The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c11.20

c11.20

The Buddhist, Jain, and Brahmanical temple-pillar also derives its symbolic decorative treatment from the ancient Aryan sacrificial ritual in which gilded posts, "octagonal and smoothly planed " and decorated with pennons, served to mark out the holy ground. Râm Râz gives interesting details taken from the Mânasâra Silpa-sâstra as to the ritualistic significance of different forms of pillars. A square-shafted one was associated with Brahmâ worship; an octagonal one with that of Vishnu; the circular or sixteen-sided one with Rudra-Siva as the Destroyer.¹ Translating this ascription into Buddhist terminology, it may be said that the square pillar stood for Buddha, an octagonal one for the Sangha, and a circular or sixteen-sided one for Dharma. A cylindrical pillar without capital or base was dedicated to Chandra, the moon.