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Tired Temples of Nepal
INTRODUCTION
Tired temples are the distinct Nepalese style of architecture,
which form a typical feature of the skylines of most Kathmandu valley
settlements and the immediate vicinity. These temples has a distinct
characteristics of diminishing multiple pyramidical tiers stacked one above the
other. The topmost roof converges either upon a point on a longitudinal ridge
above which surmounts the gajura. The structures in all these cases are built
by bricks around and over a wooden framework. The brick core walls are poerced
by wooden doorways, windows, struts, horizontal breakdowns etc. richly carved
with decorative patterns of figures of divinities.
Although various
dynasties ruled the valley successively in the past, the basic temple from was
carved on without any charge except for that in the perfection of the outer
embellishment technology. Unlike other architectural styles Nepalese style
didn't play with plan from instead continued with the pare & simple Vedic
tradition which proved that the form of our temples was guided by concepts
beyond any king or craftsman.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
The Patan
Sundhara inscription dating back to 624 AD of Amsuvarma refers to the
construction of temple of Hatin with brick and wood and the provision
particularly of door and windows also of wood. The style of temple implied by
the details of component part and building material point to the tiered style.
The hadigaun excavation, which shows the square plan of temple with dowel walls
wooden insert further, indicates extension of tiered temple structure in brick
and wood. Similarly lazimpat inscription point out to the traditional of
building temple as early as 465 AD.
The Chinese traveler Wang-hven-tse who visit Nepal in the middle of 7th century, also as mentioned the presence of several building with multiple pyramidical tiered roof, in the annals of targynasty. All these above-mentioned fact indicates the style to be older than the Amsuvarma's times. However the legend suggest that the oldest temple to be built in Nepal in this style in the Pashupatinath temple, said to have been built during the rule of king Pashupreksha about first century.
ORIGIN
The origin of
style must have been in the indo-gangetic plains. Around first century BC brick
building people of gangetic plains where pushed out by the seythians. With then
the concept and followed of brick architecture moved towards the Northeast
(Nepal are), east (Gaya area) and southwards (terai area). In the gangetic
plains, Hindus took the brick architecture, where as the Buddhists got close to
stone. This change in gangetic plains resulted in the flow of Hindu ideas and
reinforced the tole of Nepal as a santuary and depository of purest Vedic ideas
and crystallized the form of Hindu temples in Nepal. Later the Tibetan
influenced from 10th through 18th century AD resulted in the development of
artist symbolism in Nepalese tiered temple.
The multi plinth style is a late Malla period variation of tiered temple, which gave the temple structure feeling of more height.
SYMBOLISM:
The tiered temple
symbolizes the center of the universe the mount kailash, the earthly abode of
heavenly god. The tiered temple starting with its wide base, the multiple
pyramidical roof stacked one above another with diminishing size until reaching
the "summit" the gajur, mountain in miniature. To the south of the
Himalayas are the Vedic settlements. On the Gangetic plains, which in the
temple architecture is symbolized by the orientation of temple to the south.
Beside Mt.
Kailash is lake man Sarovar. Spreading itself some sixty-four miles in
circumference at the base of the holy mountain it completes a natural symbol
believed to be the archetype of the mandata, or sacred diagram. The central
axis of the mandata is the mythical Mount Sumeru, the axis of the world on
which the sky rests and around which the continents of the world revolve in the
sea of life.
The temple is a
reconstruction of the cosmos a living display of the forces of cosmic dances.
It is a supreme object of meditation for a depiction of the universe; it's the
body of the lord.
The concept of waterbody encircling the temple is symbolically presented in the form of the carving of vyala, makara (aquatic animals), Nagpasa (the snake chain) etc. in various elements like struts, breaking torans, doors and window carvings etc. of the temple.
ARCHITECTURAL
COMPONENTS:
Plan Form
The most common
temple plans are square, a perfect absolute, and the familiar manadala of Hindu
thought, fraught with cosmic symbolism.
Since this form
is based on vastuprusa mandala this type is also called as conformist temple.
Several variations found within this type are:
a)
Temple with
square sanctum room and single doorway on the main side. The god stands against
the rear walls which in this case is usually Narayan
b)
Temple with
square sanctum room and four doorways in cardinal points. The image of the god,
usually shiva is centrally located.
c)
Temple with
square sanctum room with three open sides. The idol of the god to whom the
temple is dedicated, usually Ganesh or gods and goddesses worshipped with
sacrifice of animals is placed against the rear wall.
d)
Temple with a
square sanctum room formed by upper corewall encircled by an outer core wall
forming inner circumambulatory path. The outer core walls have wide extensive
doorways on each four sides the dcoty, which is generally shiva and
occasionally Narayan, is centrally placed.
e) Temple with square formed by the upper core walls and with a colonnaded support for outer core.
Other types of temple plan
generally not conforming to vastuprusa mandala are:
a)
Rectangular
temples: These types of temples are
generally dedicated to Bhairab, Bhimsen, Balkumari and other tantric goddesses.
Entry doors are located on along side and the short side has symmetrically
placed windows. These temples have upper sanctum room, with the image of the
cult in the ground floor for general worshipping. The Bhairab plans are
conditioned by Bhairab yantra.
The elevation of
tiered temples consists of a brick core wall on single or multiple plinths. The
brick core wall whose dimension goes on decreasing in the upper floors supports
the pyramidical roof tiers also decreasing size. The number of tiers varies
from one to five, majority of which have two or three roofs, two temples have
four tiers (at Nala and Harisidhhi), two have five tiers (Nayatapola and
Kumbeshwora), and legend affirms the existence of nine-roofed temple. Most
roofs are square or rectangular, corresponding to the plan of the temple they
crown, but on occasion round or octagonal roof arise over square sanctums.
Other element enchancing the tiered temples are as follows:
Plinth:
Since very few
excavation of temples foundations have been carried out in recent times in
Kathmandu, inferences have to be made concerning the physical composition of
the plinth without the support of concrete evidence. Indian architectural
manuals and practices suggest that the core of the plinth may be made of
unbaked bricks or stone rubble and the foundation is probably of shallow
penetration into the ground. The visible portion of the plinths of the earliest
known structures as kumbeshwor, Changunarayan, Pashupatinath and Indreshwor
Mahadev were of stone, whereas that in the later period bricks were extensively
used and use of stone was limited as kind of reinforced trim on the plinth.
The earlier
temple above mentioned ones all have single level plinth. Multiple plinth is a
late Malla period variation. The plinth is marked out the entrance side of the
temple and after it it's other 3-side as well by stone or brick steps.
Stone lions and
other guardian beasts, minorities and important or semi-miraculous human
figures are usually mounted beside the stairs. Jalahari a stone outlet for
water through North side of plinth is also presented on the temples where water
rituals are done.
In some temples a
line of lotus flower motif in brick can be seen. Plinth of the temple of
Mahadeva at Panchali shows this decoratioral form in the most beautiful manner.
In some temples the winged lions that stand below each column of the temple
porch punctuate the decorative field of backed earth.
In temple of taleju and Jagannath of Kathmandu and similarly at Tripuresvara temple of Thapathali secondary shrines are seen at the corners of the plinth around the central shrine in the Pancayatana plan.
WALLS:
The walls of the temple structure are generally made of the fine baked wedge shaped teliya bricks. These telya bricks form the outer face of the temple whereas the inner core is filled with undried ordinary brick. Sometime this wall are painted in white which is later variation is major example Majudeva and Shiva temple of Kathmandu. Large doors, windows, nichus of horizontal band timber insert pierce this wall.
CORNICES OF
STRING COURSES:
The string
cornices are the structure need of the temples. They divide the brickmans into
smaller pavels rendering the mass more resistivity to earthquake. These string
cornices are also used as decorative from , in which the non-supportive string
cornice is covered in to the form of Nagas.
Cornice made of
wood , built in usually topped with broad and flat bricks as a kind of
'pavement' at the top. Both brick and wooden part of cornice extend beyond the
cornice of the temple, where they cross eachother to reach into space as beam
in with upturned edges called thahka thahpa.
Under this beam carved into shape of human forearms in present, further below this level the joint ends carved in form of simhavas , timber band lotus petal carved in the form of Nagpasa and lotus petals in present. The struts supporting the roof projection rest of this cornice.
DOORS:-
Doors and windows
consists of an interior frame (Duchus ) and exterior frame (Bha) which are
jointed together by wooden ties (tas) pinned together with wooden nail
(chukuls).
Doors are single bay type or triple bay type, the flanking area usually being flalse. The door gram consist of the wing of wood extending from the frame half way up its height on either side of the opening to penetrate the bricks wall, this wing bear a considerable amount of carving. The lower part of lintel of door is usually trapezoidal form of dentils. The door are frequently fused with perforated screens of wood in a variety of pattern, but they may be covered over the imbossed metal or even lyt quite plain without a peephale in each. The doorway is along S marked with semi-circular torara.
WINDOWS OF
NICHES:
Tierred temple
makes extensive use of windows and niches in the upper level and odd number of
windows is put in each face is axial symmetry to the plan. Niches present in
either side of door of windows and hold an image or symbol and this object is
frequently representative of the deity to whom the temple is dedicated. The
frame of the niches as whole is nearly is variable in form as that of the windows
, with small frame in the side wall of Harisiddhi Mandir for ex. Being carved
in the shape of lotus bloom with the opening of niches contained within their
features.
The windows in the temple may be lintel or blined containing an image . the windows is enclosed by many frame and within frames an its lintel is of multiple parts like that of the door. It may have a torana mountain upon it slantry towards the ground below as in temple of Harisiddhi and Mahalaxmi temple of Lubhu.
TORANAS:-
Torana is a semi-circular tympanium of wood, that is attached to the temple at the level of the cornice or window frame behind it but is not set into the brick wall. The torana is always is covered wit carrying or with repousse metal mounted upon a wooden base. The central figure of torana is nearly always that of the deity which enshrined with the temple the essential carving in the torana are central figure, makaras , nagas and garuda or kirtimukha.
STRUTS:-
Strut which support the slopping roof in the core wall are richly carved in figure of divinities. The corner strut always carving the imagery of vyala (winged aquatic animals). When the carving and other strut is determined by the particular deity enshrined. Each strut is made of three part, the lower part have the rocks, foliage or erotic carving; the upper part contain carvings of heavy foliage. The middle section comprise 30% or more of its length and holds three dimensional image of major goal or attendant.
POSTS:-
They either form colonnade circumambulatory or the corner load heavy column. Almost all the posts are square in cross section, with carving not deep than half inch in the upper arm portion. In some temples the collonnade parts seem to carry toranas.
PINNACLE:-
The topmost part of any temple and are the most significant parts symbolically in the pinnacle. The most common variety of pinnacle is a single roughly corn shaped spire, like that of shiva mandir in the KDS. Generally square temple have single pinnacle and rest temple have more than one pinnacle. Only very few temple in the confirmist group have more than one gajur eg. Harisiddhi temple.
OTHER
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS:-
Elements like
flag paintings hanging borders and bells and roof edges descending manner,
‘pataka’, corner vases and curves etc. further enhance beauty of the tiered
temples of Nepal.
CONCLUSION:-
Even though the
construction of tiered temples stopped in the lateral period of Rana rule in
Nepal, the conservation and reconstruction of these temple must be continued a
very serious manner. The construction of such an other historical temples and
cities was taken up very seroiusly and most commendably by king Mahendra during
the early 1960’s. we must also applause the effort made by Germans and Italians
and other government to give impetuous to this process. But the Nepal is
government and concerned national NGO’s must not depend solely on foreign aid
and cooperation. They should try to rouse the concious of the Nepalese people
themselves to at least preserved and reconstruct the internationally acclaimed
tierred temples which their own forefathers built so lovingly and artistically.
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