VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
The Origin and
Significance of Temples
S. SATYAMURTI AYYANGAR
G od is everywhere but He is very much
here! wrote a friend to me, years
ago, from holy Badrinath. For a moment, it
left me guessing whether it was at all a
scholarly pronouncement from a truly
knowledgeable person or a mere flourish-
of the pen for which my friend had a flair.
But soon, I realised that what was alluded
to is the special impact of the Deity, over
there, on the worshippers. Well, how does
God, known, in common parlance, to be
all-pervading, permeating all things and
beings all over, remain stationary at a
particular spot and make Himself visible to
all and sundry, assuming a distinct form, in
which He could be worshipped by the
yearning devotee, casting His spell on the
latter? How does one correlate the two
widely divergent aspects of Godhead,
namely, the ‘akhandaakaara’ or ‘vishvarupa’
aspect of the all pervading One, invisible
to the naked (physical) eye of even the
most exalted devas in the higher echelons,
and the personal God of finite form? An
authoritative examination of these issues
brings one right into the thick of the subject
on hand.
Reference to Brahman, the Supreme Lord,
in the scriptures, as Nirguna, has given
rise to a school of thought, which holds
that He is no more than a cold, icy, abstract
entity, devoid of attributes. This does not,
however, seem to be valid, seeing that
every reality must have attributes and
Brahman is a reality indeed. What is really
meant is that Brahman is totally devoid of
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the qualities of Prakriti (nature or un-
modified cause, which produces several
changes of state), which afflict all else,
the heya-gunas or base qualities, the
material limitations and imperfections
generated by the triple gunas, Sattva,
Rajas and Tamas. What then are the gunas
possessed by God (the Saguna aspect)?
The scriptures specify the six main
attributes of God, namely, (i) Jnana, that
is, that He is the centre of all knowledge;
(ii) Shakti, the power of achieving
everything including what might be deemed
unattainable by others; (iii) Bala, strength,
the power of containing everything within
Himself, including the so-called
incompatibles; (iv) Aisvarya, the power of
containing all the treasures of the entire
universe and keeping them in order; (v)
Virya, the power of being immutable, with
no vikaaras or changes, unaffected by the
created world of differences and
modifications evolved by Him; and (vi)
Tejas, brilliance, that is the power by which
He holds Himself superior to all else. Saint
Nammaazhvaar, (looked upon as the
monarch of all the Aazhvaars, the peerless
devotees sunk deep in the oceanic depths
of divine consciousness) has right in the
opening line of his scintillating hymnal of
unparalleled excellence, Tiruvaaymozhi,
thrown open the flood-gate of his mystic
vision of the Lord. The saint has described
God as a fountain of inexhaustible bliss that
cuts out all fatigue, as full of compassion
and a host of other auspicious traits, the
repository of all conceivable excellences
of unlimited dimensions, the very antithesis
of the icy-cold, abstract God, formless and
colourless, conceived by others. No doubt,
God is shapeless, formless and colourless,
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VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
in His universal aspect, as the Omnipresent,
the all-pervading and the infinite, the entire
universe constituting as it were, His body.
He can, however, take upon Himself any
form or body, at His volition. The Sruti
says; “Jaayamaano bahudhaa vijaayate”.
(The unborn gets born, in many ways.) He
is signified by all names, some directly and
others indirectly. ‘Naaraayana’, ‘Vishnu’,
‘Vaasudeva’, ‘Raama’, and ‘Krishna’ signify
Him directly. In fact, the two aspects of
nirguna, the akhandaakaara or vishvaroopa
and the Saguna, the personal God are
complementary to each other and not
mutually exclusive.
The five-fold form or manifestation of God,
which helps Him to govern His very vast
kingdom is sure to make interesting reading,
in this context. Sri Pancharatra, which is
the valid scriptural basis of Taantrik religious
experience and practice, describes the five-
fold hypostatic manifestation of God. They
are: para, vyuuha, vibhava, antaryaamin
and archaavataara. Paravigraha is the
transcendental form in which God manifests
Himself in the Vaikunthaloka (Heaven);
“Vyooha” denotes His self-assumed
operative forms as Vaasudeva,
Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha,
the seat of activity shifting from High
Heaven to the Milk-ocean. Vibhava is
incarnate forms, such as Raama and
Krishna, the Lord assuming a form of His
choice, eminently suited for the purpose
of the particular avataara (incarnation),
when He freely mingles with one and all,
high and low, and exhibits many a rare
quality in superb abundance.
Antaryaamivigraha is the pervasive form
of the Lord, pervading all things and beings
everywhere and at all times, dwelling in
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the heart-region of every being, as the
Internal Controller; Archavigraha is the
Image form in temples and houses of
worshippers, in which the Lord is
consecrated and which is thus the visible,
worshippable form He assumes, in
accordance with the wishes of His
devotees. The image which a devotee
makes, consecrates and worships, is as
much an avataara or manifestation of the
Lord as Raama, Krishna, etc. and not a
mere child-play or beginner’s tool, a mere
aid to concentration in the earlier stages
as the sceptical and half-hearted believers
among us would want us to think. They
are perhaps inclined to think that an image,
made by man according to his own whim,
that is, unilaterally, without prior
consultation with God, can hardly depict
the living presence of God, the very basis
for worship. These persons will do well to
turn their attention to Sri Krishna’s own
declaration in Bhagavad Gita “Ye yatha
maam prapadyante taan tathaiva bhajaa-
myaham” (IV-II). That is, He would deign
to present Himself before His devotees in
whatever form the latter desire to see and
commune with Him. The general featuring
of the Divine person naturally follows from
the most desirable formation of the human
form, and it should not be lightly brushed
aside as idolatrous, fetish loyalty, or
something anthropomorphic.
It is only on the strength of Pancharaatra,
the oldest aagama of unquestionable
authenticity, extolling the archaka aspect
of God, that the several holy shrines, extant
throughout this sprawling sub-continent
and elsewhere too, have been instituted
and God is made visible therein to our fleshy
eyes. There are, of course, numerous other
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
aagamas which are of later origin; the
Vaikhaanasa, the Saivaagama, propounded
by Lord Siva, and regarding Him as the
supreme deity; and the Tantric form of
worship obtaining in Kerala, etc. Each of
these acts out its own stipulations for the
location and structure of the sanctum
sanctorum and its appurtenances, specific
featuring of the icons etc, and formulating
its own disciplines for the conduct of
worship. The Pancharaatra is also known
as the Bhagavat Saastra for the reason
that Narayana, the Supreme Brahman, as
revealed by Vedanta, is Himself its
promulgator. This sets forth His proper form
and the means of worshipping Him. Being
Bhagavat Saastra, it has always been
deemed to be canonical. This does not
mean that there were no detractors who
challenged the authority of the said
Saastra. The main adversaries were the
Mimaamsakas of the Bhatta and
Prabhaakara schools, the Advaitins and the
Nai-yaayikas. In his Aagama Praamaanya,
Yamunaa-chaarya has firmly established the
authenticity of Pancharaatra, with
exceptional dialectical skill and a wealth of
incontrovertible evidence, covering a wide
range of problems. The Pancharaatra texts
abundantly reveal that they had grown out
of temple service and recorded practices,
such as the Panchakaala rituals which have
been in vogue, since long.
Our concern can and shall be only with a
God, who is nearest, dearest and most
patent to our heart and understanding,
whose greatness lies not in His might and
majesty, as the Lord of Heaven, in a
transcendental setting, but who has in His
grace loving condescension and easy
accessibility. It will, therefore, be readily
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appreciated that, situated as we are, all
the four anterior hypostatic manifestations
of God are of no avail and we have to
draw spiritual nourishment and sustenance
only from the last mentioned archaa
manifestation. Put briefly, the Para or the
transcendental form of the Lord is like the
waters, surging, on the outer periphery of
the vast universe; the Vyuuha is centred
in the remote milk-ocean, not easy of
access; the Vibhava or the incarnate forms
of the Lord, like Raama and Krishna are like
the swollen floods in rivers whose waters
have long ago rolled own to the ocean.
The fourth, namely the antaryaamin aspect
of God, no doubt, puts Him on very intimate
terms with us, as He resides in the heart-
region of everyone, as the Internal
Controller. And yet, it is just like
underground-water, deep inside the earth,
which can be got at only by the Yogins,
devoutly absorbed in single-minded
devotion. On the other hand, the archaa-
avatara (iconic manifestation) alone can
be invoked by all, at all times, like unto
the deep pockets of water, cool and
refreshing, in the river beds, the aftermath
or legacy of the flood. It was only in this
aspect of God, the archavatara, the great
Aazhvar saints, known for their profound
Divine wisdom, imparted to them by God
Himself, shorn of doubts, discrepancies, and
distortions, did prapatti, that is, took
refuge, the Archaa (duly consecrated idol)
being a veritable store-house of
innumerable excellences, the final essence
of all essences.
Temples derive their significance, rather
acquire a meaning only in terms of the deity
they enshrine, even as houses have a
meaning only when they house people and
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
not when there are rows and rows of vacant
buildings. We are discussing here the live
temples, full of dynamism, the effective
centres of spiritual attraction, conducive
to calm contemplation and deep meditation,
as distinguished from the temples in ruins,
denuded of idols, and having mere
archaeological interest. Nobody builds
temples with their elaborate lay-out, tall-
towers, majestic mantapas and all that,
unless there are specific idols on hand,
needing to be enshrined. Actually, the
temples derive their names from the deities,
enshrined within, such as
‘Sriranganathaswamy temple’, ‘Sri
Parthasarathyswamy temple’, ‘Sri
Kapaaleeswarar temple’, ‘Sri Meenakshi
temple’ and so on. And so, when we deal
with the origin of temples and their
significance, the best part of our attention
naturally goes to the significance and
efficacy of Idol worship, as such.
This, therefore, emphasises the relevance
of all that has been said, so far, which
could still admit a little more elaboration.
It is in His iconic manifestation that the
Lord achieves what the vociferous saastras
have failed to secure. At a time when rank
materialism is running rampant, and the
people, caught up in the vortex of earthly
pursuits, have scant regard for the
saastraic decrees and injunctions, reducing
to naught the chances of their pursuing
the paths of discipline prescribed for their
spiritual uplift, the Lord in His iconic form
casts an irresistible spell on the hitherto
ungodly subjects, determined to run away
from Him. Even those, who seldom go to
the temples, lacking the inclination therefor,
are sought out by the Deity, during the
ceremonial processions, outside the temple
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precincts and are enticed by His exquisite
charm. Having enticed them and
engendered them the requisite taste for
God-head, He is right there to redeem
them, who, with their new-found avidity,
cling to Him and seek refuge in His image-
form. In fact, the very purpose of His
manifestation in archa is only to get hold
of His errant subjects, straying away from
Him.
And when He gets His catch all right, His
gratification knows no bounds. The Lord’s
stay in the temple is not an end in itself,
but only the means for the reclamation of
His subjects His ultimate destination being
the heart-centre, of the spiritually
rejuvenated subjects. The temple, that is,
the pilgrim centre, as we can call it now,
is just the spring-board where God could
reach the heart-centre of His devotees.
There is a vast volume of literature on
temples and iconology-the lay-out of the
temples, their location structure of
gopuras, vimanas, dhwajasthambhas,
mantapas, the garbha-griha, the special
featuring of the Icons of the different
deities in the Hindu pantheon, the deification
of the idols of gods and goddesses, the
stationary Moola Vigrahas, the mobile
Utsava Murtis taken out in ceremonial
procession, conduct of the diurnal worship
during stated periods, the periodic and
annual festivals etc.
The Aagamas governing these are broadly
classified as Vaishnava and Saiva Aagamas.
Saakta theology is closely allied to the
Saiva. There are two Vaishnava Aagamas,
namely, Pancharaatra and Vaikhaanasa:
likewise the Saivaagama comprises the
Kaaranaagama and Kaamikaagama. The
temples themselves fall under different
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA TEMPLE INDIA
categories, depending upon the agency RAMESWARAM
building them and installing the Deity.These

T
are: Svayam Vyakta (the self-originated);
here are four Dhams (places of living
Divyam (those installed by the gods);
spiritual presence) in Bharatavarsha,
Saiddha (those set up by siddha purushas)
namely Badrinath, in the north, Puri in the
and Maanusa (those built by humans). The
east, Dwaraka in the west and
areas around the temples, up to specified
Rameswaram in the south. Rameswaram
limits, the extent whereof varies in relation
gains a plus point of these four Kshetras,
to the particular category, are also held
as it is the only Sivakshetra, the other
sacred and their sanctity should not be
three being Vishnukshetras.
violated.
The sanctum sanctorum of the temple of
The temples constitute our rich heritage.
Rameswaram contains the image, of Linga
It will be no exaggeration to state that
prepared by Sita and consecrated by Sri
the tenacity of our Hindu culture rests upon
Rama. To the right of Sri Ramalinga is a
the stable base of our temples, which have
shrine of Parvathavarthini, the consort of
been the traditional centres fostering the
the Lord. Proceeding towards the north-
growth of civilisation, in all its ramifications
west corner of the temple, one is captivated
in art, literature, painting, sculpture, dance,
by Pallikonda Perumal in lying posture with
drama, etc. Formal schooling has not been
his head facing the sky. The Nandi here is
an integral part of the upbringing of a
made of lime and mortar and it is 12 feet
majority of the Hindu population. I know of
long and 9 feet high.
a Sthapathi (icon-maker), who stayed with
The water in the various ‘theerthas’ of the
me for quite some time; he had never
temples is reputed to contain many
entered a school and yet, he recited, in
medicinal properties and hence a holy bath
clear accents, the relevant Sanskrit slokas
in this shrine is believed to refresh both
from the samhitaas pertaining to the
the mind and the body. Well-known saints
special features of the icons. The periodic
like Tirunavukarasar and Thirugnana-
festivals in temples, particularly the Car
sambandhar have sung hymns in praise of
festival, demonstrate the solid
the Lord during their visits here.
achievement of unity in diversity. The
successful return of the car to the stand
Nagercoil and
is indeed a grand annual declaration of our
solidarity.
Nagapattinam
The story is being told that while harvesting
the crops, the sickle of a farmer hit a
granite stone, and to the shock of all, blood
oozed from the stone. Expert counselling
established that the stone was Vasuki, the
Serpent King. Soon a temple was set up
on the spot for the Serpent King which
today stands as a very famous one at
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VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA TEMPLE INDIA
this legendary story that
gave the place the name,
Nagapattinam. In this
temple, there is an idol of
goddess Neelaya-thakshi
which is said to have been
brought from the region of
the Nile river in Egypt.

GODDESS
KANYAKUMARI

There was a virgin by name

Pushpakasi. She was very
Nagercoil. The township named as Nagercoil
much devoted to Lord Siva and by her stern
(meaning, Temple of the Serpent) itself is
penance attained Sayujya Moksha. Sayujya
indicative of the popularity of the temple
Moksha means entering Heaven with human
there. Nagercoil is situated at a distance
body and remaining in human form with the
of about twelve miles from Kanyakumari.
Supreme Lord.
It is said that there are many serpents
Bana the Asura had won a boon that he
living around the temple. Strangely enough,
could not be killed by anyone other than a
within a radius of one mile from the temple
Kannika (virgin). It became a problem how
there has not been any fatal case of
to arrest his depredations and save
snakebite. Every visitor to the temple takes
mankind. People approached Lord Siva for
a pinch of earth from the temple as the
redress. Lord Siva knew that this Banasura
prasad. It is said that still the earth in that
could be killed only by a virgin. Immediately
place has never diminished in quantity. Near
he chose Pushpakasi for the task and sent
the shrine of the serpent-god, there are
her back to earth. She killed the demon
also temples enshrining Lord Krishna and
and restored peace in the land. She did
Lord Shiva.
not like to stay on earth after fulfilling her
While talking of Nagercoil, one might-be
mission and so made further penance
reminded of another temple at
praying to Siva to call her back to Heaven.
Nagapattinam near Tanjore. Though the
Parasurama, who happened to note the
temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is
austere penance in which this virgin was
considered to be one of the one hundred
engaged, installed her image together with
and eight sacred places of Vaishnavites,
a Vinayaka, in the firm belief that she alone
the place acquired sanctity when the
could save the land, which had been
Serpent-God, that is, Nagaraja, did
reclaimed from the sea, from being
penance there to propitiate the lord. It is

15
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA TEMPLE INDIA
swallowed by it again. In this connection, Temple Worship
it is necessary to mention here that the
V. S. NATARAJA
mainland of Bharatha Varsha had in ancient
times extended far beyond the present

S
southernmost point. The land was known
acred places receive their sanctity from
as the continent of Lemuria and it probably
the godly persons who had lived or are
connected Madagascar and Africa in a
living there. The divine vibrations sent out
contiguous strip. The first Tamil Sangam
by these holy personages constitute an
was held in a place now under the sea.
unending spiritual legacy to mankind. These
That area was gradually swallowed up by
sanctified places provide an impetus to
the ocean. Now, at the request of
seekers for progress in their spiritual
Parasurama, this Virgin Mother faced the
pursuit. This fact explains why temples are
South and arrested the further march of
resorted to by the pious everywhere and
the sea.
at all times.
Banasura is believed to have been killed
In India, temples were not in existence
near about Pothia Malai, north of
during the Vedic period and all our
Kanyakumari. From this mountain two rivers
magnificent temples seen now are of latter-
flow-one called the Tamravarni on the
day origin. In the distant past, all beautiful
northern side, created by Sage Agastya,
and inspiring places in Nature were made
and the other, the Kulithurai river, in the
use of for worship of the Creator. Sacrificial
south.
fire was utilised as the medium between
Parasurama established a Vinayaka at
man and the Deity. This mode of worship,
Kanyakumari just before establishing the
in course of time, gave place to temple
Kanyakumari Amman. It was done with the
worship. Cave temples cut and carved in
idea that Vinayaka would help retaining the
suitable hills gave place to structural
Amman there with all Her glory and get
temples embodying the same principles.
Her fulfil his purpose. Indra established
The whole universe is to be viewed as the
another Vinayaka when he arrived there,
temple of God, the cosmic life vibrant in it
called Indrakantha Vinayaka.
being treated as God. The human body is
The processional deity in the Kanyakumari
really the universe on a miniature scale.
temple is called Thyagasundari. The Holy
Whatever is great and glorious in Nature
Mother, who appears in the state of being
finds a place in man also. There is nothing
ready for marriage, is called Syamasundari.
in Nature superior to the human being who
From: Temples of Tamilnadu
is verily the temple of God and has in him
the potentiality to emerge in divinity if only
he chooses to do so.

Symbolic Significance

The Hindu temple is a replica of the divine

possibilities in man. The main entrance to
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VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA
the temple is usually a sky-scraping gopura,
termed the Rajagopura, which is at once a
replica of the physical world and the
physiological build of man. This edifice
contains innumerable figures of the celestial
and the terrestrial, mythological and
historical, including a few uncouth and
indecent figures implying that our world is
a mixture of good and bad. Our body itself
has a certain amount of vulgarity however
much we may try to hide or overlook it.
The worshipper’s entry into this mighty gate
indicates his setting aside the external
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world and taking an introspective step.
Entering the first gate, the devotee
comes across the Balipitha-the altar of
sacrifice. Here he is expected to fall
prostrate on the ground as a mark of
sacrificing the lower nature in him. While
in that posture he is to decide to renew
himself and get up a mentally purified
person. The Dhvajastambha or the flag-
staff comes next. The rectangular
corridors have then to be
circumambulated. This is similar to
pranayama or the yogic breathing
exercise which purifies the nerve
currents. Next comes the vahana which
is usually an animal or a bird. Virtually
every living being is a vahana (vehicle)
of God.
The approach to the sanctum
sanctorum is kept dark, no window
being provided. The idea is that when
all the senses are shut outand when an
introspective plunge is taken in
meditation it is darkness alone that is
encountered in the initial stage. Within
the sanctum no one should stand in a
manner obstructing the gaze of all
installed Vahana which is ever directed
on the presiding deity. The point conveyed
is that only an uninterrupted flow of the
mind unto the Supreme takes it to the goal.
The ringing of the bell suggests the un-
uttered cosmic sound which can be heard
in the totality of Nature as well as in the
constitution of the yogi. Then the curtain
is drawn aside, revealing a blaze of light.
This means that the disappearance of the
curtain of ignorance and the dawn of
knowledge are simultaneous. The burning
of the camphor leaving no residue indicates
that after knowledge comes to the
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA TEMPLE INDIA
Jeevatman, both the
knowledge and the
knower merge into
the Reality.

Sublimating
the Senses

Sublimation of all the

five senses is another
factor in temple
worship. The eye is
first forced to be at
rest by making the
devotee pass through
chambers one darker
than the other. While
he is waiting in utter
darkness, the curtain
is drawn aside and
God-vision presented
at the sanctum. The eye is taught to see the devotee to recast himself in divinity.
God and not to seek God. The first lesson It is customary for the devotee, after
received at the sanctum is to be applied worshipping in the temple, to choose a quiet
everywhere. The sure way of sublimating spot and sit in meditation. Now, the senses
the eye is by seeing or attempting to see are shut out and the mind is quieted. He
God in everything. recapitulates the sublime thoughts that
The ear hears at the sanctum the ringing rose in his mind during the worship. He
of the bell and the chanting of the prayers recollects the spiritual background of the
which are all associated with God. The temple and brings to memory the saints
consecrated food sublimates the tongue. who sanctified the temple in the past. He
The inhalation of the aroma at the sanctum broods upon the glory of the Lord and thus
invokes the thought of God and in this way brings the meditation to an end.
the olfactory-sense is sublimated.
Besmearing the body with the sanctified
sandal-paste instills the feeling of devotion
into the sense of touch.
All the five senses are thus automatically
sublimated in the act of worship in the
temple. The start given there requires to
be pursued permanently, thereby enabling

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