Kerala
temples have many unique features, which were originally found all over India,
but have disappeared, according to former director of state archaeology, R
Nagaswamy.
"They
are outstanding for their simplicity, purity, and age-old traditions rooted in
Vedic ethos, which continue to be maintained and no changes have been made in
the heritage structures such as addition of any shrines or modification of
existing ones," Nagaswamy told TOI in the light of his recent visit to
Kerala.
Kerala
is a land of hills and the builders of temples could have used stones in plenty
but instead they have retained all materials like, stone, bricks, stucco, wood,
metal, lime and thereby preserved the 3,000 to 4,000 years of architectural
techniques, particularly mastery over wooden architecture, he pointed out?
Nagaswamy
noted that in Kerala they have preserved geometrical designs in plan and
elevation as found on Vedic sacrificial altars, which is mainly due to their
deep interest in ancient mathematical sciences.
The
articulation of timber work rising to several stories of complex designs is
retained. Another important feature is the 'dhvaja sthambah' in which they
portrayed the Ashtamurtis, eight directional deities, at the base, which is not
found in other parts of the country, he said. Tiled structures are again used
more in Kerala temples than in shrines elsewhere in the country.
Nagaswamy
said the unique contribution of Kerala temple architecture is the installation
of tall 'deepa sthambah' (lamp stand) rising to more than 10 feet with the
figure of a turtle as the seat. "In every Kerala temple, we can see in
front of the Gopuras, big 'ammai valakus', stone tortoise-shaped lamp-stands,
which symbolically represent the primordial support of the Universe integrating
beauty, symmetry, aesthetics and religious heritage," he narrated.
"They
do not disturb the space inside the prakaras (perimeters) with thoughtless
structures, which are specifically prohibited by the traditional architectural
texts. They are very particular that the environment of the temple should be
strictly preserved and do not allow the trees and plants to be indiscriminately
cut or treated with scant respect. They worship trees and integrate them as
part of the temple culture. With the result, a visit to any Kerala temple
presents an extraordinary sense of nature's rhythm and its place in religious
environment," he observed.
Another
unique feature of Kerala temples is the presence of "lovely and
usable" tanks where boys perform 'sandhya vandana' and elders can carry
out water-related rituals. The use of elephants in Kerala temples is much more
compared to temples in other states. There is also no concept of animal
sacrifice as 'Bali' with offerings of flowers
and incense considered adequate for the purpose. Temples in Kerala also manifest the expertise
of local artisans in wood carvings?
The
concept of 'Tantrasamccaya', work composed by 15th century Vedic scholar
Narayan Namboodiri, is followed in all Kerala temples, Nagaswamy said. It
explained how to lay out temples, the system of worship, chanting of Vedic
hymns and mantras, and creative use of spaces in the temple complexes for music
and dance groups on designated auspicious days and chariot festivals during
which invariably decorated elephants would be taken around. Narayan Bhattatri
in the 17th century continued the tradition. Unfortunately, the ancient Vedic
schools in Kerala which spawned great masters of music and dance closed down
about 50 years ago due to lack of patronage.
