Kalasha (architecture)
A stone jar or vase-shaped attachment on a Hindu temple of the north Indian Nagara style is called Kalasha . Later, in some cases, the roofs of palace buildings or Muslim dome tombs were raised with such attachments; in the latter, a ribbed amalaka ring stone often appears .
origin
The architectural or decorative element probably goes back to sacrificial jugs of the same name, which are still used in India for religious ceremonies in the home and for temple visits. These jugs can be made of fired clay, brass, copper but also of nobler metals such as silver and gold.
symbolism
Already in the Vedas , the immortality potion amrita ( Sanskrit : अमृत, amṛta = immortality; see also Ambrosia ) stored in a jug is equated with the god potion Soma . Its enjoyment gives wisdom, abundance and immortality . Some Hindu deities ( Brahma , Annapurna ) sometimes hold such a jar in their hands; to the ancient but still common representation of gajalakshmi dousing heard from Kalasha -Krügen essential to do so.
A jug filled with drinks (water, milk, coconut milk) or fruits (coconut, mango, etc.) is known in India as Purna-Kalasha (पूर्णकलश), Purna-Kumbha (पूर्णकुम्भ) or Purna-ghata (पूर्णघट) and is considered by many Indians to this day as a symbol of abundance and abundance and thus as a symbol for fertility, vitality and health par excellence. At many domestic celebrations (birth, wedding, housewarming) such a jug is set up and decorated; the guests, too, often appear with a Kalash jug in their hands.
A more refined interpretation equates the jug and the motifs associated with it with the five elements: base = earth ( prithivi ); Belly = water ( ap ); Edge = fire ( agni ); open mouth = air, breath ( vayu ); Foliage = ether ( akasha ).
presentation
Vase and jug motifs belong to the 'eight signs of good luck' ( ashtamangalas ) of the ancient Indian religions; they can also be found in the numerous Gajalakshmi representations. Jugs with leaking leaves (so-called leaf jug motifs) play an important role in the decor of the early North Indian temple architecture (cf. Gupta Temple or Chausath Yogini Temple of Mitaoli); here they are preferably found on pillars or portal frames. Since the 8th century they have been given an elevated position as the upper end of Shikhara towers - together with the amalakas but without leaves . They are often gold-plated in newer temple buildings.
Mausoleums and palaces
Perhaps the Kalasha vase as a symbol of immortality is the reason that this decorative element - also combined with amalakas - has also appeared on some Islamic mausoleums in the area of the Sultanate of Delhi since the 14th century ; In 16th century buildings of the Mughal era, rows of kalashas are often found as interior arches; In later buildings, however, they no longer play a role.
By far the largest number of gilded kalashas can be found on the countless small Bengali roofs of the 'Palace of the Winds' ( Hawa Mahal ) in Jaipur ( Rajasthan ).
Kalasha and Jamur
So far not investigated, but also not unlikely, is an aesthetic-symbolic relationship between the Kalash tips of Indian temples and the so-called 'ball stick' ( jamur ) on Indo-Islamic mosque and mausoleum domes.
literature
- Stella Kramrich: The Hindu Temple. Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 2007, ISBN 978-81-208-0222-3 , vol. 2, p. 348 ff.
- George Michell: The Hindu Temple. Types and meaning. DuMont, Cologne 1979, ISBN 3-7701-1096-X .
