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Vol-1 XXIX
BHUMIJA CLASS TEMPLE AT GALATEŚVARA, SARNAL
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Selection of the site
It has been an ancient tradition in India to select sites which abound in natural beauty for locating pilgrimage places. Our canons say that “The gods always play where groves, rivers, mountains and springs, are near by and in towns with pleasure gardens. It is at such places that the gods love and always dwell in." Accordingly, Galateśvara is an auspicious site, as it is located at the sangam of Mahi and Galati.
Axis
The only entry to the temple is from the East and hence the path leading to the garbhagrha of the temple creates an East-West axis, which is well defined by the rising and the setting sun. This East-West axis becomes the principle axis along which the spaces of the Sivālaya are organized. It also becomes the axis of symmetry of the structure.
Orientation
The temple faces east, the direction of the rising sun. So the rays of the rising sun directly greet the deity of the temple, through the door-way in the east, thus illuminating the entire space inside the temple. The pūjā of the
deity of the temple is always carried out in the morning by the devotees. Hence the orientation causes the illumination of the interior of the temple, at the most important time of worship in the temple. Formation of the plan
As far the garbhagrha is concerned, it has a stellate plan maintaining the eight bhadras. Here, a square is placed which is then rotated to form angles which are carried up in the elevation. In case of the Mandapa, the plan of course, can be viewed as a rotation of square, but it has those typical orthogonal projections, commonly seen in several other temples of that age. The entrance porch of the
