Kalika Mata Temple
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The Kalika Mata Temple is a Hindu temple in the fort of Chittorgarh , Rajasthan . The open construction of the temple, determined by pillars and no longer by walls, as well as the standardization of the floor plans of the sanctuary area ( garbhagriha ) and vestibule ( mandapa ) were of great importance for the further development of the north Indian temple construction.
location
The temple is located in the southern area of the fortress hill ( forts ) of Chittorgarh, richly endowed with architectural sights , which - located on the approx. 550 m high and an area of approx. 3 km² occupying castle hill - dominates the city.
history
No written evidence (building inscriptions, documents, etc.) is available for the history of the Kalika Mata Temple. According to the current state of research, however, it is at the beginning of a development that was followed by other temple buildings in Rajasthan and which - via further intermediate stages (e.g. Maladevi temple in Gyaraspur ) - has radiated to Khajuraho (e.g. Lakshmana temple and Kandariya Mahadeva Temple ). A dating of the temple around or shortly before 700 is believed to be likely. In the 16th century, d. H. After the successful siege and conquest of Chittorgarh by the Mughal ruler Akbar I and his troops - also consisting of Rajput warriors - he was subsequently given a rather simple Shikhara tower above the sanctum and two flat and bulging domes with clear Islamic features above the porch and portico.
Consecration
The Kalika Mata Temple was originally dedicated to the sun god Surya , as indicated by some sculptures in the outer wall niches and above the portal to the cella ( garbhagriha ); probably in the 15th or 16th century it was dedicated to a temple of the goddess Badhrakali , a locally revered aspect of the goddess Kali .
architecture
The temple essentially consists of two components: a sanctuary area with an internal cella and covered walkway ( pradakshinapatha ) as well as a vestibule ( mandapa ) of about the same size in terms of appearance and area with a portico ( antarala ) in front of which a staircase leads. The outer temple floor plan can be mirrored both over the longitudinal axis and in the central transverse axis, which was previously not possible in any Indian temple building consisting of several components. A hierarchy of the components can therefore no longer be recognized in the floor plan and is only visible on the outside in the roof structure.
Exterior construction
The temple is oriented to the east - in the direction of sunrise - and stands on an approximately 1.50 m high and multi-tiered base zone, which is surrounded by a walk-around platform ( jagati ). The external dimensions of the temple are about 13.50 m (width) × 22 m (length) without the staircase. The roof of the temple is essentially supported by pillars and no longer by external walls; As a result of this - completely new - plan idea, both the vestibule and the access around the cella could be opened to the outside through balcony-like porches ( jarokas ) with vertical parapets. In the later temples of Gyaraspur and Khajuraho, these parapets are bevelled outwards and adorned with turned stone pillars.
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inner space
A staircase and a small portico area ( antarala ) lead to the large vestibule supported by 12 mighty relief pillars. Another 4 pillars stand directly in front of the actual - elevated - cella, which forms its own, all-round closed structure within the temple. The outer dimensions of the cella are around 7.30 m, but the inside is only around 3 m square; its outer walls are multi-tiered, while the inside is completely unstructured. Around the cella there is a pradakshinapatha supported by the remains of the outer walls, 6 balcony pillars and 6 inner pillars , which enables believers and pilgrims to ritually walk around the actual sanctuary.
Architectural jewelry
The outer facade includes several niches with preserved Surya images and the gods or guardians of the cardinal points ( lokapalas or dikpalas ). Above the large window niches in the exterior are panels ( udgamas ), which are composed of small window niches ( chandrasalas ) arranged one above the other and can be found on many temple buildings in northern India.
The outer walls and the multiple recessed portal walls of the cella are richly decorated with figures and ornaments. In a prominent place - in a tympanum-like field above the portal, which is supposed to represent the vault of heaven - Surya can be seen on his sun chariot pulled by six horses - an important clue regarding the original attribution of the temple.
One of the earliest unequivocally sexual representations in Indian temples can be seen on one of the many mighty pillars with a rather relief-like and less plastic building decoration that support the roof.
meaning
The Kalika Mata Temple has a largely axially symmetrical and open design that has been imitated several times in Rajasthan; however, most of these subsequent buildings are poorly preserved or have been destroyed down to the foundations. Due to the outward-opening balconies, the temple, which is almost entirely supported by mighty pillars and hardly any external walls - compared to earlier buildings - appears comparatively airy and weightless. In the north of India it is one of the earliest (preserved) Hindu temples with a cella as an independent structure inside the temple and an interior gallery ( pradakshinapatha ).
In an enlarged and slightly modified form, a similar building concept can also be found at the Lakshmana Temple (approx. 950) and its successors in the temple district of Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh). Without the building ideas first realized at the Kalika Mata Temple, the light and airy temple buildings of the Jainas in Mount Abu and Ranakpur would be difficult to imagine.
Sculptural decorations and architectural decorations of the temple in the form of bas-reliefs, on the other hand, are more closely related to tradition, even though one of the earliest (surviving) erotic-sexual representations on Indian temples foreshadows the future.
Surroundings
Only about 200 m from the Kalika Mata Temple is the Kumbha Syama Temple (approx. 710) with an almost identical but slightly smaller floor plan (approx. 12.50 m × approx. 21.50 m) and also powerful Pillars, which, however, show a somewhat more mature building decor, which makes a slightly later dating likely. The Kumbha Syama Temple also received new roof structures and a beautiful arch ( torana ) over the entrance to the portico ( antarala ) in the 15th century .
See also
literature
- Michael W. Meister, MA Dhaky (Ed.): Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture. North India - Period of Early Maturity. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1991, ISBN 0-691-04094-X , pp. 285ff.
Web links
- Siege of Chittorgarh Wikipedia
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 24 ° 52 ′ 52 ″ N , 74 ° 38 ′ 39 ″ E