Temples must be erected on a site that is shubha,
that is they must be suitable, beautiful, auspicious, and near water, because
the God do not come to other places. However, temples are not necessarily
designed to be congenial to their surroundings, because a manifestation of the
sacred is an irruption, a break in phenomenal continuity. Temples are said to
constitute an opening in the upward direction to ensure communication with the
God, they are visible representations of a cosmic
pillar and their site is said to be a navel of the world.
Their outward appearance must raise the expectation
of meeting with God. Their erection is a reconstruction and reintegration of
Purusa-Prajapati, enabling him to continue his creative activity, and the
finished monuments are symbols of the universe. The Sponsorer is called the
sacrificer--participates in the process of reintegration and experiences his
spiritual rebirth in the small cella, aptly called garbha-griha, by means of
meditative contact with God's presence, symbolized or actualized in his
consecrated image. The cella is in the centre of the temple above the navel--i.e.,
the foundation stone, it may contain a
jar filled with the shakti that is identified with the goddess Earth who bears
and protects the monument, three lotus flowers, and three tortoises of stone,
silver, and gold that represent Earth, atmosphere, and heaven. The tortoise is
a manifestation of Vishnu bearing the cosmic pillar; the lotus is the symbol of
the expansion of generative possibilities. The vertical axis or tube coinciding
with the cosmic pillar, which connects all parts of the building and is
continued in the finial on the top, corresponds with the mystical vertical vein
in the body of the worshiper through which his soul rises to unite itself with
the Highest. The designing of temples,
like that of religious images, was codified in the Shilpa-Shastra, and every
aspect of the design was believed to be symbolic of some feature of the cosmos.
The idea of micro-cosmic symbolism is strong in religion and comes from Vedic times.
The Brahmana texts are replete with similar cosmic
interpretations of the many features of the sacrifice. This same Vedic idea of
the correspondence, bandhu between microcosm and macrocosm was applied to the
medieval temple, which was laid out geometrically to mirror the structure of
the universe, with its four geometric quarters and a celestial roof.
The temple also represents the mountain at the navel
of the world and often somewhat resembles a mountain. On the periphery were
carved the most worldly and diverse scenes, including luxurious celebrations of
human life: battle scenes, hunts, circuses, animals, birds, as well as images
of the God.
The erotic scenes carved at Khajuraho in Madhya
Pradesh and Konarak in Orissa express a general exuberance that may be an offering
of thanksgiving to the God who created all. However, that same swarming
luxuriance of life in all of its aspects may also reflect the concern that one
must set aside worldly temptations upon the thresh-hold of the sacred space of
the temple, for the carvings only decorate the outside of the temple; at the
centre, the sanctum sanctorum, there is little if any ornamentation, except for
a stark symbol of the god or goddess. Thus, these carvings simultaneously
express a celebration of samsara and a movement toward moksha.
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