The Hindu Temple v1.c3: Contents

The Hindu Temple v1.c3

Language: English

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PART I. THE SITE . . . . . 1 TIRTHA AND TEMPLE . . . . . 3 SITE AND BUILDER . . . . . 7 THE STABILITY OF THE SITE . . . . . 12 PURIFICATION, INSEMINATION AND LEVELLING OF THE SITE ... 14

PART II. THE PLAN . . . . . 19 SQUARE AND CIRCLE: VEDIC ORIGINS ... ... ... 22 THE SQUARE MAṆḌALA OF THE EARTH AND OF THE ECLIPTIC ... 29 SYMBOLISM OF THE SQUARE . . . . . 40 THE ENCLOSURE . . . . . 40 THE ORNAMENT OF VIŚVAKARMAN ... ... ... 40 THE REMAINDER . . . . . 44 THE FORM OF MĀRTAṆḌA . . . . . 44 VĀSTU, THE REMAINDER . . . . . 45 THE TWO MAIN TYPES OF THE VĀSTU DIAGRAM ... ... 46 A. THE MAṆḌALA OF 64 SQUARES ... ... ... 46 B. THE MAṆḌALA OF 81 SQUARES AND THE VĀSTUPURUṢA ... 49 THE ORGANISM OF THE PLAN . . . . . 51 THE SERIES OF 32 TYPES OF THE VĀSTUMAṆḌALA ... ... 58 VARIOUS CLOSED POLYGONS AS SHAPES OF THE VĀSTUMAṆḌALA ... 62

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PART III. PLAN AND SUPERNAL MAN . . . . . 65 AGNI-PRAJĀPATI AND VĀSTUPURUṢA ... ... ... 68 THE SUBTLE BODY OF THE PURUṢA AND ITS PICTURES ... 71 THE DESCENT OF THE VĀSTUPURUṢA ... ... ... 73 NATURE AND NAME OF THE VĀSTUPURUṢA ... ... ... 79 THE GODS AS CONSTITUENTS OF THE 'BODY' OF THE VĀSTUPURUṢA ... 85

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PART IV. THE SUBSTANCES OF WHICH THE TEMPLE IS BUILT ... 99 BRICK . . . . . 101 STONE . . . . . 108 WOOD . . . . . 116 PLASTER . . . . . 121 THE 'GERM' OF THE TEMPLE . . . . . 126

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PART V. NAMES AND ORIGINS OF THE TEMPLE ... ... 129 THE NAMES . . . . . 131 VIMĀNA . . . . . 131 PRĀSĀDA . . . . . 134 FURTHER NAMES OF THE TEMPLE . . . . . 137 THE OBJECT IN BUILDING A TEMPLE ... ... ... 139 ARCHITECTURAL ORIGINS . . . . . 145
1. CITI, THE ALTAR . . . . . 145
2. THE DOLMEN . . . . . 150
3. THE SHED OF INITIATION AND THE TABERNACLE ... ... 156

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THE IMAGE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THE CAVERN ... ... ... 161 A. THE GARBHAGṚHA . . . . . 161 B. THE SUPERPOSITION OF SHAPES ALONG THE VERTICAL AXIS ... 166 C. THE FORM OF THE VERTICAL AXIS . . . . . 175

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PART VI. THE SUPERSTRUCTURE . . . . . 177

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I. THE PYRAMIDAL SUPERSTRUCTURE . . . . . 179 I A. THE PYRAMIDAL SUPERSTRUCTURE FORMED OF SLABS ... 189 I A1. THE STEPPED TRUNK OF THE PYRAMID ... ... ... 189 I A2. THE STRAIGHT TRUNK WITH ROUND EDGED SLABS ... 190 I B. THE PYRAMIDAL SUPERSTRUCTURE COMPOSED OF STOREYS 193 I B1. THE STEPPED TRUNK OF THE PYRAMID FORMED OF SINGLE STOREYS . . . . . 193 I B2. THE "HIGH TEMPLE" . . . . . 194 I B3. THE ENCLOSURE OF CHAPELS . . . . . 197 II. THE CURVILINEAR SUPERSTRUCTURE . . . . . 205 THE MAIN VARIETIES OF THE CURVILINEAR SUPERSTRUCTURE ... 210 II A. THE CLUSTER OF ŚIKHARAS . . . . . 210 II B. THE ŚIKHARA ENMESHED IN GAVĀKṢAS ... ... ... 214 II C. THE COMPOSITE ŚIKHARA . . . . . 218 FUNCTION AND FORM OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE ... ... ... 220

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PART VII. PROPORTIONATE MEASUREMENT AND VARIETIES OF THE

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TEMPLE . . . . . 225 I. PROPORTIONATE MEASUREMENT OF THE TEMPLE ... ... ... 227 THE RHYTHMIC DISPOSITION OF THE GROUND PLAN AND OF THE VERTICAL SECTION . . . . . 227 POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF THE TEMPLES ... ... ... 233 THE NORMS OF PROPORTIONATE MEASUREMENT ... ... ... 237 FROM THE SIXTH CENTURY TO c. 900 A.D. ... ... ... 237 PROPORTIONATE MEASUREMENT ABOUT 1000 A.D. ... ... 244 PROPORTIONS OF THE MAṆḌAPA . . . . . 254 THE PROPORTIONS OF SOUTH INDIAN TEMPLES ... ... ... 261 II. VARIETIES OF THE TEMPLE AND THEIR GENESIS ... ... ... 271 A. THE TWENTY TEMPLES . . . . . 271 B. THE FIVE VIMĀNAS AND THE 45 TEMPLES ... ... ... 277 C. THE FIVE VIMĀNAS AND THE 64 HALL TEMPLES ... ... 281 NĀGARA, DRĀVIḌA AND VESARA . . . . . 286

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VOLUME II

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PART VIII. THE IMAGES OF THE TEMPLE . . . . . 297

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POSITION AND PROPORTION OF THE IMAGES OF THE GODS ... 299 SYMBOLS OF ENTRY AND EXIT . . . . . 313 THE DOOR AND ITS IMAGES . . . . . 313 THE 'WINDOW': GAVĀKṢA . . . . . 318 THE FACE OF GLORY: KIRTTIMUKHA . . . . . 322 IMAGES OF ŚAKTI . . . . . 332 ŚARDŪLA, LION AND LIONESS . . . . . 332 THE FEMALE POWER . . . . . 338

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SYMBOLS OF REINTEGRATION . . . . . 343 THE IMAGES OF IMMANENT BREATH . . . . . 343 MITHUNA, THE STATE OF BEING A COUPLE ... ... ... 346 AMALAKA . . . . . 348 THE TEMPLE AS PURUṢA . . . . . 357

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EXPLANATION OF PLATES . . . . . 363

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APPENDIX ... THE HUNDRED-AND-ONE TEMPLES OF THE VIṢṆUDHARMOTTARA ... 411 VĀSTUPURUṢAVIDHĀNA OF NĀRADA, CHAPTERS VIII AND X ... 427 HAYAŚĪRṢAPAÑCARĀTRA, CHAPTER XIII ... ... ... 429 KĀMIKĀGAMA, CHAPTER XLIX . . . . . 431

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SOURCES . . . . . 437

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INDEX . . . . . 443

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PLATES I—LXXX . . . . . 467

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The first of these, the *Gospel of the Hebrews*, was used by the Jewish Christians of Palestine, and was probably a version of the Gospel of Matthew, though it contained some traditions not found in our canonical books. The *Gospel of the Egyptians* was used by the ascetic sects of Egypt, and was marked by a strong tendency towards mysticism and asceticism. The *Gospel of Peter* was used by the Docetists, and taught that Christ did not really suffer, but only appeared to do so.

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These gospels, and others like them, were not accepted by the Church as a whole, and were gradually lost or suppressed. The Church, however, felt the need for a standard collection of writings that would serve as a guide for faith and practice. This led to the formation of the New Testament canon, a process that took several centuries to complete.

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The first step in this process was the collection of the letters of Paul, which were widely circulated among the churches. Then came the four Gospels, which were accepted as the authoritative accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles and the other epistles were gradually added, and finally the Book of Revelation.

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By the end of the second century, the core of the New Testament was generally accepted by the Church. The process of canonization was not a formal act of a council, but rather a gradual recognition by the churches of the writings that were most valuable for their life and worship. It was only in the fourth century that the canon was formally closed by the councils of the Church.

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The formation of the New Testament canon was a crucial event in the history of the Church. It provided a standard of faith and practice that helped to unify the Church and to protect it from the influence of heretical sects. It also ensured that the teachings of Jesus and the apostles would be preserved for future generations.