The Hindu Temple v1.c7.s1.84

v1.c7.s1.84

In the centre of the ‘ātman’ or body of the Fire altar above the bundle of grass, which was the first ‘iṣṭakā’ or “brick”⁵⁰ of the first layer the priest (Adhvaryu) placed a lotus leaf, a golden disc, a golden man and on the golden man the first naturally perforated ‘brick’ (svayam-ātṛṇṇā) or self-holed stone; at a prescribed distance to the east of the centre, he set down a living tortoise on lotus flowers, so that it faces the golden man. The lower shell of the tortoise represents this terrestrial world and the upper shell is the air world (antarikṣa) (Ś.B. VII. 5. 1. 2). In the foundation of the temple, the stone tortoise too has to be set down first by the side of the treasure jar and then only is it placed on that jar and above the lotus.