Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple

Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

Doing this course showed me how important the spiritual experience is in the world. The
enlightening experience we have when we visit each spiritual center is vast. I myself coming from a
South Asia would like to explain the research and experiences I have done while doing my
undergrad thesis. I have tried to understand the basic principals in constructing of temples in India
while following all the spiritual principals. For my research I have met different people who are
experienced in temple construction. Mr. Perumal stapathi, and his son Mr. Ram Chandran are
temple architects who helped me a lot in my ground work. It is interesting how his whole family has
dedicated their life to design and construct temples. Everyone in their family will be a Stapathi
(temple architect). The interesting part was how both responded to the work I had. Whenever I
wanted to talk to Mr. Perumal Stapathi I had to take printouts of the drawings. On the other hand
his son, Mr. Ram Chandran would like to see my Cad drawings and excel sheets. It is so clearly
visible the modernization of the approach. I have prepared few excel sheets for Mr. Ram Chandran
which help in calculating the perimeter of the temple’s inner sanctum. Before I get to that I would
like to present the intricate procedure taken care in designing an Indian temple. First: parts of the
temple:

1 Parts of Indian Temple

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

Temple proportions replicate human proportions in most ways. This can be related to the Leonardo
da Vinci’s proportions of the Human Figure (Vitruvian Man).

2 Human Proportions relating to Temple proportions

Temple construction in India starts with the selection of site. The site should be near a water body
or on mountain top or in springs with pleasant gardens. The auspicious site for temple is one with
north-east slope. Surroundings need to be peaceful and create pleasant atmosphere. If any trees
with no reproduction, skull bones, rocks, bird inhabitant, ash, hair and skin reduce are found in or
on site, it should be abandoned for temple construction. The site is then tested with a quick check
process. A half meter pit is dug; the soil from this pit is carefully kept separately. After few minutes,
the same soil is refilled. The soil is good for construction of temple if there is a lump on the surface
of the soil. But, if there is a depression, the soil is unfit for temple construction.

3 Image showing the quick soil test for constructing a temple

In India every construction follows the Vastu Purusha Mandala to decide where a certain room
needs to be located. Vastu Purusha is a mythical being who locates himself according to the cosmos
and their positions, which effect the location of rooms in plan. Since Earth revolves and rotates,
Vastu-purusha also constantly changes position every three months. So to overcome this constant

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

moving, the Vastu-purusha mandala is drawn only the day when he matches with the North East
corner. (For construction of north Indian temples they do not wait for the purusha to match, but,
they will locate the position of the purusha at that day and time). Once Vastu purusha mandala is
fixed for a site, the plan of the temple is decided according to the deity who houses the temple.

4 Vastu Purusha Mandala

The plan should match the Gods nakshatras (astrology) for prosperity of the temple. This is done by
Āyadi Shadvarga. The temple inner sanctum is the most auspicious place and is to be designed with
great care. Indian Scriptures of Vastu says that every house is to be constructed according to its
owner’s anthropometric relations. But when we are constructing a temple, the deity’s astrology
would be the reference of measurement.

Āyadi Shadvarga (“with the perimeter of structure should conform”): Each temple plan had to
correspond to the 6 perquisite computations on Aya (course) that determine the proportion of the
building and outline the design solution. According to the site and temple size a random perimeter
is selected and it is calculated according to the computations. After attaining these computations
the following rules will decide if the selected perimeter is good enough for the construction.

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

Ādayam (Income): (A x 8)/12

Virayam (Expense): (A x 9)/10
Nakshatram (Star): (A x 8)/27
Yoni: (A x 3)/8
Varam: (A x 9)/7
Thithi: (A x 9)/15

Where A in previous formulas is the perimeter of

God shape of inner sanctum
the Garbha Griha (temple’s inner sanctum).

Ādayam should always be more than Virayam. (At ALL Square

Least equal)
Nakshatram: the stars are calculated from the got Shiva Circle

star to the god’s star. The no. is then divided by 9

and got reminder should be even or 1. Vishnu Octagonal

Yoni: The reminder got should be odd number.

Peace god Rectangular
Varam: The reminder got should be 2, 4, 7or 0.
Thithi: The reminder got should be an odd number.

Once the perimeter is obtained from the computations the shape of the inner sanctum is decided
according to the above table. There are many deities for Indian culture and according to which deity
is to be placed in the inner sanctum the shape of the sanctum is decided. The super structure above
the inner sanctum is the Shikara. Depending upon the number of stories of shikara, it is called
ekatala (one head), dwitala (two heads), tritala (three heads)etc. And each type of shikara is further
divided into 5 types. The dimension of garbha griha in plan is multiplied with five different
numbers to get five varieties of Shikara heights for each set of storey. If S is the side of the garbha
griha in plan, then the five varieties of shikaras are:

Santhikam (height is equal to S x 10/7)

Pousthikam (height is equal to S x 1.5)

Jayatham (height is equal to S x 1.75)

Arputham (height is equal to S x 2)

Sarvakamikam (height is equal to S x 2.25)

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

After the overall height is got, it is divided into number of parts such that set of few parts is for each
storey in shikara. All of these proportions can be obtained in all temple scriptures like
Mayamatham, Kasyapa-shilpam, Visvakarmiam, Maanasaram, Manasaram etc.

According to the decided temple height

the amount of detail is added to the side
of the temple and the shikara The
ornamentation of temples is explained in
Vedic texts like mayamatham, Kasyapa-
shilpam, Visvakarmiam, maanasaram,
manasaram etc., from the elephant trunk
shaped stair hand-rail at the plinth to the
type of god facing the specified direction
at the Shikara.

The temple façade always has recurring

ornamentation elements. This is actually
the transformation of elements from a
small bindi (dot or point) to a fully
ornamented Vimana or gateway. (Shown
in Indian Temple Architecture: Form and
Transformation by Ar. Adam Hardy.)

5 Parts of Shikara

6 dimension and detail of each side of temple according to decided storey

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

7 Temple Plan explain different parts

8 Adam Hardy illustrates the decorations on temples

As this clearly shows most of the initial decisions are taken by the stapathi according to the budget
of the project and the site. Once those are set, the calculations form the guidance for the most part

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Asia’s Sacred Sites Mid Term Paper: Indian Temple
Trinadh Kumar Pydipally

in designing a temple. But temple architects apart from just simply following these rules added
variety to each temple by designing different environment at different temple. The sun temple in
Konark has many places where shadows were used to enhance the spiritual feel of the place. There
are other monolithic mountain temples which were sculptured right into a mountain to form a
temple (Ellora temple, Maharashtra, India). This makes me wonder how much intricate rituals of
other cultures also take in construction of their own spiritual centers.

My own experience of temples is very different at different places. I have visited many temples
around southern India and had very enriching experience at different places. But strangely enough
when I visited Indian temples in America, I did not feel the same level of spirituality. And
interestingly I found the same spiritual experience in some of the churches here. This kind of shows
the kind of integrity the community can have on the building or space itself. The reason I say this, is
Indians visiting temple here are not as concentrated on God as they would be in India. I have
personally seen people here visiting temples just because of some intensions but not to experience
the silent clear inner self. I always wonder is it the people themselves which induce their
spirituality in that place. But after learning about Deborah Willoughby’s spiritual experience in
Grand Canyon, it was clear to me that one’s own perception of space lets them understand nature
and spirituality. Perception to spirituality differs in different cultures like directionality in
circumambulation is different in Hinduism and Bon religion. But the outcome is the same clear
spiritual experience. So I do think ones clear perception of a space can also induce their feelings
into the surroundings.

Bibliography

Sketches (1-7): Marabu Kattada Kalai (Traditional Architecture) by K.Thirugnanam

Sketch 8: Indian Temple Architecture: form and transformation by Adam Hardy

Scriptures: Kasyapam, Mayamatham

Temple the spiritual core: Thesis by Trinadh Kumar Pydipally, 2006, SVCA, Hyderabad, India

Pilgrim’s Progress article by Deborah Willoughby