INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL

INFLUENCES
First Wave
Hindu Kingdoms
100 BC - 1400 AD

• The search for

Suvarnabhumi – the
land of Gold
• arrived
in Kedah sometime
around 100 BC.
• ever-growing stream of
Indian traders arrived in
search of gold,
aromatic wood, and
spices.
• Hinduism and Buddhism
swept through the land,
bringing temples and
Indian cultural traditions.
 Candi Bukit Batu Pahat of Bujang Valley. A Hindu-
Buddhist kingdom ruled ancient Kedah possibly as
early as 110 A.D, the earliest evidence of strong
Indian influence which was once prevalent
among the pre-Islamic Kedahan Malays.
Second Wave
Chitty / Peranakan Indian
• Tamil traders from Panai in Tamil Nadu settled
down in Malacca during the sovereignty of
the Sultanate of Malacca.

• Like the Peranakan Chinese, they later settled

down and freely intermingled with the local Malays
and Chinese settlers.

• Their culture and customs are an adoption of local

customs.
Traditional Chitty Wedding Ceremony
Religions

• The Chitty are a

tightly knit community
of Saivite Hindus.

• Gods such
as Ganesh and Shiva
are worshipped in full
gaiety.

• Hints of Taoist and

Islamic influences are
also evident in their
religious rituals.
Architecture

• Simplification of Tamil architecture among the Chitty is also present.

• Distinct from the Tamil, who have a complex Dravidian Temple Architecture in the Pallava style,
that displays beautifully carved out sculptures of the Hindu gods in many rows, the Chitty temple
tend to only have one row of these, or a picture of one single god in each of the three rows.
 Typical
Hindu
Temple in
Malaysia
Sri Poyatha temple,
Malacca
Sri Poyatha temple, Malacca

• The temple was built by Thavinayagar Chitty, the

leader of the Chitty people, in 1781 after the Dutch
colonial government of Malacca gave him a plot of
land.
Sri Poyatha temple,
Malacca

• The temple is
dedicated
to Vinayagar or
Ganesha, the
elephant deity.
Third Wave
Large scale migration

• During the British

‘open door’ policy
• consisted of traders,
policemen,
plantation labourers
and colonial soldiers
as well as some to
work in the British
colonial
government
The Communities from India
• The Indian community in Malaysia can be
made out of Tamils, Malayalees, Telegu-
speaking people, Punjabis, Gujeratis, Sindhis and
Sri Lankan (Ceylonese).
Hindu Temple
 Temple roots
• Temple building in Malaysia began with the settlement of a few Hindu Indian
traders in Melaka in the 15th century, but it was not until the British colonialism
that the process of temple building accelerated.

• Due to the migration of South Indians to rubber plantations in Malaysia, by

far the largest of Hindu temples and shrines, are still to be found in plantations
and urban enclaves.

• These temples mostly comprised tin-roofed sheds, which were subsequently

enlarged or renovated.

• The images venerated in these temples were usually ordered speically from
India.
Design

• the underlying principle in

a Hindu temple is built
around the belief that all
things are one, everything
is connected.

• The pilgrim is welcomed

through mathematically
structured spaces, a
network of art, pillars with
carvings and statues that
display and celebrate the
four important and
necessary principles of
human life

Ancient India produced many Sanskrit manuals for Hindu temple design and construction, covering
arrangement of spaces to every aspect of its completion.
Temple Procedure

• Site Selection
Any prospective site of a temple first has to be tested
for its suitability. This includes checking its topography
as well as the soil’s density, porosity, texture,
temperature, even colour and smell.

• Homage to Earth
Once the site is deemed suitable, a public ceremony
is performed to pay homage to the land and, through
prayers, to seek permission from the earth to build
upon it.

• Foundations
When the foundations are first dug, a small urn
containing auspicious emblems is ceremoniously
placed directly below where the garbh-grham
(literally ‘womb’) and shikharas will rise, as if planting
the germ that will grow into the living temple.

The gopuram (tower) of Natarajar Temple, a typical South Indian temple complex
in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.
• Plans
• A strand of mathematics and
geometry developed in ancient
India specifically to facilitate the
exact building of Vedic altars and
later temples.

• well-measured or well-
proportioned, because only if the
temple was built correctly could it
function in harmony with the
universe.
Temple Structure & Symbolism
Inner Structure

• A temple can be one of two types;

• Resembles the heart
• Resembles the body (more common)
Sections of a temple

(5) Garbha-grham – the most

sacred place in the temple
where the deity to whom the
temple is dedicated is kept.
Sections of a temple
(6) Artha mandapam or the space between all
the above and the garbha-grham
(7) Maha mandapam, a shrine for special
images (deities) used in processions and
ceremonies
Sections of a temple
(8) Snapana mandapam Where special
offerings are made
(12) Alamkara mandapam which houses
the chariot or other vehicles and other
objects used for special occasions
Sections of a temple
(9) Sabha mandapam for music and
dance performances and lectures.
Part of the body Temple section

Thigh sabha mandapam

Navel alamkara mandapam
Stomach snapana mandapam
Chest maha mandapam
Neck artha mandapam
Head garbha-grham
 Gopuram

• A temple must be surrounded

by walls and have a tall,
imposing structure above the
main entrance.
• On it can be found statues and
reliefs of gods and living
beings and depictions of
stories from sacred Hindu texts.
Gopuram

• Usually has tiers,

built in odd numbers
• 3 tiers represent
the soul in three
states, ie.
Waking,
dreaming and
deep sleep
• 5 tiers relate to
the five senses
• 7 tiers symbolize
the five senses
together with
the mind and
the
intellingence
• 9 tiers refer to
the above
seven plus the
will of the ego
The flagstaff, sacrificial altar and vehicle

• Positioned in a straight line with the main deity of

the temple, with the vehicle facing the deity.
The flagstaff, sacrificial altar
and vehicle

• The flagstaff is as tall as

the vimana (dome over
the garbha-grham) and
has a small replica of of
the vehicle as its top.
The flagstaff, sacrificial altar
and vehicle

• The vehicle for each

deity is different;
• Shiva rides a bull
• Vishu an eagle
• Ganesha a rat
• Shakti a lion
• Sacrificial altar is built to
allow devotees to shed
all negative qualities
before entering the main
part of temple.
Vimana

Dome over the sanctum, garbha-grham which houses

the main deity of the temple
Also considered to be a symbol of the linga – the
formless form of God
Chettiar temple
• The Chettiar are an
Indian community
known for their devotion
to the Hindu deity
Muruganand for their
zeal in temple building.
• Unlike the immigrant
Indian workers, the
Chettiar community is
largely made up of
wealthy traders and
moneylenders.
•One of the best known
Chettiar temples in
Malaysia is the
Nattukottai Temple in
Penang.
The Patthar Temple
• The main
concentrations of
another small subethnic
group, the Patthars or
goldsmiths, are in Kuala
Lumpur and Penang.
•This ornate temple
occupies two
shophouses lots which
protrude into the
streets.
• Originally built in 1914
as a simple shed, in
1923 two shophouse lots
near the place where
most Patthars had their
business establishments
were acquired by the
caste elders for the new
temple.
The Sri Lankan Tamil temples
• The first settlements, or quarters, for the Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) Tamil railway staff, civil
servants and others who came to Malaysia were developed close to the railways
stations in the Brickfield area in Kuala Lumpur, and nearby along Scott Road.
• Here, the first Hindu temple, the famous and highly ornate Sri Kandasamy Temple, was
established in 1902 in Scott Road.
Sikh Temple / Gurdwara
• Gurdwara literally
means Guru’s
abode/house.
• Sikhism, has no room
for symbolism or
ritualism; Sikhs have
neither idols nor altars
in their Gurdwara.
• The essential feature
of a gurdwara is the
presiding presence in
it of the holy Sikh
Scripture, called the
Guru Granth Sahib.
•The first Guru, called
upon his followers to
establish gurdwaras
and congregate in
them to repeat God’s
Name, and to recite
His praise.
Characteristics
A Gurdwara is
identified by the
following five basic
features:-
1. Darbar Sahib – A
hall that houses
the Guru (the Guru
Granth Sahib). This
hall in most
modern temples is
large and will
house many
hundreds of
visitors.
2. Nishan Sahib – a triangular orange
flag with a Khalsa emblem in the
middle called the Khanda. It serves as
an Khalsa icon for the Guru’s abode.
3. Pangat –
Free
community
kitchen.

It is part of a
building
complex
where
communal
meals are
served.
4. Palki Sahib – The Guru’s throne is always centered at the front of the Darbar Hall, it is the central
feature of the Gurdwara. The Guru is covered in cloth and placed on a punjabi bed.
5. Golak – refers to a
systematic & formal
financial system in the
custody of Guru
Granth Sahib.
• Unlike other places of
worship, gurdwara
buildings do not have
to conform to any set
architectural design.
• However, many
gurdwaras imitate the
Gurdwara style in India
that are mainly inspired
by Mughal
Architecture.
• Most gurdwaras have
square halls, stand on
a higher plinth, have
entrances on all four
sides and have square
or octagonal domed
sanctums in the
middle.
 Gurdwaras in Malaysia
• With the migration of Sikhs into Malaysia, the early Gurdwaras were built by the police.
• These structures were earlier built using thatch roofs and were wooden.
• However, many were upgraded to zink or tile roofs and upgraded to concrete structures.