Vimana Temples – Architectural Marvel Of India
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Evidence of the engineering marvel of Indian architecture can be clearly seen in the country's temples.
However, it is not only about the work of ancient engineers of India. It is worth mentioning that Hindu cosmology shapes the temples’ form because "it recreates the universe and every person’s struggle, occurring over multiple lifetimes, to cast aside illusion in order to realize divine truth and oneness with an infinite god." 1
This temple is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi who is the incarnation of the Hindu goddess Parvati.
Temples were built to house a sacred symbol of a particular god.
This structure is the mountain residence of the gods because according to Hindu cosmology, the gods have always been associated with mountains.
The temple’s overall form, dominated by its large central tower (vimana), reconstructs the appearance of god’s mountaintop dwelling.
All of these temples have beautiful, precise, and harmonious geometry and many of them are richly decorated with sculptures of gods, animals, flowers, erotic scenes, geometric patterns, and other figures bringing the memory of mythological episodes.
Virupaksha, a 7th century Hindu temple, is located in Hampi 350 km from Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka in southern India. source
Several temples of India have impressive, soaring towers ‘Gopuram' (or ‘Gopura’), usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. Gopurams are the dominant architectural feature of a temple's outer appearance, sometimes soaring as high as 170 feet and completely overshadowing the main shrine and other structures of the temple, due to their colossal size.
The Early Cholas always built the vimana (tower) of the core temple sanctuary as the highest structure in the temple complex. Later, the Medieval Cholas began to build the gopurams even taller than the central sanctuary’s vimana towers.
This building style was continued and widely used by later Hindu dynasties.
In the Dravidian (or South Indian style), “the sanctuary and the superstructure together are called the vimana,” writes Thapar Bindia in his ‘Introduction to Indian Architecture". In architecture texts regarding this style, the vimana is described as a mountain-like spire of a free-standing temple.
“The most distinctive feature of the Dravidian style is the articulation of the vimana, a composite of the garbha griha and superstructure or spire (shikhara) which is a trapezoidal structure, starting on a square base, and soaring up in a series of well-articulated stories called tala…”
(‘Shikhara’ means a dome-shaped crowning cap is located above the Vimana, while a Vimana resembles a stepped pyramid that rises up geometrically.
The towers symbolize power and connection between the human world on earth and the abode of gods and goddesses in the high heavens.
Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
- India Revealed: Hindu Temples of South India
Thapar, Bindia. Introduction to Indian Architecture
Approach Guides. India Revealed: Hindu Temples of South India
Suriya, Jothirlingam: The Indian Temple Guide
More From Ancient Pages
-
Mysterious Disappearance Of Explorer Peng Jiamu In Lop Nur – The Wandering Lake
Featured Stories | Dec 20, 2018
-
Search For Noah’s Ark Continues – The ‘Inside Mount Ararat’ Research Project
Featured Stories | May 4, 2014
-
Bezvodovka: Little Known Ancient Solar Observatory In Ukraine Reveals Its Secrets
Archaeoastronomy | Jan 4, 2017
-
Bulgaria’s Aquae Calidae Spa Complex: More 40 Coins Dated To 4th Century CE – Found
Archaeology | Jul 24, 2020
-
On This Day In History: The Mongol Conqueror Genghis Khan Died – On August 18, 1227
News | Aug 18, 2016
-
Kylfings – Unknown Warriors Mentioned On Norse Runes – Were They Members Of The Varangian Guard?
Civilizations | Mar 15, 2018
-
Conwy Castle In Snowdonia: Outstanding Medieval Fortification In Europe
Featured Stories | Oct 16, 2018
-
Manticore – Legendary Persian Sphinx Whose Existence Is Still Discussed
Featured Stories | Jun 4, 2019
-
Ancient Village Of Zalipie Where Flowers Are Painted On All Houses
Ancient Traditions And Customs | May 29, 2019
-
Unique Bronze Age Fortress Discovered In Galway, Ireland
Archaeology | Jun 25, 2022
-
Archaeological Discoveries At Fort San Juan Reveal Hidden History Of Conquistadors In American South
Archaeology | Mar 12, 2018
-
5 Myths About The Amazons – Ancient Female Warriors
Featured Stories | Jan 13, 2016
-
Neolithic ‘Zombie’ Grave Found Near Oppin In Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Archaeology | Apr 26, 2024
-
Unsolved Enigma Of The Lost Ancient City In The Kalahari Desert
Civilizations | Aug 29, 2015
-
How King Arthur Became One Of The Most Pervasive Legends Of All Time
Featured Stories | Feb 12, 2017
-
Skilled Nabataeans Celestially Aligned Petra’s Wonderful Architecture
Featured Stories | Mar 6, 2014
-
Fascinating 3,000-Year-Old Artifacts Found At Herne Bay, Kent, UK
Archaeology | Jun 24, 2022
-
Mnemosyne: Powerful Greek Goddess Of Memory, Bridge Between The Past And The Future
Featured Stories | Aug 2, 2021
-
Archaeologists Refute Claims That A Comet Destroyed Hopewell Culture
Archaeology | Aug 11, 2023
-
Surprising Discovery Reveals Ancient Tibetan Bowl Shows Alexander The Great – The Jewish Version And Not The Homer’s Iliad
Archaeology | Apr 28, 2022