Delving deep into history, architecture of temples

Lecture sessions organised by National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures open to all

Attention to detail: Members of a group measuring the dimensions of the Ekambareshwarar temple in Kancheepuram.

Do you know what a vimana in a temple is; or what its dimensions are? Most of us, when we go to places of historical or architectural interest only look at the sculptures and probably take in a bit of history about the place. But there are small groups of amateurs that are now going beyond just the top layer and delving deep into the subject.

For instance, at least once a month, a group of about 30 people listen to lectures on Dravidian temple architecture and construction techniques by Kumaragurubaran Sthapathi, a traditional architect and temple builder.

The sessions are organised by the National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures (NCSHS) at the Department of Civil Engineering of the IIT-Madras and are open to all.

Shanmuga Prasad, an assistant professor from an architecture school at Bengaluru, who hails from a family of

sthapathis , and regularly attends the sessions said it was amazing to know about the hidden theories using which such gigantic structures were built with minimum interventions to the natural landscape.

Field trips

“This will also help me pursue my research on temple planning,” he added. The sessions will go on for over a year, said Arun Menon, faculty member, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-M, who is one of the organisers of the lectures. “We are engaged in structural conservation of historical structures and we found our curriculum does not address the traditional systems on which temples are conceived, designed and constructed,” he said. The group goes on field trips, takes measurements of various structures in temples for a hands-on experience.

Vallabha Srinivasan, who along with Rangarathnam Gopu of Tamil Heritage Trust that conducts regular talks on heritage and one-day programmes like ‘How to see a Temple,’ said the course gave them an opportunity to learn about Dravidian architecture in detail.

‘Science, math involved’

“For us, a temple is much more than a religious place. It is rich in art, architecture, civil engineering, iconography, epigraphy and history. There is so much science and mathematics involved in their creation, from soil testing to choosing the right type of stone,” she said.

Author and temple expert Pradeep Chakravarthy, who runs a heritage tour company, said usually tour participants would usually ask questions about who built a certain temple, from where the stones were brought for construction and details of the architecture.

“I want people to look beyond such questions. I talk to them about the temple’s relationship with residents living around it, the role of the priest, the system created to ensure that grants are continued for ages, why there are rituals, what games are found on temple floors and so on,” he said.

The sthapathi ’s talks are available on YouTube and would be published in book form after the series.

And a vimana indicates the spot where the sanctum sanctorum is located and where the power of the deity is concentrated. The layout of a temple is linked to the different parts of human body. Like the body where the spirit lives, in the temple too there is said to be a holy spirit in the garbagraha , Mr. Menon added.