IIT-Roorkee Study Reveals 8 Ancient Shiva Temples Built on Eco-Rich Zones, Offer Blueprint for Sustainable Future

IIT-Roorkee Study Reveals 8 Ancient Shiva Temples Built on Eco-Rich Zones, Offer Blueprint for Sustainable Future

Roorkee: A groundbreaking study by IIT-Roorkee, in collaboration with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Coimbatore) and Uppsala University (Sweden), has revealed that eight ancient Shiva temples built before 1350 CE were strategically located in regions rich in water, energy, and food productivity.

The research, published in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications by Nature Portfolio, highlights how India’s ancient temple architecture was deeply aligned with ecology and sustainability, offering lessons for modern development and climate resilience.

Ancient Shiva Temples and Their Locations

The study focused on eight temples along the Shiva Shakti Aksha Rekha (SSAR) belt:

• Kedarnath (Uttarakhand)
• Kaleshwaram (Telangana)
• Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh)
• Kalviyur (Tamil Nadu)
• Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)
• Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu)
• Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)
• Thiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu)

Linking Ancient Wisdom with Modern Sustainability

Using Geographic Information System (GIS) geospatial analysis, the team overlaid temple sites with data on rainfall, topography, soil health, forest cover, and agriculture. They discovered that:

18.5% of land in the SSAR belt can yield up to 44 million tonnes of rice annually. The same belt has the potential to generate nearly 597 GW of renewable energy, contributing significantly to India’s 500 GW renewable energy target for 2030. Prof. K S Kasiviswanathan from IIT-Roorkee, lead author of the study, explained:

“The construction of these temples was not only spiritual but also scientific. They were built keeping in mind resource availability, agricultural fertility, and ecological balance.”

Forests, Rainfall, and Ecological Stability in Ancient Times

The research revealed that forest cover during the period was about 2.4 times denser than today, which helped in soil retention and maintaining ecological stability. While rainfall patterns differed from current times, their geographic distribution remained steady, ensuring long-term farming reliability.

Sacred Sites with Strategic Purpose

The placement of temples was found to be closely tied to perennial water sources, fertile agricultural lands, and areas with high potential for hydropower and solar energy.

Prof. Kasiviswanathan emphasized:

“The science behind these temple sites gives us a blueprint for sustainable planning drawn from our own heritage.”

Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director of IIT-Roorkee, added:

“This study shows how ancient wisdom and modern science can complement each other to address today’s challenges of climate resilience and resource security.”

The findings underline that ancient temple sites were not only sacred spaces but also strategic centers of sustainability, blending spirituality, ecology, and science. As India moves towards ambitious climate and energy goals, these insights from the past may serve as valuable models for future sustainable development.