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Studies in Indian Art c14.s5: 44. A Note on Medieval Temple Architecture

Studies in Indian Art c14.s5

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44. A Note on Medieval Temple Architecture

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*Vāstu-Sāra*¹ is the name of an interesting work on architecture written by Thakkura Pheru in 1315 A.D. in the reign of King Alauddin Khilji at Delhi, as stated by the author himself. It must have served as a practical handbook for architects of Jaina temples in the early Sultanate period. Its value for us lies in supplying architectural terms of precise significance applied to various parts of a temple building. Except for differences in the images installed in the sanctum of the religious edifices of the Hindus and the Jainas, the temple architecture of both was substantially identical, and more often than not the same artists and architects were being commissioned to build for the patrons of both religions. Thus the terminology used by Thakkura Pheru can be said to have been quite widely current, and as appears from a comparison with other texts, these words must have been the result of an uninterrupted evolution of architectural traditions as embodied in literature and illustrated in the existing monuments of the period. Some of those details can be recognised even in the temples of Un and Nemawar in Indore state published in this issue (i.e. JUPHS. Vol. XVI, Pt. I) and a knowledge of the original words designating the different parts, motifs and mouldings of a temple would make the study of such monuments more interesting. The following words are therefore recorded.

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¹ A good edition of this text with Hindi translation has been published by Pt. Bhagwan Das Jain in the Jain-Vividh-Granthamala of Jaipur. For the time of the author, see p. 10 of this edition.

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A temple is called *Prāsāda*. It has three principal divisions along its vertical line. The lower portion is the *Adhishṭhāna* (base), the central one the *Maṇḍovara* and the upper one the *Śikhara* surmounted by an *Āmalaka*. Vertical height is called *Udaya* or *Samutsedha*².

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² अधिष्ठान = जगती (प्रासादमण्डन २, १); five kinds—चतुरस्र, आयत, अष्टास्र, वृत्त and वृत्तायत (apsidal and elliptical).

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The entire basement or the *Pīṭha* was subdivided into two portions, the lower one directly rising from the ground level called the *Jagatī-Pīṭha* and the one above it *Prāsāda-Pīṭha*. These consisted of various mouldings and bands of decoration of which each had a separate name and a definite measurement allotted in proportion to the total height of the building. The simpler form of basement is said to consist of several preliminary courses with a variety of mouldings above them known as *Aḍḍathara*, *Pushpakaṇṭha*, *Jāḍya Mukha*, *Kaṇi* and *Kayavālī* (Skt. *Kapotālī*). Above is a course of lion faces called *Grāsapaṭṭi*. A *Mahāpīṭha* is more elaborate having in addition five more courses (*Thara* or *Stara*) named in order *Gajathara* (Elephant band), *Aśvathara* (Horse band), *Simhathara* (Lion band), *Narathara* (Band of human figures) and *Hamsathara* (Geese band).

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Next to the *Jagati* rises the central portion of the temple which forms its main body. It is called *Mandovara* or the main portion of the height of a temple equal to which the *Mandapa* is made. The *Mandovara* also has its mouldings and bands of decoration. Beginning from the lowermost the *Vāstu-Sāra* enumerates them as follows:

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खुर, कुम्भ, कलश, केवाल (कपोतालि), मंची, जंघा, छज्जि, उरजंघा, भरणी, शिरावटी, छज्जा, बेराडु, पहार। The height of the *Mandovara* is determined in relation to the length of the temple and is less than the length.

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The *Sikhara* is the last element of height in a temple building dominating the whole structure and contributing more than any thing else to its grandeur and majesty.

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Twenty-five kinds of temple buildings are enumerated with reference to the growing numbers of their subsidiary *Sikharas* called *Andakas*. The first of them, *Kesari Prāsāda*, has one central *Sikhara* and four *Andakas* at the four corners and the last one *Meru* has 101 *Andakas*.

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The eaves mark the last course of a *Mandovara*. Above it rises *Sikhara*. At the level of the first course are found on three sides of the temple three images enclosed in niches (*Rathikāyukta Bimba*). Projecting above it are the *Uruśringa* projections and in the four corners are four small *Andakas* also called *Kūṭas*. Surmounting the *Sikhara* is the *Āmalasāra* and on it at the top is the *Kalaśa*.

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The sanctum or adytum in the temple is called *Garbhagriha*, from which is derived the Hindi form *Gambhārā*. The cella marks the central lotus of the entire temple structure (*Prāsāda-Kamala*). There are three series of *mandapas* or pavilions leading from the sanctum. The first is the *Gūḍha Mandapa* or the *Antarāla Mandapa* which serves as a vestibule. In the centre is the Middle Hall called *Ranga-Mandapa*, *Navaranga* or *Nritya-Mandapa*. In three-celled structures of the triple shrines found in the Hoysala style in Mysore (c. 1047-1286), in the southern Chalukyan style and the north Indian Chandela style of architecture (as for example at Dudhai in Jhansi district in the Small Surang Temple), the central Middle Hall serves as the most conspicuous portion of the building. Its pillars support a high projecting cone as the roof with a pendentive and decorated all round with deep cusps. The entrance in front of the centre hall is connected by another covered space called the *Balāna-Mandapa* or *Mukha Mandapa*.

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The doorway of the sanctum was another centre of attraction. In the early Gupta temple the doorway served as an elegant outer frame to give a proper setting to the image installed inside. This is particularly noticeable in case of the Gupta Vishnu temple at Devagarh. The same tradition was kept up right into the medieval architecture and some of our temple doorways are models of good carving combined with a wealth of symbolical details.

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The lintel is called *Uttaraṅga* or *Śirapaṭṭi* (Apabhraṃśa *Siravaṭṭi*, Hindi *Serva*), the doorsil is *Udumbara* (देहली); the two side jambs are *Dvāraśākhā*. The image projecting from the lintel of the doorway is referred to as *dvāra-lalāṭa-bimba*. Each jamb is composed of several posts numbering three, five, seven or nine. There are attendant figures *Pratīhāris* occupying the lower portion of the jambs nearer the entrance. This agrees with Varāhamihira who gives a more elaborate and clear picture of the door-jamb decoration :

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अथ शास्त्रा चतुर्भागे प्रतीहारी निवेशयेत् ॥ शेषं मंगल्यविहगैः श्रीवृक्ष-स्वस्तिकर्घटैः ।
मिथुनैः पत्रवल्लीभिः प्रमथैश्चोपशोभयेत् ॥

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*Brihat.* 56. 14-15.

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One quarter of the door jamb height is occupied by human figures of *Pratīhāris*. The doorway decoration on the jambs consists of flying geese (*maṅgalya vihaga*), auspicious tree, Svastika and full vase (*Śrī-Vriksha-Svastika-Ghaṭa*), amorous couples (*Mithunas*), foliated scrolls (*patravalli*) and dwarfish figures (*pramathas*). These are illustrated on the Devagarh temple doorway and most of these features are continued in the medieval temples although in a conventionalised form. The festoon motif on the sil is called *Mandāraka* or *Santānaka*. The two lion heads on either side of the festoon are *Grāsa*. It is also laid down that in the eight corners of the temple in the *Parikramā* path there are figures of the eight *Dikpālas* carved in niches.

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A prominent and very charming feature of medieval temples is the representation of dancing and acting female figures in different poses. A band of these figures was placed exteriorly on the walls of the *Maṇḍovara* at about its middle portion called *Jaṅghā*. They are aptly termed *Pikkhanaya* (*Prekṣaṇikās*), i.e., acting female figures shown in beautiful dramatic poses.

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Thakkura Pheru wrote also another book entitled the *Prāsāda-maṇḍana* which awaits publication. We have also the *Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra* of Bhojadeva (11th century) containing an exceptionally rich stock of architectural terminology and minute details of buildings together with their several parts as the *Maṇḍapa*, *Jagatī*, etc. The *Mānasollāsa* written by King Someśvara of the Western Chālukya dynasty of Kalyāṇī (c. 1124-1138) seems to preserve the officially accepted canons of architecture, sculpture and painting in the Chālukyan period. It is extremely important that these texts should be studied with reference to existing monuments and their technical terms explained and illustrated by actual examples found in them.

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Fig. 159. Deogarh gateway showing Pratihārī, Patralatā, Mithuna Śrīvṛksha and Pramatha.

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Fig. 160. Door-sil with grāsa (lion face) and festoon.

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Fig. 161. Rathikābimba or exterior niche from a wall of Deogarh temple.

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Fig. 162. Mahāpīṭha showing the Five Courses or Pañchathara.

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Fig. 163. Prekṣaṇikā or women in dramatic poses on the outside of medieval temple.

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Fig. 164. Part of doorjamb showing Pratihārī and auspicious birds (māṅgalya vihaga).

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Fig. 165

Explanation of the Figures

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Fig. 159.—Proper right side of the gateway in the Gupta temple at Devagarh, illustrating (1) in the lintel the projecting image (ललाटबिम्ब) which became a regular feature of all later doorways; (2) on the jamb the standing attendant figures (प्रतिहारी), the foliate scroll पत्रवल्ली or पत्रलता the amorous couples मिथुन or दम्पती figures; the Prosperity Tree (श्रीवृक्ष) on the outer most band; the dwarfish figures (प्रमथा:) in the third band, which also occur in a great variety of poses on the Gupta architectural pieces from Nagod (now in the Allahabad Museum).

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Fig. 160.—Door-sil showing two lion faces (ग्रासा:) and a festoon (संतानक or मंदारक) between them.

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Fig. 161.—Niche from a wall of the Devagarh temple, containing a profoundly moving religious scene, viz., the गजेन्द्रमोक्ष, ‘Deliverance of the Lord of Elephants.’ The whole composition took the form of a sunk panel or false window framed in an architectural setting of pilasters and architraves and was repeated on all the three sides of the temple visible in the pradakṣiṇāpatha. The composition came to be technically known as रथिकायुक्तबिम्ब and continued throughout the medieval period.

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Fig. 162.—Mahāpīṭha consisting of a basement (जगती) below and the five horizontal courses (पर or स्तर) consisting of Elephants, Horses, Lions, Human Beings and Geese, named in order गजरथ, अश्वरथ, सिह्यरथ, नररथ, हंसरथ. Below are other mouldings named in descending order ग्रासपट्टी (lion-faces or Kirtimukhas), कपोतावलि or pigeon-row course or the bird’s beak (कपोतावलि), अन्तरपत्र (leaf moulding), कणी (torus), जाड्यकुम्भ (pot-form moulding) and three parallel plinth courses one above the other.

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Fig. 163.—Dancing women in various dramatic poses called प्रेक्षणिका or पेखणिका, and carved as a course in the Maṇḍovara portion of the vertical height of the temple.

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Fig. 164.—Part of a doorjamb from Dah Parbatiya in Assam (Sivaramamurti, Sculpture inspired by Kālidāsa, Fig. 38). It clearly shows the auspicious flying birds referred to by Varāhamihira as मंगल्य विहग. The Pratihārī figure with a garland occupying the lower portion of the jamb is also clear.

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Fig. 165.—Side view of a temple showing the जगतीपीठ (ground plinth), प्रासादपीठ (temple basement), मंडोवर (the central portion), the शिखर and the आमलक.

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