Home :: Culture of India :: Temples In India

Temple is a place of worship. Hindu temple was center of all community life and towns grew up around temples. The great temples look many years to build and gave employment to thousands of skilled and unskilled workers. Hundreds of others were employed in the service of the deity and perform the daily rituals of the temple, which can be witnessed even today. Originally the main plan of Hindu Temples (always racing east) was very simple there was just a small 'garbagriha' (sanctum sanctorum) housing the deity to whom the temple was dedicated above which rose the ; 'sikhara' (spine-like tapering tower), then a (antarala) vestibule, the worshipers standing in the open space in front of the shrines. Sometimes there was a small chamber behind the shrine. Gradually ,additions were nude-a platform for worshipers which developed into pillared hall (mandapa) to which in time a pillared porch (ardhamaddapa) was added as were other sections for various purposes connected with temple and its ceremonies.

The Silpasastras (ancient books on architecture) mention three styles of temples-the Nagara (of North India), the Dravida of South India. The Dravida country) and the Vesara (Chalukyan or Karnataka) which combine the features of both styles and spread to all parts of the country even as far as Gujarat and Orissa. One of the earliest existing temples is at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh of the early Gupta period, almost Grecian in design, with a flat roof. Other temples of the same style can be seen in Deogarh stone temple. Bhitargaon brick temple dating back to 6th century AD. The development of temple architecture in stone can best be seen in the early Chalukyan temples at Badami in Karnataka. At Badami are Ille temples of the earlier cave or rock-cut variety and at Pattadakal are the 7th century shrines both of the northern Nagara and the southern Dravidian style and Aihole is the cradle of 70 temples dating back to 7th century AD. From 650 to 850 AD, the cut temples were created from the living rock temples at Elora, the chief and most stupendous is Kailasa temple.

Under the Chandela rulers of Jajakabhuti, a number of Brahmanical and jain temples were built, mostly in the Nagara style at Khajuraho, The sculptures in the temple are elaborate and animated with their impressive forms and beautiful workmanship. In the Hoysala or later Chalukyan period (1000 to 1300 AD), the Hoysala Kings who were great lovers and patrons of temple architecture' and sculpture, commissioned star-shaped temples, the finest being the Chanakesvara at Belur (AD 1111) and the Hoysalesvara temple. The great style of temple architecture in South India was the Dravidian style which flourished in Tamil Nadu and was indigenous and developed by five great dynasties of rulers:

1. The Pallavas (600 - 900 AD) started the great achievement in temple buildings. Temples built than can still be seen at Tiruchirapalli, Nellore, Guntur, Chengalpattu, Mamallapuram and Kancipuram groups (640 - 690 AD)

2. The Cholas (900 - 1150 AD) made magnificent Brigadheeswara temple at Thanjavur. Gangaikondacholapuram and Koran Gunta (930 - 940) at Srinvasanallur with their physical proportions and sense of dignity and power. The gopurams of some are splendid specimen of sculpture.

3.The Pandyas (1150 - 1350) Gopurams began to acquire special consideration during this period and set pattern for all later Dravidian gopurams. The outstanding examples are Jamuksvara -Chidambaram (eastern gateway 1300 AD) and the Kumbakonam (1350 AD) temples. They also introduced flower motifs in the capital pillar.

4. The Vijayanagar Kings (1336 - 50 AD) set up some of the beautiful temples at Hampi in Vijaynagar the capital city, the ruins of which lay scattered there today. They had the finest example of a temple in the great Vithala temple with its long courtyard, ornamental and musical pillars which when struck emit notes, Subsidiary buildings, the lovely ratha is carved out of a single monolith, the stone wheels of which once revolved the Kalailpandapa and Hazare Rama (commenced 1513 AD), The other temples at Vellore, Kumbakonam, Srirangam, Kamedipuram and Verinjipuram and other two at Tadapatri, the chital Venkata Ramanaswami and the Ramaligesvara.

The Andhra kings were Buddhist and their two capitals Srikakulam and Amravati became centers of religious architecture. The Pallavas built one of the earliest free standing Buddhist temples in India, not later than the middle of the first century AD at Srikap (Now in Pakistan), the ruins of which are still to be seen there.