Hindu Theory

Hindu Philosophy and its imprint on

Architecture
 URVASHI SINDHI
GROUP VAIBHAV SRIVASTAVA
RAHUL SINGH
MEMBERS RAJ HANS KUMAR
UGRASEN GUPTA
TIYA BANERJEE
MOHD. FAIZ
Table of contents

IMPRINT OF HINDU
01 HINDU PHILOSOPHY 02 PHILOSOPHY ON BUILT
STRUCTURES

MANDALA AND PROPORTIONAL THEORY

03 GEOMETRIC GRID IN
TEMPLES
04 IN TEMPLE ELEVATION
 01
HINDU PHILOSOPHY
 HINDU PHILOSOPHY

• Hindu philosophy is the longest surviving philosophical tradition in India.

We can recognize several historical stages; the earliest, from around
700 BC.

• Hindu philoshpy include the Vastu shastras, Shilpa shastras, the Brihat
Samhita, architectural portions of the Puranas and the Agamas, and
regional texts such as the Mansara among others.
• Hindu architecture is the traditional system of
Indian architecture for structures such
as temples, monasteries, statues, homes, market
places, gardens and town planning as described
in Hindu texts.
• Characteristic and numerous
surviving examples of Hindu
architecture are Hindu
temples, with an architectural
tradition that has left surviving
examples in stone, brick, and rock
cut architecture dating back to the
Gupta empire.
BASIC FORM OF A HINDU TEMPLE

• When you browse our earlier articles on Hindu Temple Architecture,

you would realize one thing. It was a gradual evolution starting from
the rock cut cave temples to monolithic rathas which finally
culminated in structural temples. The basic form of a Hindu structural
temple consists of the following.
1. Garbhagriha
It literally means ‘womb-house’ and is a cave like a sanctum. In the earliest temples, it was a small cubical
structure with a single entrance. Later it grew into a larger complex. The Garbhagriha is made to house the
main icon (main deity) which is itself the focus of much ritual attention.

2. Mandapa:
It is the entrance to the temple.
It may be a portico or colonnaded (series of columns placed at regular intervals) hall that incorporates
space for a large number of worshippers.
Dances and such other entertainments are practiced here.
Some temples have multiple mandapas in different sizes named as Ardhamandapa, Mandapa,
and Mahamandapa.
••
3. Shikhara or Vimana:
They are mountain like the spire of a free-standing temple.

• Shikhara is found in North Indian temples and Vimana is found in South Indian temples.
Shikhara has a curving shape while vimana has a pyramidal-like structure.

• 4. Amalaka:
It is a stone disc like structure at the top of the temple and they are common in

•• North Indian temples.

5. Kalasha:
It is the topmost point of the temple and commonly seen in North Indian temples.
 • 6. Antarala (vestibule):
Antarala is a transition area between the Garbhagriha and the temple’s main hall
(mandapa).

• 7. Jagati:
It is a raised platform for sitting and praying and is common in North Indian temples.

• 8. Vahana:
It is the mount or vehicle of the temple’s main deity along with a standard pillar
or Dhvaj which is placed axially before the sanctum.
 Classification of Indian Temples

● Indian temples can be classified into two broad orders as

● Nagara (in North India)
● Dravida (in South India)
● At times, the Vesara style of temples as an independent style
created through the mixing of Nagara and Dravida orders.
• Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation)
and karma (the universal law of cause and effect)
.
Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that
emerged in Ancient India which include six systems (shad- darsana ) –
Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika , Mimamsa and Vedanta.

• The architectural principles of Hindu temples in India are described in Shilpa Shastras and Vastu
Sastras.[
Measurement and Proportion in Hindu
Temple Architecture

● Proportion and measure interacted in the evolution and

construction of the Hindu temple from the 5th through the
15th century AD, but, throughout this history, proportion
dominated as the tool to give the monument both validity
and form. This review analysis the ritual force of proportion
and its function in the planning of temples by architects. The
diagrams that accompany the article are the result of field
research and the analysis of built structures.
 02
IMPRINT OF HINDU PHILOSOPHY ON BUILT
STRUCTURES
 Hindu Philosophy

● "Hindu temples go beyond just being the visual results of a mathematical process with interesting properties, but
touch us deeper, almost on a spiritual level, like all objects of pure beauty."
● Hindu philosophy views the cosmos to be holonomic and self similar in nature
● "As the pigments are but the vehicle of painting, so is the building but the vehicle of architecture, which is the
thought behind form, embodied and realised for the purpose of its manifestation and transmission.
● "The history of symbolism shows that everything can assume symbolic significance: natural objects (like stones,
plants, animals, men, mountains and valleys, sun and moon, wind, water, and fire), or man-made things (like
houses, boats, or cars), or even abstract forms (like numbers, or the triangle, the square, and the circle). In fact,
the whole cosmos is a potential symbol."
● The basic plan form of any temple is built upon the Vastu Purush Mandala, which is a square, representing the
earth. It also symbolises order, the completeness of endless life and the perfectness of life and death
 Aspects of Hindu Philosophy

● There are two aspects of a temple- religious and administration. The temple, as a religious institution, is the place
where worship is conducted for the benefit and well-being of the entire community. Another is the aspect of
administration of temple that required huge income to play its all pervasive role in the society. Generally, temples
were richly endowed by royal patrons, wealthy devotees and others such as village grants, land grants, various
dues and taxes, money grants, and miscellaneous grants including with the grants of animals, oil mills and others.
 Vastu Shastra

● Vastu Shastra is an ancient term that literally translates to “the science of

architecture”.
● It unifies science, art, astronomy, and astrology, providing ideas and concepts for
making a living space harmonious with nature while integrating geometric
patterns, symmetry and directional alignments.
● The origin of Vastu Shastra evolved during Vedic times in India. The art of Vastu
originates in Sthapatyaveda, a part of the Atharvaveda, which emerged as a
system of knowledge involving the connection between man and his buildings –
in other words – architecture.
● Fractal Geometry - Application and Importance "... the dynamic formal structure of Indian
temples shows irresistible analogies with certain metaphysical ideas recurrent in Indian thought:
of the manifestation in transient, finite multiplicity of a timeless, limitless, undifferentiated yet all
pervading unity; of the identity of this oceanic infinitude with the all-containing infinitesimal
point; of finite things as fleeting transmutations of the infinite momentarily differentiated, then
sinking back into unity, in unending cycles of growth and decay.

● The most remarkable aspect of the relationship of fractal geometry and Hindu temple
architecture is that, not only does the physical manifestation of a Hindu temple confirm to the
geometry of fractals, but also the theory behind fractal geometry, i.e., the fractal concept is
parallel to the concept and idea of temple and its philosophy. The parameters of replication in
multiple iterations, self similarity, dynamics and complexity at varying scales are the ones that
render Hindu temples fractal-friendly, therefore, forming the base for fractal analysis in the
Hindu temple
 The Philosophy of Temple Construction

● Temples are built to establish the contact between man and God. The rituals and ceremonies
performed in the temples have primarily influenced the forms of temple architecture. The
identification of divinity with the fabric of the temple and the reflection of the form of the
Universe with that of the form of the temple is of supreme importance. Hence, importance is
given right from the selection of the site of the temple, to formation of the ground plan and also
to its vertical elevation. The symbolic representation of the cosmic ideas is formalized by creation
of sacred mathematical treaties, with precise measurement systems. The plans of the temples
are based on sacred geometric diagrams (Mandala) – symbolized as a miniscule image of the
universe with its coordinated organized structure (as in Vaastu Purusha Mandala).
 03
MANDALA AND GEOMETRIC
GRID IN TEMPLES
 MANDALA

• The word "Mandala" comes from the Sanskrit verbal root "mand" which
means "the mark off , decorate or set off " and the suffix "la" "meaning circle,
sacred center "
• It created the sacred spaces to worship to the larger cosmos.
• These circular shaped spaces were used to represent the time and space in
the temples.
• Similarly, Mandala helps believers visualize the universe and their place in it,
often in relation to a specific deity found in the centre.
• Kapila Vatsyayan has done considerable research on this subject and has traced the
symbolism and significance of vāstu puruṣa and maṇḍala from the Vedic period through the
later treatises on art, architecture and sculpture.

• Kapila Vatsyayan (1986) explains the vāstu puruṣa maṇḍala as:

The mandala is not a plan; it represents an energy field. And, as in the case of the black holes of
outer space, at the dead centre of the vortex is Nothing…which is Everything. It is both shunya
(the Absolute Void) and bindu (the world seed and the source of all energy). In all mandalas, at
this centre is located Brahman, the Supreme Principle.
 The Theory of the philosophy of design

• The classical Indian philosophy of design is built upon the notions

of the outer world and inner self, and the material desires and
spiritual consciousness.
• The symbolism of Puruṣa is key to the understanding these
interlinked notions of the macrocosm and microcosm: the whole
and the part.
A 64-suqare maṇḍala, known as the chaṇdita. The centre-most part of the maṇḍala is called
Brahmabindu,
and it marks the source of all energy. It is also the centre of the cosmos and establishes the
genius loci of the site. At this point and the immediate space around it is located the
Brahmam
– the Supreme Almighty; the arupa – the Formless, the Ultimate God or the Spirit of the place.
A Hindu temple has a Shikhara (Vimana or Spire) that
rises symmetrically above the central core of the temple.
These spires come in many designs and shapes, but they
all have mathematical precision and geometric
symbolism. One of the common principles found in Hindu
temple spires is circles and turning- squares theme (left),
and a concentric layering design (right) that flows from
one to the other as it rises towards the sky.
• GRID PLANNING

The 8x8 (64) grid Manduka Hindu Temple Floor

Plan, according to Vastu-purusa mandala. The 64
grid is the most sacred and common Hindu
temple template. The bright saffron center,
where diagonals intersect above, represents the
Purusha of Hindu philosophy.
 THE GEOMETRY OF HINDU TEMPLE

• Vastu-purusha mandala is the

square which represents the
Earth and the universe
suggesting timelessness and
infinity.
• The mandala is actually the
square divided into smaller
squares arranged in the form
of a grid.
• Each smaller square depicts
the area of the respective
Gods. The most commonly
used mandala is the square
subdivided into 64 and 81
squares
 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TEMPLE GEOMETRY

• A Hindu temple design follows a geometrical design called

vastu- purusha-mandala. The name is a composite Sanskrit
word with three of the most important components of the
plan.
• Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the
core of Hindu tradition, i.e. energy, power, soul, while
Vastu means the dwelling structure.
• The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, self-
repeating structure derived from central beliefs, myths,
cardinality and mathematical principles.
Thank you