The Legacy of India’s Architecture

The beautifully crafted designs of Mandir's of India is influencing architecture globally.

[Parvati Temple, Pune, Maharashtra.| Photo Source: Pinterest]

As one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, India has more than its fair share of ancient culture. Arguably its most interesting slice of culture is the mandir—the traditional term for a temple. Aside from the obvious religious intrigue, these structures are also very unique from an architectural perspective. As a matter of fact, more and more locations in the west are starting to imitate the architecture of these old and sacred places. How can something so old be so influential in modern times? The answer is a little complicated.

Although there are many different variations on Hindu architecture, every mandir follows a basic template. According to the ancient Sanskrit texts, the proper site for building a temple is an area near water and/or lush vegetation. The idea is to be somewhere where nature is free to run wild. In fact, the texts even go so far as to suggest a place where birds such as swans and ducks are plentiful.

As for the layout of the building itself, everything is supposed to be square. When examining a mandir closely, it doesn’t take long to notice that almost everything is cubic in nature. The ground floor plan is made up of several different layers referred to as padas, and every layer has its own unique purpose.

In the very center of it all is the Brahma padas. This is the most sacred part of the temple, and it is where the resident god or deity is supposed to be housed. Surrounding the Brahmas padas is the Devikas padas and surrounding that is the Manusha padas. The foremost outer layer which is supposed to protect everything within it is the Paisachika padas. All in all, there are 64 different little areas that make up the padas section. Not all temples follow this exact template, but the vast majority of them in India do.

Now, this truly one of a kind way of creating buildings is coming to places like the United States and Canada. With the increasing ease of access in a globalized world, more and more people who practice the Hindu religion want to see their places of worship.

Large cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto, have always had notable Hindu populations, but now there is an increasing demand to see temples constructed in the way that they have traditionally been done so for thousands of years.

It truly is a sight to behold seeing a mandir in the middle of a large urban location. What is even more astounding is the feeling one has when stepping inside of one of these magnificent structures. It is like being transported across the ocean, because for all of the similarities to the classic temples in India, it feels as if one is really there.

As more and more mandirs are constructed, the urban landscape of America becomes a more beautiful and cultured place. Yet, there is something even more groundbreaking happening for this ancient form of architecture. Now, even some “regular,” non-religious buildings are beginning to follow the pandas style of laying out their buildings. The protective layer floor plan has been adopted for certain government buildings which have in their best interest the idea of protecting what is inside!

It is an interesting time for traditional Indian architecture. Strangely, it seems as time goes on some things which some people may have declared irrelevant become more relevant than ever.