Hindu Art and Architecture

      Hindu Art and Architecture 

Hindu religion and art are infused with a deep respect for sexuality, evident even in the architecture (see Chapter 7). The Kandarya Mahadeva Temple (Fig. 11.8) at Khajuraho,
the capital of the Chandella dynasty, represents the epitome of northern Indian Hindu architecture. Its rising towers are meant to suggest the peaks of the Himalayas, home of the Hindu gods, and this analogy would have been even clearer when the temple was painted in its original white gesso. The plan (Fig. 11.9) is a double cross, with arms extending north and south from the east–west axis. At the first crossing is the mandapa, the columned assembly hall. At the second crossing is the garbhagriha, or “womb chamber,” the symbolic sacred cavern at the heart of the sacred mountain/temple. Here rests the cult image of the Brahman, in this case the lingam, or symbol of male sexuality, of Shiva, the first, or formless emanation of the Brahman. (The Brahman is the creator and the universal soul; see Chapter 7.) Although it is actually almost completely dark, the garbhagriha is considered by Hindu worshipers to be filled with the pure light of the Brahman. The towers of the temple rise from east to west, as if gathering around the central tower, known as the sikhara, that rises to a height of over 100 feet above the garbhagriha. As the height increases, the temple seems to gather the energy of the Hindu religion to a single rising point, soaring with the spirit of the worshiper.