Hindu architecture

Hindu architecture is the traditional way of building in India for many kinds of structures, such as temples, monasteries, statues, homes, markets, gardens, and even whole towns. These building rules are written down in special Hindu books called texts, which are mostly in a very old language called Sanskrit. Some important books include the Vastu shastras, Shilpa Shastras, and the Manasara.

The most famous examples of Hindu architecture are the many beautiful Hindu temples still standing today. These temples show an old building style that used stone, brick, and even carved-out rock, going back many years to the time of the Gupta Empire. These temple designs were sometimes influenced by architecture from ancient Persia and Greece, known as Hellenistic style.

While there are fewer examples of everyday buildings like palaces and houses from ancient times, we can learn about them from ruins and archaeology. In some parts of India, especially in the south, Hindu building styles kept growing strong until the 1500s. Even in temples, we can see small pictures of everyday buildings carved into walls and pillars, showing how closely linked religious and regular life was in those days.

Texts

Vaastu Shastras and Shilpa Shastras are important design manuals from ancient Indian texts. They mix form, function, and Hindu symbolism. These texts cover many subjects, including ornaments, furniture, vehicles, gateways, water tanks, cities, streets, homes, palaces, and temples. Some of the most studied texts today are written in Sanskrit and include the Brihat Samhita, the Manasara Shilpa Sastra, and parts of the Puranas and Hindu Agamas.

Villages, towns and cities

Hindu texts give special advice for building homes, markets, gardens, and whole towns. They say the best place for a village or town is on land with thick, good soil that slopes toward the east so people can see the sunrise. It should be near a river or big stream for water, and the soil should be strong enough to build on and good for growing plants and trees.

These texts describe many ways to plan streets, homes, markets, and gardens. They talk about different designs like Dandaka and Swastika. There are five main ideas used in these plans: how to face the directions, how to lay out the land, how to measure things properly, basic rules of building, and what each building should look like. These ideas mix early science, beliefs, and sky watching, and often make towns symmetrical with streets pointing to the main directions. A temple or meeting place in the middle of the town is often suggested.

Hospitals, hospices

The early Hindu texts about medicine and surgery talk about special buildings to care for sick people. They say that architects who know about building rules, called Vastu Vidya, should design these places.

For example, the Charaka Samhita, a very old book from between 100 BCE to 150 CE, says that an expert in building should create a good house. This house should be strong, safe from wind, and easy to move around in. It should not have smoke, sun, water, dust, or unwanted sounds, smells, or sights. The building should also have a water supply, a place to wash, a bathroom, and a kitchen. This shows how important it was to have well-designed spaces to help people who were sick.

Main article: [Hospital]

Arts and civic buildings

The Narada Shilpasastra is an old book in Sanskrit about building design. It has many chapters talking about plans for villages, cities, palaces, houses, and places for the community. It even tells how to build special rooms for eating, watching shows, and showing art.

Hindu books also talk about buildings for performances like drama and dancing. These can be found in temples, cities, or palaces. They describe how to make stages and halls for dancers and musicians, and even places where performers can change clothes. These ideas for building performance spaces might come from very old Indian traditions.

Temples (mandirs)

Main article: Hindu temple architecture

Hindu temple architecture serves as a center for both social and spiritual life for the Hindu community. Every Hindu temple, called a "mandir," has a special inner room called the garbha griha, where the main statue of a god or goddess is kept. This room is very simple and is meant for quiet thinking and focus.

Around this inner room is a path for walking around it, often decorated with beautiful carvings that tell stories and show important ideas from Hindu teachings. Above the inner room is a tall tower called a shikhara or vimana in southern India. Bigger temples may also have halls for people to gather, smaller rooms, and special areas for visitors. Some temples even have dance halls, like the famous Konark Sun Temple, and large pools of water for people to use. These same ideas are used in temples found in southeast Asia too.

Gopurams

Main article: Gopuram

In southern India, large and beautiful gate towers called gopuram mark the entrances to many Hindu temples. These towers are often very tall and decorated with detailed carvings.

Monasteries (mathas)

See also: Matha, Ashram, and Bhajana Kutir

Hindu monasteries, known as mathas and hermitages called ashrams, are special groups of buildings. These include temples, rooms where monks live together, and other helpful spaces for the community.

Rathas

Main article: Ratha

Some Hindu places have special shrines or buildings called rathas. These structures are shaped like big, huge chariots.

Toranas (archways)

Main article: Torana

A Torana is a special archway that stands alone and is used for ceremonies. You can find these archways in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain places of worship, like temples and monasteries, and sometimes they are built in front of important objects. They can even be a single building on their own.

Stambhas (columns)

Main articles: Stambha and Dhvaja

Stambhas are special pillars or columns used in Hindu architecture. They are described in ancient texts like the Manasara and can be made from wood or stone. A stambha usually has a base, a column, and a top part called a capital. These columns can stand alone or be attached to walls. The Manasara gives rules for how to build them and suggests ways to decorate the top parts.

Some famous stambhas include the Vijay Stambha at Chittorgarh fort in Rajasthan, which honors Vishnu. The Dhvaja-stambhas are tall flag poles often placed at temple entrances, sometimes with sacred symbols like the image of a lingam and holy animals.

Chhatris

Main article: Chhatri

Chhatris are beautiful, dome-shaped structures that sit above the ground. They are a special part of Indian architecture and started in Rajasthani architecture. You can often find chhatris in palaces, forts, and places that remember important people.

Outside of South Asia

Indonesia

Main article: Candi of Indonesia

Hinduism was an important religion for some people in Indonesia before Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity arrived. The country has many beautiful Hindu buildings, mostly used for worship.

In Indonesia, Hindu temples are called different names depending on where they are from. In Java, they are called Candi. In Bali, they are called Pura, and they are used for Balinese Hindu worship. Some temples come from India and are called Kuil. All these temples serve as places for people to worship and also help teach others about Hinduism, promoting understanding and unity in the country.