TEMPLE SPACES FOR

PERFORMING ARTS

RUCHITRA DINESH 1140100446

TEMPLE
Spiritual dwellings are built with the ultimate aim to link people with
God through the enactment of ritual sacrifices.

Temples correspond to the direct expression of oneself

• Consciousness.
• Physical manifestation.

SOCIETY ECONOMY CULTURE POLITICS

DANCE
Natyashastra : Status of performing arts is equal to prayer and
sacrificial rites in order to pursuit liberation.
Practicing of performing arts
• No authority over a certain class.
• Regarded with respect.
 TEMPLE DANCE

Form in which the Supreme Being Means of expressing towards the

is placed Supreme being

Tangible Intangible

TODAY’S CONTEXT

THEATRE DANCE
 THEATRE DANCE

Form which stages the performing Means of entertainment

arts

Problems:
• Less connected to the art form.
• Involvement to express has reduced.
• Decline in the aspect of spirituality.
• Misunderstanding of the art form.
AIM
To understand the ineradicle interdependency between the

PEOPLE PERFORMING SPACES

whose relationship shall be explored through its vernacular setting in

the temple spaces
OBJECTIVE
• To study the different types of performance spaces.
• To understand the basic spatial arrangement and design of the theatre
spaces within the temple complex.
• Study of the influence of various structural member with respect to
performance.
• Comparison study with the theatre design described in the ancient text
Natya Shastra by Bharatha Muni.
 AREAS OF STUDY

KOOTHAMBALAM MANDAPA

BHARATHA’S THEATRE

TODAYS THEATRE
BHARATHA’S THEATRE
Theatre : Natyasastra of Bharata
• Shapes of theatres: Rectangular, Square and Triangular
• 108 hastas long, middle is 64 Hastas and 32 hastas long(1 hasta= equal
to 1.5 foot).
• The theatre is divided in two main
parts of equal length.
The eastern- audience-hall, the
theatre being oriented in the east-
west
direction.
The western part is again divided
in two equal parts. The eastern part
of it is meant for the Rangasirsa
and the western part for the green-
room. The Rangapitha is the stage
and the Rangasirsa is its surface.
• Mattavarani
It is a wooden railing 1½ hastas in
height. It is located on top of the
Rangapitha and along its edge that is
towards the audience - hall. It is
provided with four columns. It
serves to protect actors and actress
from the attack of intoxicated
persons from the audience - hall.
• Saddharuka : • Natya mandapa should be provided with a
Wooden partition wall plinth. The Rangasirsa should be at the
separating the green-room higher level than the plinth.
from the Rangasirsa.
• The step - like seating arrangement being
from a distance of eight Hastas from the
eastern edge of the Rangapitha. The
seating arrangement, in the square-shaped
theatre is 32 Hastas long and eight Hastas
broad. The easternmost step is at the
height of eight hastas from the top of the
plinth.
• The height of the theatre should be equal to that of the two storeyed
mandapa. A second floor is not provided either above the stage or the
audience - hall.
• Some Columns are embedded in walls. Walls are not load-bearing. The
theatre is a column and beam structure.
• The height of the theatre, like that of a caitya cave, should be equal to a two
storeyed mandapa. It should have a barrel vault type roof like that a caitya
cave. The arrangement of columns is similar to that in caitya cave.
• Four door should be provided to the rectangular theatre and three doors, to
the square-shaped and triangular theatre. A door is provided for the entry of
actors from outside to the green-room in all the theatre, eastern wall of the
theatre for the people to enter the audience-hall.
KOOTHAMBALAM
• Originated 2000 years
ago.

• Plays in Sanskrit
introduce Chakyars in the
male role and Nangiars in
the female roles.

• The Vidushaka recites in

Malayalam version as the
play is being played in
Sanskrit.
KOOTHAMBALAM DESIGN FEATURES
• Shelter within a shelter.
• Rectangular in plan.
• hipped roof with a slope of
45º.
• The stage is the little flat
raised portion.
• The rest of the space is also
flat around the stage in a C-
shape
• Central flat area was reserved
for the Brahmins.
KOOTHAMBALAM DESIGN FEATURES

• 72 ft x 55 ft (22 m x 16.75 m).

• Auditorium is 36 ft (11m) deep
x 55 ft (16.75m).
• The stage and backstage extend
up to half the length of the
space
• The farthest corner of this
auditorium from any part of the
stage, along the diagonal, is not
to be more than 50 ft (15 m)
KOOTHAMBALAM BOUNDARY

1. Stage 2. Audience 3. Main boundary

KOOTHAMBALAM ACOUSTICS

• Ceiling is intricately carved in

contrast to the other elements
in the theatre.

• The ceiling and the breaking

up of its surface into uneven
ornamental sections greatly
enhance its acoustical quality.
 KOOTHAMBALAM ACOUSTICS

• There are three rows of pillars

- the outer row of small pillars
resting on the adisthana
- the middle row of medium
height on the prekshagrha
floor which is adisthana
- the tall ones on the edge of
the platform level.
 KOOTHAMBALAM VENTILATION

• Instead of walls, it has a

slanted and curved plane of
trellis-work, which always lets
the breeze into the
performance space.
Questions
• How is the design of the ceiling and placement of columns helping in
the acoustics?
• To what extend does material play in the efficiency of the building
with respect to its function?
COMPARISON STUDY
Characters Bharata’s Theatre Koothambalam

Mountain cave Feeling of a cave like structure

Shape
Theatre had brick wall with small
Ventilation lattice window so that only a gentle
breeze could pass through without
disturbing the sound
Tired seating arrangements
Seating
Low cut roof to cut harsh sun, the
trellis frames achieves openness
and allows gentle breeze.
Seats in the front row for the higher
casts.

Musician’s and drummers face east Performer faces west towards the
Orientation deity.

Theatre has two rows of pillars, the Three rows of pillars serves the
Pillars outer one smaller than the inner one, same purpose
leaving the passage for seating.
CONCLUSION
• The study would be taken forward on a theatre within today’s context
to understand the various adaptation of the theatre with time.
• By comparison of a theatre in todays context with respect to
Bharatha’s theatre ,the way in which the entire complex has evolved to
fit into the context could be understood.
• Emphasis is to also be on the design consideration with respect to
structural details.