The Hindu Temples is a mélange guideline to the vibrant culture and traditions followed in Bharat. Beyond places of worship, they represented entire philosophy, essence and bonds of the geo-cultural and social existence around. This column will tour us through the architectural treasure of Bharat with its tangible and intangible dimensions
–Dr Ujwala Chakradeo
A temple is the best tool to understand society, religion and culture of Bharat. Temples are scattered all over the landmass caled Bharatvarsha. The rich culture of our country is continuously evolving and can be studied through many texts and treatises available; however, temple structures are the best to study Bhartiya culture. Temples tell-all about the era in which they were built. The spaces created for rituals permitted light inside, the carvings, the entire quality of inside and outside of the temple is actually about the people who built it, people who worshipped the idol in that temple. It is all about the way they worshipped, the way they moved around; alone or together, what did they know, how much did they know, their beliefs and likes, dislikes. Temples are the open books of the society of layers of times through which they have sustained and evolved.
The journey of Bhartiya society, from living in the forest to the realisation of the path of attaining final salvation, through idol worship, is narrated through temple spaces. Therefore, the temples were probably conceived and built only when attempts were made to imagine and impart the form to that formless ultimate God- The Brahma.
Only the best is always offered to God, why would it not be so for the temple. Abode of gods had to be better and far better than that of man. Thought processes and technologies revolved around making temples from better to best.Culture is the physical and mental manifestation of human beings. Man’s journey is continuously evolving in two states, materialistic and spiritual. On the Materialistic path, there is a tendency to improve physical enjoyment and comfort, while on the spiritual path, man progresses in religious, philosophical, ethical, literary or artistic fields through his thoughts or mental intervention. As culture develops, it is necessary to reconcile the journey of a man on both these paths, and it happens constantly. The effect of one state on another is instinctive.
Architecture is the best example and the indicator of both states. Whether a house or any other building, it is built for worldly happiness, its structure and its philosophy are a symbol of the collective thinking of that society. Thus, architecture is said to be a mirror of society. According to the mythological concept, a temple is a visible expression of an invisible Brahma with an idol installed in it; which offers an opportunity to perceive that invisible one with all five senses.
(The columnist is Principal of SMM College of Architecture, Nagpur and specialises in Bharatiya Architectural Heritage)
