Hindu temple architecture
Hindu temple architecture centers on the garbha griha sanctum.
Hindu temple architecture, the principal form of Hindu architecture, is defined by a consistent core despite its many regional styles. The central and essential feature is the garbha griha, or womb-chamber, a simple, bare cell that houses the primary murti, or deity image. This chamber is often designed for clockwise circumambulation during rituals and prayers, and may be surrounded by additional structures, with the largest temple complexes covering several acres. Above the garbhagriha rises a tower-like shikhara, known as the vimana in southern India, topped with a finial called a kalasha. Southern temples are also noted for elaborate gopuram gateways. The shrine building typically includes a circumambulatory passage, a mandapa congregation hall, and sometimes an antarala antechamber. The architecture synthesizes arts and the ideals of dharma, functioning as a tirtha, or pilgrimage site, designed to link man with the divine and aid spiritual progress toward moksha. Architectural principles are outlined in the Shilpa Shastras and Vastu Sastras, though builders have exercised considerable creative flexibility. The earliest known remains, from Besnagar and Nagari, date to between the 3rd century BCE and 1st century BCE, featuring elliptical shrines with foundations for all major temple components, likely with wooden superstructures. The earliest preserved stone temples appear from the 5th century CE, such as the rock-cut Udayagiri Caves and simple cell-like structures like Temple 17 at Sanchi. By the 6th or 7th century, these evolved into high shikhara stone superstructures. Early North Indian examples include temples at Tigawa, Deogarh, and Bhitargaon, while South Indian free-standing stone temples survive from the 7th and 8th centuries, notably the monolithic models at Mahabalipuram. Hindu temple architecture also profoundly influenced the stylistic origins of Buddhist architecture, with elements like the shikhara possibly evolving into the pagoda seen across Asia.
- field
- Architecture
- known_for
- Inner sanctum (garbha griha), shikhara/vimana towers, gopuram gateways, mandapa halls
- region
- India and Southeast Asia
Lore & Background
The architectural principles of Hindu temples are described in the Shilpa Shastras and Vastu Sastras. The Hindu culture has encouraged aesthetic independence to its temple builders, who have exercised considerable flexibility in creative expression by adopting other perfect geometries and mathematical principles. Remains of early elliptical shrines discovered in Besnagar (3rd-2nd century BCE) and Nagari (1st century BCE) may be the earliest known Hindu temple structures, associated with the early Bhagavata tradition. In Besnagar, archaeologists found an ancient elliptical foundation with extensive floor and plinth from burnt bricks, including foundations for garbhagriha, pradakshinapatha, antarala, and mandapa, covering an area of 30 x 30 m. The superstructure was likely made of wood, mud, and other perishable materials.
Reader's Guide
Hindu temple architecture has had a profound influence on the stylistic origins of Buddhist architecture, with aspects like the stupa possibly influenced by the shikhara, which in some regions evolved into the pagoda seen throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The earliest preserved Hindu temples are simple cell-like stone temples from the Gupta period, such as Temple 17 at Sanchi, evolving into high shikhara stone superstructures by the 6th or 7th century. In South India, no pre-7th century free-standing stone temples have survived, but examples from Mahabalipuram from the 7th and 8th centuries typify a developed Dravida order. By about the 7th century, most main features of the Hindu temple were established, and many regional styles developed, often following political divisions, with large temples typically built with royal patronage. The Vesara style originated between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, mixing features of nagara and dravida styles, as seen at Pattadakal.
Did You Know?
- The garbha griha or womb-chamber houses the primary Murti and is crowned by a tower-like shikhara, called vimana in the south.
- The earliest known Hindu temple structures may be elliptical shrines from Besnagar (3rd-2nd century BCE) and Nagari (1st century BCE).
- Hindu temple architecture influenced Buddhist architecture, with the stupa possibly influenced by the shikhara, which evolved into the pagoda in many Asian countries.
- The architectural principles of Hindu temples are described in the Shilpa Shastras and Vastu Sastras.
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