the 8th century.

Creation of life

3. Khajuraho Temple: Only 20 temples remain of about 1,000 temples built by the Chandella dynasty in the Nagara style during the 8th century. “While people, especially Westerners, are quick to call the images here as erotic, what has been shown through the sculptures is the creation of life,” Sharma said. “I would call it the celebration of life.” The Kandariya Mahadeo Temple and the Devi Jagdambi Temple have some of the most graphic scenes of creation and are known for the craftsmanship.

Astronomically inclined

4. Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple: All ancient Indian temples had alignment to the Brahmasutras and the cardinal points. “All temples, if there are no obstructions, should have sunlight fall on the garbhagriha twice a year on equinox,” Sharma said. According to her, the Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in Bengaluru is an example of good astronomical studies. It is the oldest temple in the city and has mysterious stone discs in the front. On Makar Sankranthi, sunlight passes through an arc between the horns of Nandi bull and falls directly on the Shivlinga. The sun illuminates the Shivlinga on summer and winter solstices. This temple was built by Kempe Gowda in the 16th century.

At Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Bangalore. (Photo by Dineshkannambadi via Wikimedia Commons 4.0)

Time reader

5. Sun Temple Konark: Close to the Bay of Bengal, the Sun Temple at Konark represents the chariot of Sun God with 12 pairs of wheels and dragged by seven horses. Two wheels work as sundials, with major and minor spokes dividing the wheel into hours while beads at the edge of the wheels further diving the time into minutes. One of the wheels is on the east side and the other on the west side of the temple, making it possible to read the time from sunrise to sunset. There are moon dials for telling the time after sunset. This temple dates to the 13th century.

A treatise on dance and a scientific marvel

6. Chidambaram’s Thillai Nataraja Temple: Dance is everywhere in this temple complex of five temples, starting from the 108 karanas depicted in the passageway of the gopurams. These karanas (hand feet movements) were described in the Natya Shastra, the ancient text on performing arts, which were combined to make 32 angaharas. It is said that here Parvati challenges Shiva to dance. While she is able to match all his dance poses, Shiva lifts his left foot towards the sky in Urdhuva Tandav pose which Parvati does not copy for the sake of modesty. And so, Shiva wins. The Nataraja idol (Shiva doing the tandav dance) is said to be positioned strategically. Scientists have deemed that the big toe of the idol is placed on the centre point of earth’s magnetic equator which makes it a scientific feat back in the 10th century.

Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara Temple (Photo by KARTY JazZ via Wikimedia Commons 4.0)

Tallest Temple

7. Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara Temple: This Shiva temple, completed around 1009 by Rajaraja Chola, is the largest and tallest of all Indian temples. Its pyramidal multi-storeyed vimana rises to a massive 70-metre structure topped by a shikhara. Hundreds of stucco figures decorate the vimana and the huge Shivlinga is housed in a two-storeyed sanctum.

The Yoginis (Cult)

8. Hirapur Chausath Yogini Temple: The Puranas describe yoginis as various aspects of Durga who, through the yoginis, manifests her presence. There are 64 (chausath) yoginis in individual niches facing the centre of the open-air temple in a circular shape to form a chakra. The temple’s diameter is just 25 feet. The temple’s outer walls have nine katyayanis or the ferocious manifestations of Shakti. The yoginis, whose cult was central Kaula tantric practice, possessed the power of flight and shapeshifting (humans, animals and birds). There is another yoginis temple close by, at Ranipur Jharial which is also an open-air temple. The small shrine of Nateshwar Shiva is at the centre. The temples are dated to the 11th century.

Bull or elephant bas relief at the 11th century Chola-era Airavatesvara Temple. (Photo by Thamizhpparithi Maari via Wikimedia-Commons 3.0)

World’s oldest Optical Illusion

Is it a bull or an elephant?

9. Airavatesvara Temple: At Kumbakonam, there is the 11th century Chola temple of Lord Shiva which is considered an architectural marvel. There are stone chariots with sun and moon dial wheels, a flight of singing steps on the outside of the main podium which produces musical notes when one steps on them, and ornate sculptures. But one highlight is the bas-relief of a bull and an elephant. There are two bodies (bull and elephant) with one head which can fit both the bodies. On the left-hand side is the bull and the right-hand side is the elephant. It’s said to be the predecessor to all optical illusions.

Is it wood or stone?

10. Lad Khan Temple: At Aihole in Karnataka, the Lad Khan Temple is said to be inspired by the wooden-roofed hill temples. Originally dedicated to Vishnu, it is now a Shiva temple, with a roof that has timber logs set in stone. Above this roof is a turret which probably was the predecessor of the elaborate vimanas. The temple is dated to the 5th century.