The temples of India are known not just for their divine energies, magnificent architecture, glorious history, or wealth. They also hold mysteries that puzzle us. Time has unlocked some of these mysteries, and science, too, has done its bit to throw more light on them. In this article, we shall explore some architectural mysteries of Indian temples.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, Ariyalur
It lies in Gangaikonda Cholapuram town in Ariyalur district, Tamilnadu, and represents the finest of Chola architecture. It is one of the biggest achievements of the great Chola king, Rajendra I. There is no artificial light within the temple, and it is closed after sunset. At sunset, one can see that the sun is directly on a level with the idol. As the sun’s dying rays fall on the idol, it shines with a golden hue and appears like the sun itself.
Brihadeeswara temple, Thanjavur
The Brihadeeswara temple is in Thanjavur. It is the biggest temple in the area and represents the legacy of the legendary Chola king, Raja Raja Chola. The vimana or temple tower here is over 60ft. Strangely, its shadow never falls on the ground. Even today, no one has been able to find the reason for this.
Thanumalayan temple, Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari, also called Cape Comorin, is a peaceful coastal town in Tamil Nadu. The sunrise here is truly breathtaking. Another attraction is the Thiruvalluvar statue standing in the middle of the ocean. The Thanumalayan temple here is renowned for its musical pillars. Supposedly, hitting each pillar brings forth a different tone, one that matches the seven swaras of Carnatic music. The temple has both Kerala style and Tamil style architecture. The temple is known for its excellent stone workmanship. Four musical pillars, 18 ft tall, have been carved out of a single stone. One can find them in the Alankara Mandapam area, and when struck, they emit the sounds of various musical notes.
Veerabhadra temple, Lepakshi
The Veerabhadra Temple is located in Lepakshi village, Andhra Pradesh. The temple’s outer portion has more than 70 pillars, and one of them is a hanging pillar! It is seen suspended from the ceiling, but it does not touch the ground. A small gap, about the thickness of a piece of paper – can be seen between the floor and the base of the pillar. It is nothing less than an engineering marvel and a work of art. How did the ancient artisans manage to build a 20-ft tall and huge granite pillar that hangs from the temple ceiling, defying the law of gravity? No one knows. This temple is also associated with the famed Lepakshi saris, the designs of which are inspired by the borders of the pillars.
Jagannath Temple, Puri
This famous temple is a landmark in Puri, Odisha. Architecturally, this temple has many unique features. For one, it is built in a manner that at no time during the day does the shadow of the temple fall on the ground. The flag here also flows in the opposite direction of the wind, which is quite unusual, as flags tend to flow in the direction of the wind. The temple is an architectural marvel as it stands on a raised platform.
Nataraja temple, Chidambaram
Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, is one of the oldest surviving active temples in south India. It is dedicated to Shiva as Nataraja or the Lord of Dance, signifying the connection between art and spirituality. One of its architectural wonders is the golden roof, which is neither a pyramid nor a cube and is tilted at an angle. 21600 golden leaves were used to make it, and they are said to represent the number of breaths a human body needs to take in a day. It is one of the few Hindu temples in India which has shrines for both Shiva and Vishnu.
Thiruvanai/Jambukeswarar Kovil, Trichy
Thiruvanai kovil is in Tiruchirapalli and has a mystery of its own. The idol in the garbhagriha is placed at the bottom of a flight of stairs. When we enter the dimly lit sanctum that resembles a cavern, our legs become wet. Water is present all around the year in the sanctum. It is said that Parvati once teased Shiva for doing penance for the world’s welfare. The annoyed Shiva ordered her to do penance in the forests of Jambu by way of apology. Parvati supposedly built a Shiva Linga using water from the Cauvery river. This is the explanation for the water coming out of the idol.
Airavateswara temple, Thanjavur
Airavatesvara temple is in Darasuram town, near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur. It is named after Lord Indra’s elephant, Airavata. Legend says that Airavata took a dip in the temple tank here, and his skin became clean and white. This square porch attached to the agra mandapa has ornately carved steps that produce musical notes when one walks on them. Hence they are called singing steps. This temple, though not as large as the Brihadeeswara and Gangaikondacholapuram temples, has more exquisite detailing in its architecture.
Jagannathan temple, Kanpur
The temple is more than a hundred years old and lies in the village of Behta in Kanpur. It has the ability to predict rainfall. It is said that the temple can predict the monsoon rains 7 days in advance. For this reason, it is called Rain temple or Monsoon Mandir. Seven days before the rains arrive, water accumulated on the temple ceiling starts dripping. Also, the size of the droplets predicts how good or bad the monsoon will be. If the water drops are large, there will be ample rainfall. If they are small, the rainfall will be scanty. This helps the farmers with their farming activities. But the temple still befuddles experts who tried to get to the root of the mystery. The temple’s head priest attributes it to the unique design of the structure.
Hope you enjoyed exploring the architectural mysteries of these Hindu temples. It is amazing that centuries ago, there were skilled artisans who could create such architectural marvels!
