Dashavatara Temple
The Dashavatara Temple (also called Gupta Temple ), which was probably built around 500 AD and is comparatively well preserved , is one of the earliest free-standing temples in India .
location
The temple is located near the village of Deogarh (Hindi: देओगढ़) in the Lalitpur district of what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh (northern India). From the city of Lalitpur , about 32 km southwest of the small town, which is located above a rock-lined bend of the river Betwa and was formerly an important pilgrimage site for Jainas and Hindus , can be reached by bus or taxi.
Consecration
The name Dashavatara (from daśa ten and avatāra incarnation ) refers to the ten avatars of the god Vishnu , to whom this temple is dedicated. In the sanctum ( garbhagriha "mother's womb chamber") there is no longer a cult image of the venerated God, but the sacred building can be clearly identified as a Vishnu temple, especially on the basis of the exterior wall reliefs.
architecture
The temple, made of red sandstone, stands in the middle of a square 16.90 m wide platform ( jagati ), which is accessible on all four sides via wide stairs in front of the terrace and secured by side walls. From the temple itself only the square cella ( garbhagriha ), which is not exposed through Jali windows, is preserved. It is open to the west and around 5.60 m wide on the outside, but only around 3.10 m on the inside; the wall thickness of the temple building is therefore about 1.25 m. There are window-like niches with figural reliefs on three outer sides of the cella. From the barely preserved tower structure, only the core of partly uncut natural stone protrudes approx. 3.50 m high. In front of the four corners of the platform there were once four approximately 3.30 m wide square side shrines, of which only the foundation walls have been preserved.
Architecturally, this temple is of great importance. It is not only one of the first examples of an ideal structure of a north Indian temple, consisting of a main temple and four side shrines ( panchayatana ), but is also one of the first temple buildings to have a tower structure characteristic of the later Indian Nagara style . The vertical tripartite division of the temple sides is also unknown in earlier Indian stone temples - the existence of wooden models is likely, however.
reconstruction
Due to the ruinous condition of the temple roof, it is difficult to reconstruct the roof structure (pyramid or tower) exactly - the steepness of the proportions, however, indicates the early form of a Shikhara tower rather than a pyramid roof. Originally, the sanctum was probably surrounded by a covered corridor resting on wooden supports, which, like the temple itself, was divided into three parts on all sides by a projecting middle section. The process of transformation itself is no longer preserved; its presence explains the size of the terrace, which would otherwise be oversized.
In front of the relief fields in the outer wall, there were probably porches supported by square columns. A similar construction for the small entrance portico is conceivable at the entrance to the temple; this was supported by the two round pillars found on the terrace.
Building decor
The decor of the temple can essentially be divided into two parts: on the one hand there is the west side with the door portal richly decorated with ornamental bands and smaller reliefs, on the other hand the three other sides, each with a large window relief.
Door portal
The entrance to the main shrine is 2.10 m high and approx. 1 m wide and was always open - wooden doors were unknown in Indian temples. The frame has the T-shape typical of early Indian temples, which is based on older wooden structures, and consists of four ornamental bands, each with a figure at the bottom. Viewed from the inside out, there is a larger male figure with a nimbus behind the head on both sides, followed by two smaller female companions. On the outer sides there is a small , pot -bellied heavenly being, a gana , who holds up a decorated pot with both hands.
The bands are described below from the outside in:
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Volume 1
A thick band protrudes from the pot of the gana , on which an artistic vine with fruits is depicted. At about the height of the lintel, this band expands - following the T-shape - by about 25 cm outwards, in order to conceal the standing river goddesses ganga (right) and yamuna (left) in these upper corners . Both are protected by an umbrella or raised and depicted standing on their Vahanas crocodile ( makara ) and turtle ( kurma ).
Volume 2
On the three visible sides of the next inner, strongly protruding, pilaster-like band, two different temple facades are shown one above the other. Further up, the pilasters are tapered into a half-octagon decorated with floral motifs and then into a halved sixteenth- corner. They are crowned by an ornate capital. The upper area of the lintel is decorated with window motifs ( chandrasalas ), which rest on a toothed frieze - it has an overall architectural character. Above that is a frieze on which dwarfs and lions' heads are depicted alternately with window-shaped panels.
Volume 3
The next volume consists alternately of three small and three large panels: on the small ones there are pairs of dwarfs, on the large pairs of lovers ( mithunas ) in different positions. In the upper corners there is a face with a disastrous function. In addition, a number of figures are shown in knee flight, looking from both sides in adoration of the central figure, Vishnu. In the middle of this third volume, i.e. exactly above the entrance, there is a highlighted relief on which a four-armed Vishnu is depicted sitting on the world serpent shesha or ananta . In his back hands he holds two of his attributes on each side: a wheel on the right, a conch shell on the left. While the front right hand forms the abhayamudra , the gesture inviting fearlessness, the left hand rests on his thigh. The goddess Lakshmi touches his drooping foot. Vishnu himself flanks this main group in his anthropomorphic lion manifestation Narasimha in a worshipful posture and in a figure that possibly represents Vamana , the diminutive manifestation of God.
Volume 4
The innermost band above the male figures is divided into two parts: the outer part is framed by a fine border decorated with a rosette motif; in the inner part of the band a vine is depicted, which protrudes from the navel of a gana . Small, naked figures appear between the tendrils.
Wall niches
On the north, east and south sides of the temple there are centrally placed framed niches in the form of windows of approx. 1.50 m × 1.20 m in size, which contain surprisingly well-preserved reliefs and are bordered by richly decorated pillars. The almost free plastic representation of the figures is of such extraordinary technical perfection and artistic expressiveness that one has to assume that they were created by the same artist - around 1500 years ago.
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North side
The wall niche on the north side shows a relief with the episode of the rescue of the elephant ( gajendra -moksha ) by Vishnu. In the scene shown, an elephant - in Hindu iconography often depicted as the bearer of temples and thus understood as the bearer of the cosmic-religious order (sometimes also as a symbol of the human soul) - stands in a lotus pond, its legs entwined by the Snake tails of a Naga and a Nagi.
His salvation - and with it the preservation of the cosmic order - comes in the form of the god Vishnu. He sits with his head tilted slightly to one side and one of his formerly four hands resting casually on his left knee, on the sun eagle Garuda , his vahana , which is usually depicted as a bird man , and which stands in ancient hostility to snakes. Vishnu wears a pot crown and holds his typical attributes in his hands: a club ( gada ) and a conch shell ( shankha ) are still preserved; the discus ( chakra ) that has already been thrown is in the breast of the serpent king. The anthropomorphically depicted pair of snakes asks for forgiveness - their hands folded in a worshiping position - while the elephant with its trunk holds up a bouquet of lotus flowers ( padma ) - his fourth attribute - to the god .
Above the panel, in a separate panel, “Heavenly Couples” ( mithunas ) hold a somewhat oversized crown directly over the head of Vishnu, kneeling.
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East side
The niche on the east side shows the rarely shown double incarnation of Vishnu in the form of two ascetics: Nara-Narayana . Both sit - in a relaxed posture with one leg bent and one leg hanging down - on rocks under trees, with deer and lions at their feet. They hold a prayer chain and, as a sign of asceticism, wear an antelope skin over their left shoulder and a light robe with a hip belt. In contrast to Nara, Narayana is shown with four arms. He holds his lower right hand in front of his chest in the argument gesture ( vitarkamudra ). In his lower left hand he holds a long-necked bottle; the attribute in his upper left hand is not clearly visible. As an ascetic, Vishnu / Narayana does not wear the usual crown of pots, instead his braided hair - which also hangs down over the shoulders - is pinned up to a crown of hair. Behind everyone is a bearded figure. Above them, “Heavenly Couples” can be seen kneeling, and in the center there is a small flying female figure, interpreted as the nymph Urvashi .
As on the north side, there is also a separate board above the scene. It shows the four-headed Brahma in the center, accompanied by a flying couple on each side.
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South
side One of the most popular motifs of Vishnu iconography can be seen on the south side, which is also closely linked to a Hindu creation myth: In a completely relaxed position and with his head in the hand of one of his four arms, the meditating or dreaming god Vishnu lies on top the cosmic serpent Ananta ("Infinity") or Shesha ("Abiding", "Eternal"), whose wound body acts like a row of pillows and whose seven heads form a protective hood over his head that keeps away all harm. His wife Lakshmi sits at his feet and caresses or massages his right leg. Behind her are two figures, possibly the goddess Bhudevi ("goddess who is the earth") and Garuda. The four-armed Vishnu wears an elaborate cylinder-shaped crown and is richly decorated.
In the upper part of the panel, the four-headed Brahma sits in the center of a blooming lotus and wears an antelope skin over his left shoulder. On his right he is flanked by Indra on the elephant as vahana and by Karttikeya on the peacock; to his left are other gods or heavenly beings.
Below the main scene is a separate illustration of six characters. On the far left are the two Asuras (demons) Madhu and Kaitabha; the other four figures are often interpreted as the personified weapons of Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi.
meaning
The Dashavatara Temple is of outstanding art-historical importance, as the excellently crafted and well-preserved reliefs and the portal decorations represent the most important works of the late Gupta style ; some subjects are shown here for the first time in Indian art in a stone relief - possible wooden models have not been preserved. In addition, its construction is groundbreaking for the developing Nagara style of north Indian temple architecture.
See also
literature
- Klaus Imig: Research on the Gupta Temple in Deogarh. In: Artibus Asiae , Vol. 63 (2003), Issue 1, pp. 35-68, ISSN 0004-3648 .
- Madho Sarup Vats: The Gupta Temple at Deogarh. In: Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India , Vol. 70 (1952).
- Joanna Gottfried Williams: The Art of Gupta India. Empire and Province . University Press, Princeton 1982, ISBN 0-691-03988-7 .
- James Coffin Harle: Gupta Sculpture. Indian Sculpture of the Fourth to the Sixth Centuries AD Clarendon, Oxford 1974, ISBN 0-19-817322-9 .
- Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism. DuMont, Cologne 1986 pp. 65ff., ISBN 3-7701-1347-0 .
- Michael W. Meister u. a. (Ed.): Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Vol. 2: North India - Foundations of North Indian Style. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1988; Pp. 48ff., ISBN 0-691-04053-2 .
- George Michell: The Hindu Temple. Architecture of a world religion. DuMont, Cologne 1991, p. 122f., ISBN 3-7701-2770-6 .
- Alexander Lubotsky: The Iconography of the Viṣṇu temple at Deogarh and the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa. In: Ars Orientalis , Vol. 26 (1996), pp. 65-80, ISSN 0571-1371 .
Web links
- American Institute of Indian Studies Image database of the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture (at location: enter Lalitpur) - approx. 680 SW photos of the temples there
Coordinates: 24 ° 31 ′ 37 ″ N , 78 ° 14 ′ 24 ″ E