Shikhara
As Shikhara ( Sanskrit : शिखर Sikhara; = German, mountain top 'or' peak ') is religion across a high towering, slightly curved temple tower in Northern India , respectively. In the 20th century, however, the name was transferred to almost all dominant tower shapes on temples.
Etymology and symbolism
Shikhara literally means 'peak' or 'mountain peak'. This is due to the fact that the temples were understood as the world mountain called Meru in India or as an image of the Himalayas , the seat of the Indian gods. Shikhara and Garbhagriha also form a striking vertical line, which was understood as a cosmic axis or as a world axis ( axis mundi ).
other names
In Odisha and West Bengal , the almost vertically rising temple towers are called rekha-deul . The temple towers of South India ending in a 'umbrella dome' or in a transverse structure are usually called vimana ; the gate towers, which are often steep and towering, are called gopurams . The prangs of the Thai temples influenced by the Hindu architecture of India are also worth mentioning here.
function
Shikharas serve - in addition to their function as a roof - the symbolic 'elevation' of the temple, more precisely the sanctum ( garbhagriha ). In addition, in many cases they also form a landmark that can be seen from afar; It is probably not without reason that the temples with the highest Shikhara towers ( Bhubaneswar , Khajuraho, etc.) stand in open, flat terrain.
architecture
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The soaring, slightly convexly curved temple towers of northern India look like bamboo, straw or branch structures tied together at the top, of which, however, nothing has been preserved and whose function can only be speculated. The stone Shikharas are - for the most part hollow inside - corbel constructions, which, however, are never open to the cella ( garbhagriha ) of the temple; their vertical structure mostly follows the outer wall structure of the temple building.
The highest Shikharas are usually accompanied by small turrets ( urushringas ), which imitate the main tower in a reduced form, but also stabilize it at the same time. At the top, the north Indian temple towers regularly end with one or more fluted, cushion or pumpkin-shaped ring stones ( amalakas ), on which (if preserved) a jug-like or vase-like tip ( kalasha ) sits.
Were the first freestanding temples in India still without a tower structures (. See Tigawa , Kunda , Talagunda .. And Others), then pre- and early forms of Shikhara towers find - but without tip - in Aihole (. 6/7 century) and Naresar ( 7th century). The temple of Mahakuta (7th century) is one of the oldest buildings with a complete Shikhara tower . A further development takes place above all in the Pratihara temples of the 8th century. The Shikharas experience their climax in the enormously high temples of the 10th to 12th centuries in Khajuraho and Bhubaneswar .
Quote
“In the superstructure of a Hindu temple, possibly its most characteristic feature of all, the equation of temple and mountain is evident; the superstructure itself is referred to as the 'mountaintop' or 'summit' ( shikhara ). The curved contours of some temple structures and their staggered arrangement owe much to the desire to suggest the visual effect of a mountain peak. "
See also
literature
- George Michell: The Hindu Temple. Architecture of a world religion. DuMont, Cologne 1990, ISBN 3-7701-2770-6 , p. 86.
- Andreas Volwahsen, Henri Stierlin (Ed.): India. Architecture of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Taschen-Verlag Köln undated , ISBN 3-8228-9532-6 , pp. 144ff.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Andreas Volwahsen, Henri Stierlin (ed.): India. Architecture of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Taschen-Verlag Köln undated, pp. 144f ISBN 3-8228-9532-6
- ↑ George Michell: The Hindu Temple. Architecture of a world religion. DuMont, Cologne 1990, p. 86 ISBN 3-7701-2770-6