Vishnudharmottara Purana (Art and Architecture)
by Bhagyashree Sarma | 2021 | 59,457 words
This page relates ‘Characteristic Features of Common Temples� of the study on the elements of Art and Architecture according to the Vishnudharmottara Purana: an ancient text whose third book deals with various artisan themes such as Architecture, Painting, Dance, Grammar, etc. Many chapters are devoted to Hindu Temple architecture and the iconography of Deities and their installation rites and ceremonies.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
7. Characteristic Features of Common Temples
The վṣṇܻdzٳٲܰṇa instructs that some common factors should be maintained in the construction of a temple which are briefly discussed in the 88th chapter of the third part of վṣṇܻdzٳٲܰṇa. According to this work, the door of a temple should be placed in the middle portion and the height of the door should be double of its width.[1] The door should be made with a special kind of wood of a special kind of tree which is included in deva-kula i.e., family of trees of heaven or higher value.[2] The doors should be decorated with some auspicious figures.[3] The idol which would be installed in the ṛh i.e., the inner chamber of the temple, with its pedestal, should be lesser by one eighth of the door[4] as the idol could be installed in the particular place without any difficulty. The steps of the temple should be even in numbers and they should not be very narrow or very wide.[5]
According to the ṛhٲṃh, two images of doorkeepers should be placed in a temple[6] and the վṣṇܻdzٳٲܰṇa says that both sides of the steps of a temple should be decorated with the statue of two lions.[7] The Sun temple of Konark is a great example of this Architecture as two statues of lions can be noticed in both the sides of the staircase. It is important to note that the վṣṇܻdzٳٲܰṇa states that the top of a temple should not be skull shaped or pointed. Instead, the top of a temple should be made evenly and is to be decorated with some auspicious figures.[8] The śṛṅ i.e., the peak of the temple should be white washed with lime and the 첹ṭi i.e lower part of the temple should be painted by different colours.[9]
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
�..屹𱹲ܱܳḥ�./ Ibid., 3.88.3
[6]:
…�. pratīhārau niveśayet/ ṛhٲṃh, 56.14
[9]:
sudhāsusitaśṛṅ ca vicitra첹ṭibhūṣaṇa�/ Ibid., 3.88.12