The Hindu Temple v1.c9.s9.9

v1.c9.s9.9

⁵⁷ The (solid) dome shaped roof or cupola is called Śikhara in South Indian Vāstuśāstra (I.P. IV. XXXII. 67-68). Eight kinds of Śikharas are distinguished according to their section (śiraśchanda) or 'plan': square, rectangular, circular, elliptical, of Śalā-shape, the 6 sided and the 16 sided ('caturaśra, āyataśra, vṛtta, vṛttāyata, śalākāra, ṣaḍaśra, aṣṭāśra, ṣoḍaśāśra'). These Śikharas, moreover, fall into seven different classes according to their relative height. The names of these seven classes are: Kāliṅga, Kāśya, Vārāṭa, Ullaka, Sauṇḍika, Kāśmīra and Gāṅgeya (verse 71). The 'Mayamata', XVIII. 8-10, too knows 8 classes of these Śikharas and gives the proportionate height as 2/5, 3/7, 4/9, 5/11, 6/13, 7/15, 8/17, and 1/2 of the width of the chapel. Kaṇṭha (neck) stands for 'bhitti', the wall of each; the generally accepted height of the cupola or Śikhara being 1/2 of the width of the chapel. The respective names of the 8 classes are in the 'Mayamata': Pāñcāla, Vaideha, Māgadha, Kaurava, Kausala, Śaurasena, Gāndhāra and Āvantika. These, however, are names of the Lupās (rafters) in the I.P.; whereas the names of the eight classes of the Lupās in the 'Mayamata' are: 'Vyāmiśra, Kāliṅga, Kauśika, Varāṭa, Drāviḍa, Barbara, Kollaka and Sauṇḍika (XVIII. 13-14). These names refer to countries and seem to suggest that the various proportions of the dome originated in the various parts of India. Their series however are interchanged in the two texts, with those of the rafters (lupā). The name Varāṭa is common to both the texts, Drāviḍa occurs in the 'Mayamata' only. The various proportionate heights from 2/5 to 1/2 are named after regions of India from Kashmir in the North-west to Kaliṅga (Orissa) in the East. Varāṭa (Berar) as the name of a region is familiar to Vāstuśāstra. The naming and classification of certain properties of the dome-shape after various parts of India is a characteristic of South Indian texts; cf. chapter on 'Nāgara, Drāviḍa, Vesara'.