Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c27.4

c27.4

The process of enlargement of the temple plan proceeded on the following lines. Beginning from the centre, the cella and its portico, both together comprising the sanctum of the temple, were the first and foundational structures, and these sometimes took the form of a temple in miniature, that is to say they consisted of a small chamber and its forecourt, the usual origins of a shrine. The preliminary step in expansion was to enclose this shrine within a spacious flat-roofed structure the innermost court referred to above. No doubt the object of such an addition was to protect the original sanctuary, and at the same time to emphasize its sacred character. Within this court there grew up pillared aisles and other interior arrangements of a like nature, the entrance to the whole being through a small gopuram or gateway in front and on the east. In the course of time the covered court itself became contained within another structure of the same type, and the same process of dividing up its encircling corridors by means of pillars and pavilions was adopted. To this court there were ordinarily two entrances, east and west, or front and back, each being marked by a gopuram larger than the last. This generally completed that portion of the temple which was wholly covered and sacrosanct.