Jain Heritage and Beyond

Author(s): Shailesh Shah
Publisher: Oshwal Associations of The UK

Page 89

THE COSMOLOGY OF THE TEMPLE PLAN
475
पुरुष
n
બન ય
دامن
42HHH
Myzen
#5459
RAT
ران
बहुता
मित्र
તુ ત
Sestan
અન્ય કૃધા માં પ્રવે
NAHRA
-૧પપ મ ણ વા મુખ્ય કિડોના
245
|
y
Aut
214
πω
20
પુસ્તક
Mahapurusha, the cosmic man drawn on a temple mandala
Once the site of the temple has been selected and ritually purified, the next stage in its erection is the laying out of the ground plan. Great importance is attached to the establishment of the temple's ground plan because it functions as a sacred geometric diagram (mandala) of the essential structure of the universe. The mandala is taken to be a microscopic image of the universe with its concentrically organized structure. By constructing this diagram to regulate the form of the mandir, a symbolic connection is created, binding together the world of the godsthe universe, and its miniature reconstruction through the work of man, the temple.
The mandala of the temple plan is also considered a symbolic pantheon of the gods, as the smaller squares of the diagram are each the seat of a particular deity. The central and largest square is usually occupied by prominent deity concerned with creation. Arranged around this square are the planetary divinities, the guardians of the directions of space, and other astronomical deities. It may also contain an image of the cosmic man arranged diagonally, each square connected with some portion of his body. This cosmic figure is identified with the processes of the creation of the universe and its underlying structure.
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