INTRODUCTION

Of the many profound features of Hinduism, the mandir

(temple), shastra (sacred texts) and sant (God-realized guru)
are considered to be the pillars. For millennia Hinduism has
been sustained and enriched by them. Despite the ravages

of time and foreign rule, the Hindus have kept alive their
Spiritual practices by worshipping in the mandir and the
home, through regular reading and listening of sacred
texts and associating with God-realized gurus. In this way
these ancient traditions enabled the practitioners to remain

Connected to God and spirituality. Given below is an account

of these three
pillars of Hinduism.
1. MANDIR

ORIGIN
For several millennia the Hindus have been worshipping
the deities of nature through prayers. They venerated the
1orces of nature like Varunadeva (the water or ocean-god),
Agnideva (fire-god), Indradeva (rain-god), Suryadeva (sun-
god) and others by offering prayers and sacrifices (yajnas) to
them. The prayers and yajnas became a daily feature in the
lives of Hindus in the early Vedic period. To keep the yajna
fires from being snuffed out by wind and rain, they built
 Hinduism: One God or Many 'Gods?

Kailasanatha Mandir carved out of rock, Ellor caves

shelters to cover the vedis (sacrificial platforms). Over time

these developed into shrines, and a precise science of mandir
building was born. The altar of the sacrificial fire developed
into the garbha-gruha or sanctum sanctorum. By the end
of the Vedic period artists and sculptors began to make
visual representations of the deities in the form of pictures
and sculptures. The murtis or images were made of wo0d,
stone or metal. They were installed in the garbba-gruba. One
finds mention of mandirs in the Atharva Veda. They were

generally built with materials like timber and clay that were
not long-lasting. Cave mandirs or mandirs carved out Or

rocks and ones built with bricks came much later. The heavy
stone mandirs with intricate carvings and designs belong
a still later period.
ere
The mandir is the home of God. It is a sacred place wn
60
 Mandir, Shastra and Sant
man worships him. The term devlaya is used to denote a
mandir. It means "the house of God." Another word
that
is used when is huge is prsãda, which
it
palace'. The
means a
'king's
text dealing with the science of mandir building
is called the Shilpa Shastra or Vstu
Shastra.

SYMBOLIZES THE DvINE AND OTHER ASPECTS

The mandir is a link between humans
and God, between
the earthly plane and the divine realm and
between the idea
of God and the
Reality. The seers of ancient India conceived
mandirs as sacred representations of God. Miss Stella
Kramrisch, the Austrian curator of the Museum of Indian
Art in
Philadelphia, describes in her book The Hindu
so
Temple, "The temple is the concrete
shape of the Essence; as
such it is the residence and (clothing) of God. The
vesture
masonry is the sheath (kosha) and body. The temple is the
monument of manifestation. The devotee who comes to the
temple, to look
it, does so as a 'seer, not as a spectator."
at

The kurma shil (stone in the mandir

foundation)
symbolizes God's feet, jagati (side wall) his thighs, sthambbas
(pillars) his knees, garbba-gruba (inner sanctum) his stomach,
pithika (base of mandovar) his heart, sinhsana (throne) his
seat, murti (image) his soul, deepa (lamp) his prana (life-
breath), deepa-praksha (flames of lamps) his eyes, ghanta
eamrisch,Stella. The Hindu
Temple, Vol.1. Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass, 1991, p.165.
61
 Mandir, Shastra and Sant

tongue,
shikharas (pinnacles) his shoulders.
(bell) his
on the main shikhara in form of lion
hukansa (projection
gav kshas (windows) his ears, malsro or
statue) his nose,
malaka (stone ring) his neck, kalasha (golden pot) his head,
of hair and the layer of plaster or
dlhaia (flag) his tuft
outer

cladding on mandir his skin. The murti is the focal

stone
point of the mandir. Once the God-realized guru or pious
of the Divine in the murti, the
person invokes the presence
mandir becomes spiritually vibrant. It becomes a centre of

worship, prayer and peace. The rituals of pranma, rati,

dhyana, chanting mantras, and offering flowers engage the
devotees' body, senses, mind and heart with the Divine, thus
A
cleansing him or her of bad karma and imbuing divinity.
restless and wavering mind becomes calm and stable in the
mandir.
The mandir also symbolizes God as the cosmos. The
different realms are located on different parts of his body.
The bhuloka (earth) forms his feet, satyaloka forms his shikb
(tuft of hair) and the other worlds (bhuvarloka, swargaloka,
his
maharloka, janaloka and tapaloka) form other parts of
body.
The mandir also symbolizes Meru parvata, the golden
mountain described in the Puränas, around which are spread

Gujarat:
Somapura, Narmadashankar. Shilparatnäkara, 2nd ed. Dhrangadhra,
Somapura Dinkararaya Narmadashankar, 1990, pp.5-6, sbloka 30-56.

63
 Amrut Kalashas
or Golden pots: A MANDIR SYMBOLIZES GOD'S BODY
Head
BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh, of Nagara Style
Amalsäro or
Dhvaja or Flag: Stone ring: Neck
Tuft of hair Ghummat
or Dome:
Shikhar or Sky
Pinnacle: Shoulder Shukansa or
Ion statue:
Nose

Gavaksha or
Window: Ear

Mandovara or
Ornate outside
wall: Torso

Kanapitha or Base
Mandqvara: Heart
Garbha-gruha or Inner
Jagati or Bottom sanctam:Stomachy The

side wall: Thighs Sinbasana inside symbolizes

the throne. And the 7lirti or
Sthambha or
Pillars: Knees.
image represents Gods
 Hinduism: One God or Many 'Gods?

the various worlds

The mandir also
the subtle
represents
body with the
seven chakras or subtle
centres of consC1ousnessor
divine power. The garbha-
gruha represents the anhata
chakra (fourth chakra located
in the heart) and the tip of
Nigara style of mandir architecture the kalasha refers to the
sahasrra ohakra (situated at the top of the head).
The rishis of India prescribed specific rules for the
construction of a mandir, with each step having a meaning
and every component a function. Its shapes and sizes have
been so prescribed that they are in harmony with nature and

the universe.

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
The three dominant styles of mandir architecture in India

are determined by the shape of the shikharas or pinnacles.i

the shape of the shikbara is curvilinear, the mandir belongs to
the Nägara class, and if it is Pyramidal then to the Drvida
class. The third style, though not as prominent, is a mia

of both. It is called Vesara, which came to prevail mosty

in west Deccan Nagara style
and south Karnataka. The
64
wwwEB
 Sant
Mandir, Shastra and

Vesara style
Dravida style
Drävida
in North and West India, and the
predominates
India with its distinct gopurams-the
style is a feature of South
and elaborately carved towering structures that form
elegant
mandirs enshrine the murtis of
the entrance gates. Hindu
Rma, Krishna, Shiva, and their different
Bhagwan Vishnu,
consorts Lakshmi, Sit,
Rdh and
forms, along with their
Pärvati. There are also mandirs dedicated to goddesses
or

Shakti and other deities. Each mandir has its presiding deity
in the central shrine.
the
The last 1,500 of Indian history have witnessed
years
in-
golden age of mandir building. Kings and rich patrons
The Surya
Spired the construction of huge mandirs in India.
like
Katha Mandir of Kon rka (Orissa), ancient mandirs
the fa-
Kedaran tha and Badarinätha (both in Uttarakhand),
mous mandir of Lord Jaganntha in Jaganntha Puri (Orissa),

65
 Mandir, Shastra and Sant

of Kail sa in Ellor (Aurangabad, Maha

he rock mandir
parikram of Rämeshvaram (Tamil
rashtra), the stupendous
and impressive multi-storey gateways of the
Nadu), intricate
and Min kshi (Tamil Nadu), Tirupati
mandirs of Maduri
Somn tha and Dwärak (Gujarat),
Balaji (Andhra Pradesh),
and Swaminarayan
Akshardham in Gandhinagar (Gujarat)
and New Delhi - the latter one being the largest compre-
others in
hensive mandir built in modern times and many
-

India and abroad reflect the rich mandir tradition of India.

MANDIRS ABROAD

For many years Hindus have travelled throughout the

world and continued the Hindu tradition by building
mandirs. The Angkor Wat in Kampuchea (formerly
British
Cambodia) is one of the largest Hindu mandirs. The
took indentured Indian labourers to the West Indies,
countries.
Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, South Africa and other
Despite being thousands of miles away from their religious
centres and culture they constructed mandirs for worship
and thus the Hindu tradition to their children.
passed on

be able to speak their native

1Oday, though many may not

have remained Hindus

ndian languages fluently, they
mandrs and
mainly because of their worship practices in
ditferent
ODes, consisting of singing, dancing, performing
types of rituals and celebrating Hindu festivals.
67
 Hinduism: One God or Many 'Gods'?

Badarinãtha Mandir (900 CE) Kedãrantha Mandir (very ancient)

Jagannatha Mandir (1174 CE) Surya Ratha Mandir of Konárka (1300 CE)

Ramanätha Mandir, Rameshvaram (c. 1200 CE) Meenakshi Sundareshvara Mandir (1600 CE)

Venkateshvara Mandir, Tirupati (c. 300 CE) Somnatha Mandir (1951 CE)

Dwärakädhish Mandir (1600 CE) Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi (2005)

66
 Hinduism: One God or
Many Gods'?

Sthãnaka (standing): Murti of Asana (sitting): Murti of Bhagwan

Bhagwan Shiva, Haridwra Swaminarayan, Akshardham, Delhi

MURTIS
The murtis in mandirs belong to the three traditions of
Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shktism. They are either fixed
(achala), moveable (chala) or sometimes both moveable and
fixed (chalchala). The achala murti is usually made ofstone
and it remains fixed in the garbha-gruha. The chala is made of
five metals (panchadhtu: gold, silver, copper, lead and iron)
or other materials, and it is taken out in procession on festive

OCcasions, for bathing, ritualistic worship and sanctitication

of homes. The chalachala, which is moveable but fixed, s

worshipped in the garbha-gruha and taken out in a processiou

on special occasions, as in the case of Lord Jagannatna
Jaganntha Puri mandir once a year.
ka
The murtis are generally in one of three postures: sthan
68
 Mandir, Shastra and Sant

(reclining): Murti of Bhagwan Vishnu (Budha Nilkanth) sleeping on

Shayana
the great serpent Ananta, Kathmandu, Nepal

(standing), sana (sitting) and shayana (reclining). Only in

Vaishnavism one finds murtis in the shayana pose.

Among the mudras (position of hands and fingers) that

the murtis have, one finds them having the abbayamudr

(symbolizing protection) and the

varadamudr (granting
have sbankba
boons). The murtis in Vaishnava mandirs
(conch), chakra, (divine disc), gad (mace) and padma (lotus)
in their hands and the Shaiva and Sh kta murtis have damaru
bäna
(drum), irishula (trident), pasha (noose), ankusha (goad),
(arrow) and khadaga (sword).

WORSHIP IN MANDIRS
Many Hindus, after their daily bath and prayer at home,
regularly visit a mandir for darshan and satsang. The mandir
69
 Hinduism: One God or
Many 'Gods'?

Devotees revere deities by

offering namaskar, prayer and prostration
darshan visit begins by
removing one's shoes before entering
the worship area of the mandir. One is
also expected to leave
one's worldly thoughts there. Since the mandir
is holy place a
where all come for spiritual elevation everyone is expected
to dress modestly.
On reaching the main worship area devotees touch the
floor with their
fingers, out of humility and respect, and then
place them on their head and heart to feel blessed. Thereafter
the devotee goes towards the
main shrines for darshan of
the deities. Generally, he or she first makes the customary
offering of fruits or flowers before the deities. The deities
are
generally adorned in attractiveclothes, ornaments and
garlands. During rati, the pujari waves lighted wicks before
the deity while the congregation sings a prayer in praise
of God. Thereafter the lighted wicks are carried in a
tray
70
 Mandir, Shastra and Sant

devotees
who pass their
to
over it and then
hands
touch them
on their head,
heart to sanctify
eyes and
in
themselves. The ratis
mandirs are a five-timne
many

or two-time daily ritual from

to evening.
early morning
Vaishnava mandirs are

open for darshan Afemale devotee offers panchnga

generally pranama to a deity
from 6.00 a.m. till noon and
remain
4.00 p.m. till 8.30 p.m. Shaiva mandirs generally
for darshan throughout the day. After darshan one
open
mandirs the pujari
offers prostrations to the deities. In most
or his assistant gives holy water (charanmruta or
a little

palm. Drinking it and running one's

tirtbodaka) in one's right
sacredness to the entire
right hand on one's head transfers its
mark one's
body. Sometimes thepujari or his attendant will
that has been
forehead with kumkum, chandana or holy ash
blessings.
already offered todeity, as a mark of divine
the
either in the form of fruit,
rinally, the pujari may give prasäda
the deities. Then the
flower or food that has been offered to
mark
aevotee (pradakshin) as a
circumambulates the deities
a central
role in
OT
respect and to consolidate that God plays
to morning
i s or her life. In some mandirs devotees listen
71
wwwww
 Hinduism: One God or Many Gods'?

Children worshipping in their home mandir

evening spiritual discourses. Throughout the year, festivals

are celebrated on holy days with devotion and joy. Thousands
come to have darshan and pray to the deities.
Devout Hindus also have small mandirs in their homes
to conduct daily worship and arati. This enables them to
remain connected to God and imbued with mental peace
and spiritual joy.