Ram Mandir and Hindu temple architecture

Rajnish Wattas

Former principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture

WITH the spotlight on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, it is pertinent to trace the evolution of the Hindu temple architecture over the centuries.

Predominantly, the temple form has two architectural styles: the Nagara style, witnessed in northern, eastern and western regions of the country, and the Dravidian style, which is visible in southern India. Governed by religious canons laid down in the ancient Indian treatise on architecture, Vastu Shilpa Shastra, the temple plan, elements and form are in accordance with its injunctions. The relationship among the various elements and their anthropometric proportions are in accordance with the principles laid down in the Shastra.

One of the key features of a religious structure is that it must tower above other constructions in the city — and this is achieved by virtue of its commanding height. This is amply evident in the evolution of the Hindu temple’s shikhara in north India and gopuram in the South. Compared to the north Indian temple, the Dravidian architecture uses shorter and more pyramidal towers, including gopurams or gatehouse entrances to the compound, as its dominating feature. Yet, there are no clear-cut geographical boundaries as most of the craftspersons moved from one region to another seeking patronage. There are instances of the two styles getting mixed and variations (sub-styles) within styles developing over time.

The Hindu temple, with its sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) where the presiding deity is installed, is a place enabling a mystical experience and direct communion of the devotee with the deity. However, to signify the garbhagriha, the spiritual core of the temple, a spire like the shikhara rises high above it, towering over ancillary spaces for rituals and other functions.

The Nagara style’s essential layout is along an axis, with the garbhagriha opening towards the eastern door into the adjoining pillared hall called mandapa, a gathering space for devotees to perform rituals. In bigger temples, there are adjunct halls called maha-mandapas and an ardh-mandapa as the entrance portico.

Structurally, the temples were based on the principle of gravity and achieved stability with the downward thrust of the spires and pyramidal roofs transferred to the thick stone walls and pillars with exquisite carvings and ornamentation. The temples, built in stone laid out in courses one above the other in dry masonry without mortar, were held together by dowels fitting into grooves.

The early Nagara temple style evolved from the fifth century (Gupta period) to the seventh century. It includes Chandel, Solanki and Odisha sub-styles. The Chandela sub-style originated in central India. It was developed by the Chandel dynasty and is also known as the Khajuraho school. Intricate carvings adorn the inner and outer walls. Kandariya Mahadeva temple is a leading example of this style and listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The Solanki school originated in north-western India, particularly in present-day Gujarat and Rajasthan. A terraced water tank, known as Surya Kund, was excavated next to temples. This sub-style is also known as the Maru-Gurjara school and was adapted for building Jain temples such as Dilwara temples at Mount Abu and Ranakpur Jain temple.

The Odisha school originated in the coastal regions of eastern India, especially in Odisha. It is also known as the Kalinga school, with leading examples being the Lingaraj temple complex near Bhubaneswar and the Konark Sun Temple.

Viewed in this larger sweep of history, the construction of the Ram Mandir is a unique feat of reimagining, reconstruction and retelling of an ancient temple form, built in the present with traditional dry stone masonry combined with latest scientific knowledge to meet structural challenges and ensuring protection from natural hazards like earthquakes or flooding of the nearby Saryu river. The builders have made no use of iron, steel or mortar. Much like the ancient temples, it is a structure constructed in dressed sandstone with courses held together by clips of copper fitting into grooves. The claim that it has a life of 1,000 years has a basis as stone is a stronger material for compression forces compared to brick or concrete.

As per its plan, the temple will be 250 ft wide, 380 ft long and 161 ft high with a total of 366 columns. When completed, it will figure among the world’s largest Hindu temples. Though designed mainly in the Maru-Gurjara sub-style, it will incorporate elements of the Dravidian style. The temple has an unusual feature — an apsidal end at the rear. It follows the ambulatory path around the garbhagriha for the ritualistic pradakshina after the deity’s darshan. One of the prominent examples of this feature is the eighth-century Durga temple at Aihole in Karnataka. It is not a temple dedicated to goddess Durga, but derives its name from Durg, which means a fort in Sanskrit, referring to the nearby fortress of the erstwhile ruler.

Designed by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad, the temple is an exemplar of the enormous knowledge of the past combined with the best science has to offer in terms of its technical facets. It has a unique ‘noon reflection’ mechanism, designed by the Central Building Research Institute, which directs the sunlight onto the idols’ foreheads at noon during Ram Navami, enhancing the spiritual experience for devotees.

Interestingly, Le Corbusier, in his design of the Assembly building in the Capitol Complex (Chandigarh), aligned the skylight on top of its hyperboloid shell to allow the rays of the sun to reach the Speaker’s desk during the Assembly session.

The making of the Ram Mandir has reignited interest in our ancient architecture and construction methods that withstood centuries of hazards and threats. Perhaps this reflects an innate divine energy.

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