Temples In India-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKAessentially related to the measurement ofthe central image in the garbhagriha. Forexample, Brihatsamhita lays down that thewidth of the outer wall should be twicethe width of the garbhagriha.A temple usually has four gateways facingthe four cardinal directions. TheIshanashiva Gurudevapaddhati consistentwith its Saiva leanings, calls the doors inthe east, southand north after the namesof kalatattvas, as Shanti-dvara,Vidyadvara, Nivrittidvara and pratishthadvara (3.12.17).Pillars of various number of faces in theirshaft are called differently “rucaka’ withfour, ‘vajra’ with eight, ‘dvigunavajra’ withsixteen, ‘pratinaka’ with thirty-two facesand ‘vritta’ circular. In Mayamata, pillarswith 4, 8 and 16 faces are calledBrahmakanta, Vishnukanta andSaumyakanta and the circular one is calledRudrakanta.The garbhagriha with the central image isthe embryo, so to say, of the all-pervadingSupreme Spirit. It is filled with darknessillumined by the flickering lamp. One ifreminded of the Rig-Vedic passage, ‘In thebeginning there was darkness’ (CX.129.3).The entire temple with the garbhagriha,ardhamandapa, mahamandapa, snapanamandapa shalas, prakaras, gopuras, etc.represent the world with all the living beingsand inert matter. The images of gods, semidivinebeings, like gandharvas and yakshas,men birds and animals, trees and creepers,all these represent the manifestations ofthe Supreme Spirit, the Satchidananda. Asone turns his face in different directionshe learns sermons from the Stones; thereare puranic legends that unravel themysteries of life of the ages past andTEMPLE INDIAregions afar. In short, one is able to visualisein one sweep the vast panorama drawn onthe canvas of space and time.As a man circumambulates the five prakarasstarting from maryada and proceedingalong the bahyahara, madhyahara,antahara and garbhagriha (the last onementally), he is supposed to transcend theannamaya, pranamaya, manomaya andvijnanamaya koshas and merge in theanandamayakosha, the essence of hisbeing. This circumambulatory passage, likethe vertical ascent from the garbhagrihato the stupi already referred to points tothe ultimate goal of human conduct viz;attainment of Supreme Bliss.25