Temples of South India- Architecture & Rich Cultural Heritage A Critical AnalysisIntroduction:- Much has been written
in praise of Indian architecture especially its rich cultural heritage. A civilization that dates back to being 5000 years old.Indians are rooted in
culture, tradition and superstition .Our beliefs are deeply religious in the fundamental truth i.e. GOD – He alone is The Giver,The Protector and the Destroyer. God is one but His manifestations are many be it Lord Krishna,Lord Jesus Christ or Allah. Divine chants and praises are sung in the name of that particular God every morning, noon and evening and late at night in Temples all over South India, To thank Him for His Infinite blessings and to remind Him and give Him the Supreme authority to protect this world and His children from evil , natural calamity and disaster . The female manifestation of God is the Goddess or The Shakti or The Strength.This Goddess is Our Mother who carries the entire Universe in Her DivineWomb and nurtures and sustains this beautiful Earth. To worship this Divine And Supreme form our Indian rulers built many beautiful temples to not only house their God/Goddess but to give them their rightful place and the respect that they deserve. History is testimony to the fact that India has been invaded by many foreign invaders. First it was invaded by Alexander the Great , then came the Mughals who plundered the beautifully and intricately carved temples and looted the inner sanctum sanctorum where the God resided and was bedecked in rich gold and diamond jewelry .Most of these invasions took place between early 14th and 15th century B.C . in North India. At that time South India was unaffected and not under the influence of any foreign rule. South Indian rulers were great patrons of art, culture, music, literatureand the fine arts. They built beautiful temples dedicated to every God/Goddess in the Hindu pantheon. South India flourished under the rich and royal patronage of Hindu kings from the Cholas, Pallava and the Pandava dynasties thus ushering great progress and prosperity. In this book the author brings out the finer nuances of South Indian temple architecture and how the architects, artisans and the artisansIn collaboration with the king and the royal priests chalked out a plan where we can now see proofs of Early Architecture where the temple was carved out of one solid rock (9th.C B.C) and slowly graduated to building huge temples of stone, sandstone and marble which was brought in from various parts of the country. It was later in 11th. C. B.C when Hinduism started becoming more rigid and ritualistic in nature that arose two offshoot religions – Buddhism and Jainism which condemned the rigid orthodox practices of the Brahmins who exploited the poor in the name of religion. The Buddhist monks or ‘Lamas’ as they are called led a very rigid, disciplined and an orthodox life. They renounced worldly pleasures and lived a life of piety, worship and celibacy. To lead an austere life away from the cares and concerns of daily living they built ‘viharas’on top of mountains situated in the jungles where they could meditate in peace and solitude in tune with Mother Nature. Great Indian rulers like King Ashoka propagated Buddhism and preached about Lord Buddha in the far east in
countries like Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Indonesia, Java, Borneo, and other South- east Asian countries. It is amazing to note that each dynasty that ruled South Indiabrought with it new and revolutionary ideas which gave more depth to our civilization and added value, meaning and respect to our culture. Religion was a way of life that was incorporated into their daily living and adopted as their lifestyle. To conduct prayers many temples were built during this period. A temple was not only meant as a place of worship but also as a place of social and community gathering for marriages, naming ceremonies and other important functions. In the olden days there was no television, radio and other means of entertainment so, a temple was a place where everyone met and discussed current political events which were to have further social and economic impact on our society as well as our civilization.In the early times trade and business were carried out through the ‘barter system’. These trade exchanges sometimes even took place in temples.A silver or gold coin with an engraving of the ruler on the seal was exchanged for goods. Thus contemporary dynasties ruling their respective countries at that time exchanged goods for seals. This encouraged furthertrade and exchange of cultural relations between the two countries thus promoting economic prosperity and further progress of human civilization. India is a country that is known for its ‘unity in diversity’.With its vast Hindu culture the nation has welcomed and embraced many other cultures like a mother who embraces her children with open arms. This book endeavors to give its readers a delightful insightinto the resplendent cultural heritage of Indian culture and tradition. A mustread for research scholars, students and professors of Indian History and Archaeology. We Indians are proud of our culture and tradition. Much of our temples that now exist are proof of our rich cultured past that our ancestors have left behind for us to cherish and preserve.