Beautification (a): Temples

The gods played a very important role in the life of the citizens of those days and naturally, therefore, there was a good number of temples and shrines even in a single city or town. The background on which the institution of the temple dedication in the town has been kept going is not difficult to understand. Every inch of the townground is to be sanctified, hence so many temples both in the interior as well as in the exterior part of the town, are prescribed. A general recommendation, however, in this connection, is that every house should have the images of goddess Lakṣmī and the god of wealth, the Kubera, on its main door and they should both face the East (Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra Chap. X. 104; also Agni Purāṇa, Ch. 108). The Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra says (ibid 105-6): Thus set up they bring prosperity, peace and happiness to the town, otherwise misery would be the result. Again a general direction for the exterior and outskirts of the town is, that the phallic-emblems should be dedicated in the west of the exterior of the town.

As regards the cemetries and the Śiva-liṅgas thereon, they are to be placed in the southern quarter of the town (X. 102).

1—External location of the Deities.

1. Temples of Viṣṇu, Sūrya, Indra and Dharma to be located in the Eastern direction of the town.

2. Temples and shrines of Sanat-Kumāra, the physician-god, Sāvitrī, Maruts, Māruta (the modern Hanūmān) to be located in the South-East.

3. Temples of Gaṇeśa, the Mātṛs, the Bhūtas, and the lord of Pretas—Yama in the South.

4. Shrines of Bhadrakālī and the mounds of Pitṛs in the South-West.

5. Shrines of oceans and their lord Varuṇa, rivers (such as Gaṅgā), Prajāpati-Viśvakarmā to be located in the West.

6. The shrines of serpents, Saturn and Kātyāyanī to be located in the North-West.

7. The temple of Viśākha, Skanda, the Moon and the lord of the Yakṣas, Kuber [Kubera], to be located separately in the northern quarter presided over by Mercury.

8. The temples of the Lord of the world, Maheśa, goddess Lakṣmi and of Fire to be located in the East.

II—Internal location.

(i) In the middle of the town, the temple of Brahmā, should be located. Shrines of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma arc also to be located here.

(ii) This is the only special specification for the location of the temples in the interior of the town; otherwise the general rules laid down in the external location of the different deities in their particular quarters hold good in the internal location also (Chapter 10-129).

Another special location, talked of in the text, is that of the Mātṛs, Yakṣagaṇa, Śivakas, and Bhūta-Saṅghas. They may be located without a temple, or a shrine specially built for them, i.e. statues on the raised platforms called catvaras specially built on the cross roads suffice (ibid, 131).

A very special recommendation—rather prohibitory order, enunciated by the Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra is that it is against erecting too many temples dedicated to a particular deity. Violation of this brings curse to the builder—the patron and the society at large (Chapter X. 133 and onwards).

Another point in connection with the dedication of the temples of the gods and goddesses is that they should be so established as always facing towards the town—those placed in the East should face the West and vice-versa. If perchance this rule is violated, a propitiatory rite is enjoined consisting also of carving out the image of the god in question on the temple wall facing towards the town. All this indicates that no departure from tradition is sanctioned and the rule of dimensions together with the layouts are to be strictly followed in order to have the desired effect.

The S. S in another place (chapter 40.13⅓) says,

“The gods when set up with correct proportions (then only) become fit to be worshiped”.

Similar details are dictated by Purāṇas like Agni and the Śilpa texts like the Mayamata and Śilparatna, This is the evidence as furnished by the principal text of our study. As regards the other texts—the Aparājita-pṛcchā and Śilparatna—vide Vāstulakṣaṇa, the details may be left out here to be purviewed there for want of space. The details of the A. P. are peculiar in as much as they are limited to the temple of the town rather than to its temples.—Śilparatna’s dedication of the town deities is similar to what we have studied—vide the Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra.

The dedication of too many temples on the town plan, to put it in a nut-shell, is indicative of idealisation or deification of the abode where a constant communion with the spirit may be secured. Spirituality, the fountain-head of the life currents and the temples, its embodiment, takes a tangible shape at these religious centres and the culture and education fostered, promulgated and propounded here are dessiminated alround.

The question is why our Silpaśāstras bestowed so much attention on the deification of the town? It was perhaps a secret of Hindu character to subordinate materialism to spiritualism. The spirituality and the purity of the race were of paramount importance to them. Sister Nivedita’s (cf. Civic and National Ideals) observation that ‘the ground on which a city stands is in truth, a great hearth—place of human love, a veritable altar of spiritual fire,’ is very apt, indeed.

In words of Datta,

“spirituality is the fountain head from which flowed the national currents. Hence the temple—embodiments of spirituality, were the centres where culture and education were fostered and promulgated. Again he same sages who were the custodians of sacred lore and expounders of Hindu theology holding holy communion in meditation with God, were also the professors and propounders of Hindu sociology. Generally the wise and sagacious hermits, belonging to the sacredotal class were also the persons who directed the legislation of society. A sequestered cloister away from the hustle and bustle of the city was the one most suited to their contemplative life and to the training of the young hopefuls of the race. And their hermitages took the place of modern colleges where students congregated from all parts of the country. The temple hermitages or monasteries of ancient India formed the nucleuses of the university towns of later ages, such as Taxila or Nālandā, Naimiṣāraṇya or Benares.”

After the location of the temples and dedication of them to the different deities together with the emergence of a full grown town in different localities inhabited by the different classes of society—some consideration must be given to aciding beauty and comforts by planning the beautiful gardens full of flowers and plants, orchards, lotusponds and pools and tanks together with childrens’ parks and public places like Prapā, Puṇyaśālā, Purajana-vihāra and also jala-bhramas (vide Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra X. 52).