There are thousands of temples in India, but every one of them shares common qualities. They all have bells, and their shape is similar too. Though the basic structure of Hindu temples remains the same, some temples have seen some architectural changes as time passes. The statue of the deity is placed at the garbhagriha, also known as the “womb chamber.” This area is considered the most sacred part of the temple. The surrounding area of the womb chamber is kept open so that there is space for ritualistic activities. A widely practiced ritual consists of making rounds in the womb chamber and praying to the deity.
There can be statues of other deities as well, depending on the size of the temple and who it is dedicated to. Several temples feature the statues of many deities in one place. People can go there and worship all of them by making offerings. The bigger the temple is, the more sections there are for praying.
The garbhagriha has a shikhara (called vimana in southern India). Hindu temple architecture is based on the ideas of dharma, values, beliefs, and the importance of life in Hinduism. Temples represent all elements of life – from water to fire, nature to deity status, dharma to karma, masculine to feminine, peace, and eternal nothingness. A temple is a link between human and the divine. When a person is surrounded by these elements, they find themselves in the presence of the divine.
The architectural design of Hindu temples is based on Shilpa Shastras and Vastu Shastra. To this day Hindu people follow these shastras before making any architectural decisions.
The earliest temples were found cell shaped. In 6th- and 7th-century temples, structures saw revolution. They now had big temples with shikhara and great aesthetics. Although we have only found 6th- and 7th-century tower temples, there is evidence that tower temples existed before that time too.
The Temple Site
Along with the architecture, the location of a temple should also be mentioned on shastras. The most suitable place is near water where lotus blooms and ducks swim. There should also be a garden for chirping birds; it should be a peaceful place for all beings, human or animal. All things on Earth are connected to each other. A temple encourages people to feel that connection and restores their faith.
Shikhara
Shikhara is called vimana (flying vehicle) in southern India. A shikhara is made long and pointed towards the sky, sending signals to God from below. Deity statues are situated in garbhagriha, which is right under shikhara. The pointed shikhara seems like it is touching the sky. Some scholars believe that the structure of shikhara is inspired from Mount Meru or Himalayan Kailash. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva lives on Kailash with his wife and kids.
Stupas
“Stupa” is a Sanskrit word meaning “mound” or “heap.” In a Hindu or Buddhist temple, a stupa can be seen in the Chaitya hall, which is used for prayers. According to belief, when Buddha died, his ashes were divided in eight parts and buried in eight mounds. These mounds were spread in Vaishali, Rajagriha, Kapilavastu, Ramagrama, Allakappa, Pava, Vethapida, and Kushinagar.
For safety, stupas are surrounded stupa by bars and posts. Buddha left instructions for people who wanted to pay homage to stupa: “And whoever lays wreaths or puts sweet perfumes and colours there with a devout heart will reap benefits for a long time.” This instruction led to the decoration of stupas with stone-carved flowers.
It is believed that the bell-shaped temples of pyramidal temples were inspired by stepped stupas. The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya is an example of a stupa- inspired temple. The temple is formed of steps and contains images of Buddha. At the top of the temple, there is a stupa-inspired shikhara.
Bell-Shaped Temple or Stupas
Bell-shaped stupas and Borobudur Temple can be found in the United Kingdom. It is located in the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery near Hemel Hempstead. The temple is covered with bell-shaped stupas. These bells look like the sacred bells used during prayer in a Hindu community.
Are Vimanas Spaceships?
There are many hidden secrets behind the structure of a temple and one of them is the structure of the vimana. One reason it is called “vimana” is the deity that sits right beneath it. On auspicious days, the deity visits the temple through that vimana. A vimana allows deities to travel not only from one country to another but also from one planet to another.
Old-time temples were also used as educational institutions where people learned about art, physics, astronomy, and sex education (it was not a taboo back then). In ancient texts, the vimana is described as a vehicle that can fly. A well-known example of a vimana is Ravana’s Pushpak Vimana in Ramayana. All of this seems to tell us that, during that time, scholars thought about flying vehicles. Ancient scholars were way smarter than we assume them to be. Maybe they did travel from one planet to another, and the evidence did not survive.
