Chapter 104 - General characteristic of a Divine Edifice (prāsāda-lakṣaṇa)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Lord said:

1. One who has peacock on the banner! I shall describe you the general characteristics of a divine edifice. In a ground divided into four parts, the breadth of the walls should comprise a part.

2. The adytum should be one-seventh of this. The pedestal (should be) a quarter of its extent. The pedestal should occupy the central part of the ground divided into five parts.

3. The aperture and the wall should be one part each. Two adytums in two parts is medium. One adytum in two parts is excellent.

4-6. According to some the vault of the adytum should occupy three such parts and the walls the rest. In the case of a plot divided into six parts the walls (should comprise) one such part. The breadth of the adytum (should be) one part and that of the pedestal two parts. The height of the temple (should be) double or greater than twice (the breadth) by a quarter or in certain cases triple (that of the breadth). Sometimes it would be half the breadth or one-third of(the entire area of) the ground.

7. The (inner) circumference (of the vault would be) a quarter less than the area of the temple. The outer circumference (would be) a third of it. Small chariots should be got ready at the centre.

8-9. Lords Cāmuṇḍa, Bhairava and Nāṭyeśa (different forms of Lord Śiva) should be placed in them. Images of eight or four deities should be made outside to surround (the main temple) and they should occupy half the space of the temple. They may or may not be within the temples. The (images of) Ādityas (the 12 suns, progeny of Aditi and Kaśyapa) should be placed at the east. The (images of) Skanda and Agni (should be placed) in the north-west.

10. In this way, images of Yama (lord of death) and other deities should be placed in the respective directions over which they preside. After having divided the pinnacle into four parts, the region of the vault (should be made to comprise) two such parts.

11-13. The top platform of (god of) fire should be in the third part. The flat cushion (should be placed above that) with a cornice. The five (classes of temples) are vairāja, puṣpaka, kailāsa, maṇika and triviṣṭapa (characterised by structures ofdifferent shapes) built over the top platform. The first (among the above) is a square, the second one a rectangle, (the third one) circular, the next one oval and the fifth one is octagonal. Each one of these is divided into nine (thereby) giving rise to forty-five divisions.

14-15. The temples belonging to the vairāja class are—the first one meru, mandara the second one, vimāna, bhadra, sarvatobhadra, caruka, nandika, nandivardhana and śrīvatsa.

16-17. The nine temples belonging to the puṣpaka (class) are valabhī, gṛharāja, śālāgṛha, mandira, viśāla, brahmamandira, bhavana, prabhava and śibikāveśma [śibikā/śivikā-veśma?]. The circular shaped temples—valaya, dundubhi, padma, mahāpadma, varddhanī, uṣṇīṣa, śaṅkha, kalaśa and khavṛkṣa belong to the kailāsa class.

18-21. The nine—gaja, vṛṣabha, haṃsa, garutmān, ṛkṣanāyaka, bhūṣaṇa, bhūdhara, śrījaya and pṛthivīdhara are oval-shaped and belong to (the class called) maṇika. Vajra, cakra, svastika, vajrasvastika, citra, avastika-khaḍga, gadā, śrīkaṇṭha and vijaya are the names of those which belong to triviṣṭapa (class).

22. These are the names given to the towns of Lāṭas etc. The top portion should be half the height of the neck and proportionately broad.

23. After having made the top platform into ten parts, the breadth of the shoulder portion (should be made to comprise) five parts. The neck portion should be made (to comprise) three parts, and the pracaṇḍaka (?) should be four such parts.

24. The doors should be made so as to face the cardinal points and never on the intermediate points. The pedestal should extend to two corners (of the temple) and to the middle part of the adytum.

25. Sometimes (the pedestals) extend upto the fifth part of the adytum from the posterior edge thereof, their height being double of their length. A different type (of construction) is described now.

26-30. Four doors should be made so as to measure ten fingers less than one hundred and sixty fingers known as the uttama (excellent ones). Three (doors) would be of the madhyama (middle) order and three (doors) of the kanīyasa (inferior ones). The breadth (would be) equal to half the height or height greater than (the breadth) by a third part. The height may be four or eight or ten fingers more. The breadth may be a fourth (part) of the height. There should be ornamental indents on the threshold. It has been stated that the breadth of all of them (should be) half the breadth (of the doors). The door with two, five, seven or nine ornamental indents confers the desired (fruit). Two warders should be carved in the doorframe to occupy a quarter part of the latter below the lower (ornamental) branch. The ends of the (ornamental) branches should be decorated with (the images) of the fairy twins.

31. (In a temple) if the post has been encroached (the consecrator) would be a slave and if the tree has been impeded in its growth it would confer poverty, if it has encroached on a. well at the gate it portends fear and if it protrudes over the ground (it augurs) loss of wealth.

32. If it has encroached a thoroughfare it would get captivity (for the consecrator). One would get poverty if the temple had been built to make the hall (in front) as narrow. If it obstructs the varṇa (?) it will make one deformed.

33-34. If a mortar causes an obstruction it would give poverty. If a stone-block causes obstruction it would cause enmity. If it is shadowed (by some other building) it gives poverty. There will not be defects of obstruction (in the following cases)—by felling a tree, uprooting (of stone) or by leaving intervening space equal to twice that of the original compound.