Essay name: Architectural data in the Puranas
Author:
Sharda Devi
Affiliation: Himachal Pradesh University / Department of History
This essay studies ancient Indian architectural science as found in technical treatises and the Puranas, with special reference to the Matsya, Garuda, Agni and Bhavishya Puranas. These texts detail ancient architectural practices, covering temple and domestic designs, dimensional specifications, and construction rules.
Chapter 3 - Temples
28 (of 48)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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120
that a temple is nothing but another form of the divine image of Visnu.掳
The various parts of a temple symbolise different parts of a divine image.
89 90
The 艣ukan膩sa of the temple's sikhara is the nose, the two rathakas are
two arms, the anda is the head, the kala艣a is the hairs, the kantha is the
neck the vedi is the shoulder, the pra峁嚹乴a is the anus, the sudh膩 is the
skin, the dv膩ra is the mouth, the pratima is the life, the pindik膩 is the vital
energy, the prakriti is the shape or form and the image of god Kesava is
the soul. Thus the temple is comparable to a living organism.
MANDAPAS
The MP denotes a complete chapter to the description of mandapas to be
erected in accordance with the shape of the temples. 91 There are three
broad categories: jyestha (high) madhyama (medium) and knistha (low).
They are of twenty-seven kinds as given below in Table 5:
Table 5
27 Kinds of Mandapas Mentioned in the MP
S.No.
Name of mandapa
Number of pillars in each
mandapa
1 Puspaka
64 2
Pushabhadra
62 3
Suvrata
60 4
Amitanandana
58 5
Kausalya
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56 6
叠耻诲诲丑颈蝉补峁僰墨谤补峁嘺
54 7
Gajabhadra
52
