What is a Hindu Temple?

The popular textbook definition of a Temple reads – ‘house of God for the Hindus or a religious monument of the Hindus. This definition, however, does not capture all the dimensions of a Hindu temple, let alone the layers of meanings revealed by the native Indian language term for a Temple – Devālaya. This is because of the simple fact that for the native Indians who belong to the sanātana-saṃskṛti, temple or the ‘residence of the divine’ is not just a physical structure built by the human, but the entire creation is Divine. The Creator and the Creation are not different from each other. Upaniṣadic statements such as 'īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvam' and the etymology of the names of our deities such as 'Viṣṇu' (vyāpnoti iti viṣṇuḥ) capture this principle. Thus, the entire universe is enveloped by Divinity and each of its aspects are defined by the Divinity. There is nothing that is not divine for the Hindu mind. It is only in this culture (barring the other pagan cultures which are found in pockets in different parts of the world), that every object is worshipped and anything can be conceived as a Temple. We have seen the worship of forests, trees, hills, rivers, lakes, rain, clouds, thunder, animals, books, computers, smartphones, vehicles, knives, food and footwear in different rituals associated with the sanātana-dharma. If a new device or an instrument comes out as an invention, that too is included by the Hindu mind into the divine fold – in other words, anything that is created by the human is, after all, a part of the bigger framework or rather the infinite framework of the divine.

Thus, in sum, the Hindu Temple, is not merely physical structure that ‘houses’ God or is solely ‘religious’ in its purpose. The entire creation that includes the human too, is divine (deho devālayaḥ proktaḥ) for the Indian mind.

Etymology of the word Devālaya

The Sanskrit word for temple is devālaya and can be split as

devālayaḥ =  deva + ālayaḥ => divu +ā + līṅ (root-word)

The root ‘divu’ has the following meanings - krīḍā (playfulness), vijigīṣā (desire to win), vyavahāra (activity), dyuti (brilliance), stuti (adulation) moda (enjoyment) svapna (dream/ imaginative state),  kānti (radiance) gati (dynamism, knowledge). līṅ has the meaning dravīkaraṇe (to dissolve), śleṣaṇe (to embrace). The syllable ‘ā’ refers to ‘āsamantāt’ (from all dimensions) and ālayaḥ, therefore takes the meaning āsamantāt layaḥ ālayaḥ (dissolution or embrace from all dimensions).

Thus, in sum, the devālaya refers to the process in which we lose ourselves and undergo wholesome dissolution, when we are in association with a sport or an activity, or attain self-forgetfulness, when we are in the contemplation of brilliance or involved in the pursuit of knowledge. It is also a place or the process by which we transcend the material realm and enter the divine arena by passing through a dreamlike and imaginative realm. It is only when we are intensely involved in an enriching activity that the dissolution of the material world and of our own physical attributes happens. Any place, process or object which does this is the devālaya.

Seen from another perspective, the physical structure that we popularly identify as a ‘Hindu temple’ in the colloquial sense, or a sanātana-devālaya is an amalgamation of all these qualities and is a medium to elevate us from the material to the spiritual.

The Psychology behind Worship

Man is primarily an emotional being, and temples embody the fundamental human emotion of awe and fear. It is but natural that man associated divinity with objects, places and phenomena that he found out of ordinary, and from those which induced great wonder and amazement in him. Things and ideas that humbled him and objects that awe-inspired him were worshipped by him. It is but natural that just as the modern man is awestruck by the entire creation which retains its dynamic equilibrium amidst all the opposing forces, the ancient man was also mesmerised, trying to understand the nature of time and space which were beyond his comprehension. There, he visualised forces beyond his thought and conception, which would be at work in enabling the world function as it does.

The roots of the physical and structural temples can be traced to the vedic yajña-śālās on one hand and on the other, to the specific elements of nature that would have induced curiosity and amazement in man, and something which goes beyond his limited intellect. For instance, a rugged peak – a shape that he cannot conceive to create on his own and a height that he cannot scale – become objects of worship and devotion. Similarly, the natural phenomenon of mighty rivers meeting at a point – a saṅgama – and the merging of one river into another becomes a fluid medium that he worships. The places of origins of rivers – glaciers and the place where a river meets the sea are places where he conceives a temple or as an extraordinary place on earth. A strange looking meteor or a crystal hitherto unseen becomes object of worship. In sum, the elements of nature that have induced vismaya in man have, with time, become objects that he holds in high regard and reverence. Vismaya is one of the fundamental emotions and his frequent association with them engenders an intense form of love. He cultivates the feeling of devotion to such objects and places.

Worship is largely an expression of gratitude to natural phenomena that have greatly helped in nurturing man’s life and also of forwarding requests to the nature’s deities to continue taking care of him in the future. Man cannot exist independently of the nature and each of its elements are necessary for his survival. This is yet another reason for the divinity associated with nature’s elements. These have led to the conception of tīrtha-kṣetras on land and in waters.

While vismaya is one aspect that would have led to the construction of temples at different sites, bhaya, i.e., fear (of the unknown) is another emotion that would have contributed towards conceiving monuments which are held in high reverence by man. Ancient man, after burying his dead ancestors created a mound on the place to denote the place where they lay in rest. He would pray for their smooth passage in their after-life journey and would also request them to aid him in his current life, as they did when they were alive in flesh and blood. He is also scared that if he does not perform certain kind of rituals, the dead ancestors might not have a smooth journey after-life and also fears that they might adversely affect his own life. The burial grounds are places where his dearest ones are housed after their passing away and he would like to express his love, gratitude and reverence to them from time to time.

Many monuments that we find across the country come under the category of memory mounds dedicated to ancestors. Stūpa, which in its shape resembles a mound of earth in a hemispherical fashion is one such monument. The multitudes of the Buddhist stūpas that we see all around greater India are, in essence, are  places where a deceased saint is revered and his relic (dhātu) is housed. Similarly, India is full of samādhis of saints belonging to different traditions.

Thus, the origin of structural temples is rooted in the emotions of vismaya, bhaya and bhakti that man has always had about different aspects of nature.

References:

 

Works of Stella Kramrisch, SK Ramachandra Rao, MA Dhaky and Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh

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