*The Hindu Temple - Where Man Becomes God* Ancient Indian thought divides time into four different periods. These durations are referred to as the Krta; Treta; Dvapara; and Kali.The first of these divisions (Krta), is also known as satya-yuga, or the Age of Truth. This was a golden age without envy, malice or deceit, characterized by righteousness. All people belonged to one caste, and there was only one god who lived amongst the humans as one of them.In the next span (Treta-yuga), the righteousness of the previous age decreased by one fourth. The chief virtue of this age was knowledge. The presence of gods was scarce and they descended to earth only when men invoked them in rituals and sacrifices. These deities were recognizable by all.
In the third great division of time, righteousness existed only in half measure of that in the first division. Disease, misery and the castes came into existence in this age. The gods multiplied. Men made their own images, worshipped them, and the divinities would come down in disguised forms. But these disguised deities were recognizable only by that specific worshipper. Kali-yuga is the present age of mankind in which we live, the first three ages having already elapsed. It is believed that this age began at midnight between February 17 and 18, 3102 B.C. Righteousness is now one-tenth of that in the first age. True worship and sacrifice are now lost. It is a time of anger, lust, passion, pride, and discord. There is an excessive preoccupation with things material and sexual. *Temples appeared on the horizon only in the Kali-yuga*. During this existing last phase, temples (as public shrines), began to be built and icons installed. But the gods ceased to come down and appear in their own or disguised forms. However, their presence could be felt when the icons were properly enshrined, and the temples correctly built. In contrast to the previous periods when the gods were available to all equally, now it is only the priests, belonging to a traditional hierarchy of professional worshippers, who are the competent individuals to compel this presence. *safe haven* : From the contemporary point of view, temples act as safe haven where ordinary mortals like us can feel free from the constant vagaries of everyday existence, and communicate personally with god. But our age is individualistic if nothing else. Each of us requires our own conception of the deity based on our individual cultural rooting. In this context it is interesting to observe that the word ‘temple,’ and ‘contemplate’ both share the same origin from the Roman word ‘templum,’ which means a sacred enclosure. Indeed, strictly speaking, where there is no contemplation, there is no temple. It is an irony of our age that this individualistic contemplative factor, associated with a temple, is taken to be its highest positive virtue, while according to the fact of legend it is but a limitation which arose due to our continuous spiritual impoverishment over the ages. We have lost the divine who resided amongst us (Krta Yuga), which is the same as saying that once man was divine himself. But this is not to belittle the importance of the temple as a center for spiritual nourishment in our present context, rather an affirmation of their invaluable significance in providing succour to the modern man in an environment and manner that suits the typical requirements of the age in which we exist. *Making of the Temple* The first step towards the construction of a temple is the selection of land. Even though any land may be considered suitable provided the necessary rituals are performed for its sanctification, the ancient texts nevertheless have the following to say in this matter: “The gods always play where groves, rivers, mountains and springs are near, and in towns with pleasure gardens.” Not surprisingly thus, many of India’s ancient surviving temples can be seen to have been built in lush valleys or groves, where the environment is thought to be particularly suitable for building a residence for the gods. No matter where it is situated, one essential factor for the existence of a temple is water. Water is considered a purifying element in all major traditions of the world, and if not available in reality, it must be present in at least a symbolic representation in the Hindu temple. Water, the purifying, fertilizing element being present, its current, which is the river of life, can be forded into inner realization and the pilgrim can cross over to the other shore (metaphysical). The practical preparations for building a temple are invested with great ritual significance and magical fertility symbolism. The prospective site is first inspected for the ‘type,’ of the soil it contains. This includes determining its color and smell. Each of these defining characteristics is divided into four categories, which are then further associated with one of the four castes: 1. White Soil: Brahmin 2. - Red Soil: Kshatriya (warrior caste) 3. - Yellow Soil: Vaishya 4. - Black Soil: Shudra 5. Similarly for the smell and taste: 6. Sweet: Brahmin 7. - Sour: Kshatriya 8. - Bitter: Vaishya 9. - Astringent: Shudra (a reminder perhaps of the raw-deal which they have often been given in life) The color and taste of the soil determines the “caste” of the temple, i.e., the social group to which it will be particularly favourable. Thus the patron of the temple can choose an auspicious site specifically favourable to himself and his social environment. After these preliminary investigations, the selected ground needs to be tilled and levelled: *Tilling*: When the ground is tilled and ploughed, the past ceases to count; new life is entrusted to the soil and another cycle of production begins, an assurance that the rhythm of nature has not been interfered with. Before laying of the actual foundation, the Earth Goddess herself is impregnated in a symbolic process known as ankura-arpana, ankura meaning seed and arpana signifying offering. In this process, a seed is planted at the selected site on an auspicious day and its germination is observed after a few days. If the growth is satisfactory, the land is deemed suitable for the temple. The germination of the seed is a metaphor for the fulfilment of the inherent potentialities which lie hidden in Mother Earth, and which by extension are now transferred to the sacred structure destined to come over it. *Levelling*: It is extremely important that the ground from which the temple is to rise is regarded as being throughout an equal intellectual plane, which is the significance behind the levelling of the land. It is also an indication that order has been established in a wild, unruly, and errant world. *vastu-purusha mandala*-Now that the earth has been ploughed, tilled and levelled, it is ready for the drawing of the vastu-purusha mandala, the metaphysical plan of the temple. The Metaphysical Architecture of the Temple. <https://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/TD16/>The basic plan of a Hindu temple is an expression of sacred geometry where the temple is visualized as a grand mandala. By sacred geometry we mean a science which has as its purpose the accurate laying out of the temple characteristically divine attribute. Thus a mandala (and by extension the temple) is the meeting ground plan in relation to the cardinal directions and the heavens. Characteristically, a mandala is a sacred shape consisting of the intersection of a circle and a square. The square shape is symbolic of earth, signifying the four directions which bind and define it. Indeed, in Hindu thought whatever concerns terrestrial life is governed by the number four (four castes; the four Vedas etc.). Similarly, the circle is logically the perfect metaphor for heaven since it is a perfect shape, without beginning or end signifying timelessness and eternity, a ground of heaven and earth. [image: 865New robbinsiville 2.jpeg] These considerations make the actual preparation of the site and laying of the foundation doubly important. Understandably, the whole process is heavily immersed in rituals right from the selection of the site to the actual beginning of construction. Indeed, it continues to be a custom in India that whenever a building is sought to be constructed, the area on which it first comes up is ceremonially propitiated. The idea being that the extent of the earth necessary for such construction must be reclaimed from the gods and goblins that own and inhabit that area. This ritual is known as the ‘pacification of the site.’ There is an interesting legend behind it: Once when Shiva was engaged in a fierce battle with the demon Andhaka, a drop of sweat fell from Shiva’s forehead to the ground, accompanied by a loud thunder. This drop transformed into a ravenously hungry monster, who attempted to destroy the three worlds. The gods and divine spirits, however, rushed at once on to him and held him down. When the demon fell on the ground face downwards, the deities lodged themselves on to the different parts of his body and pressed him down. It is because of this reason that the recumbent individual came to be known as ‘Vastu,’ which means the lodgement of the gods. He is pictured as lying down inside the mandala with his arms and legs so folded as to cover the whole area, and his head pushed into the north-eastern corner of the square. As many as forty-five gods are lodged on his body directly on the limbs and joints. This vastu-purusha is the spirit in mother-earth which needs to be pacified and is regarded as a demon whose permission is necessary before any construction can come up on the site. At the same time, care is taken to propitiate the deities that hold him down, for it is important that he should not get up. To facilitate the task of the temple-architect, the vastu-mandala is divided into square grids with the lodging of the respective deities clearly marked. It also has represented on it the thirty-two nakshatras, the constellations that the moon passes through on its monthly course. In an ideal temple, these deities should be situated exactly as delineated in the mandala. In the central grid of the vastu-mandala sits Brahma, the archetypal creator, endowed with four faces looking simultaneously in all directions. He is thus conceived as the ever-present superintending genius of the site. At this exact central point is established the most important structure of the sacred complex, where the patron deity of the temple is installed. Paradoxically this area is the most unadorned and least decorated part of the temple, almost as if it is created in an inverse proportion to its spiritual importance. Referred to as the sanctum sanctorum, it is the most auspicious region in the whole complex. It has no pillars, windows or ventilators. In addition to a metaphysical aspect, this shutting off of air and light has a practical side to it too. It was meant to preserve the icon, which, in olden days, was often made of wood. Also, besides preventing the ill effects of weathering, the dark interior adds to the mystery of the divine presence. Throughout all subsequent developments in temple architecture, however spectacular and grandiose, this main shrine room remains the small, dark cave that it has been from the beginning. Indeed it has been postulated (both by archaeology and legend), that the temple developed from the cave-shrine of the extremely remote past. This is another instance in Hinduism where the primitive and the modern, along with all the developments in-between, can be seen to co-exist remarkably and peacefully. Ayodhya Trust plans to build 1,200 temple pillars by next March, finish first floor by 2022 Experts from IIT Madras and Roorkee’s Central Building Research Institute are testing three pillars to check if they are strong enough to hold the weight of the entire structure. By: Express News Service <https://indianexpress.com/agency/express-news-service/> | Lucknow |September 29, 2020 11:18:30 am The height of the first floor will be 1,850.70 square metres. As the actual construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is expected to start from October 15, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust plans to complete the first floor by 2022. The 1,200 pillars with a depth of 200 metres are expected to be completed by March next year. Experts from IIT Madras and Roorkee’s Central Building Research Institute are testing three pillars to check if they are strong enough to hold the weight of the entire structure. An IIT Madras team had recently taken samples to test soil and concrete mix. Trust member Anil Mishra, who is looking after the construction on behalf of the Trust and the temple construction committee, told The Indian Express <https://indianexpress.com/> they were considering a phase-wise plan. *How one family has taken India’s 1,000-year-old temple architecture to the world* *ug* Sometime in 2008, the over 500-year-old Gunja Narasimha Swami temple in Karnataka was in dire need of repair and restoration. The foundation of the temple, located on the banks of the Kaveri, about 32km south of Mysuru, had become weak due to flooding and loosening of soil. It developed cracks and some structures of the temple crumbled. *Sthapati* (architect and sculptor) R Selvanathan, the 37th lineal descendant of Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan, who constructed the 1010-year-old famous Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, was chosen for the restoration of this Vijayanagara period temple. He decided to bring down the external structure stone by stone, replaced the old foundation with a new one using concrete, and reassembled the stones exactly like the original structure. Selvanathan is upholding the over 1,000-year-old family tradition of constructing and renovating temples even today. *Selvanathan’s canvas is global, much like his uncle and father, who constructed and renovated temples in America, England, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Canada.* I worked with 60 *shilpis* (stone carvers) on the Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple restoration, which was completed in 2011. Dr N V Ramanuja Iyengar, an NRI from Florida, USA, funded the project that cost over Rs 2.5 crore,” says Selvanathan, whose latest renovation and restoration project is underway at the Sri Thiruketheeswaram Temple, Mannar in Sri Lanka. The superstructure, or Vimana, made of brick and mortar was replaced with granite at Sri Thiruketheeswaram Temple, Mannar, in Sri Lanka. Pic: M/s Sri Vaidyanatha Sthapati Associates *Upholding an age-old tradition on a global stage* This temple in Mannar, where Shiva is the primary god surrounded by 25 sub-shrines, was constructed 60 years ago under the guidance of Selvanathan’s grandfather, Shilpa Kalasagaram M Vaidyanatha Sthapati. Years of ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka had left the temple in ruins. “In 2017, I was assigned the task of renovating the temple, replacing brick and mortar with granite stone. I took with me 100 *shilpis*, who have been working on this project for the last three years. The superstructure of brick and mortar was replaced with granite. All the sub-shrines were also demolished and constructed in granite stone,” adds 54-year-old Selvanathan, who grew up with the sound of chisel and hammer, seeing sculptors working in his family-run workshop – *pattarai*. The work in Sri Lanka is now almost complete but artisans are stuck there due to the Coronavirus. All the stones needed for reconstruction were available locally. But that’s not the case with all his projects. *For the Kauai Adeenam Temple at Hawaii, US, Selvanathan shipped hand-carved stones from India. It is America’s only all-granite hand-carved Sri Siva Temple.* “The work is nearing completion now. Ten of our *shilpis* assembled the stones there. All the stones were hand carved in Bengaluru and transported to Hawaii by ship. Gurudeva (who commissioned the work) wanted the temple stones to be carved manually as this was the process followed in ancient times and ensures longevity of the structure,” he says. K RAJARAM IRS 211024 TO BE CONTD -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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