Temples and Reminiscence Architecture

STORYTELLING BY AGED STONES

Dear Readers,

Of what remains, most part is memory. Distorted one though. At least normally. Whenever I seek them again for information, I get affected, differently each time. Don’t know if its true for everybody. I do relish seeking them.

MOONSCAPES

Technology has made what not possible and accessible for us. Discovering the age of stone-made artefacts is surely significant, since they are probably the dominant form of material remains surviving till today.

‘Stone Age’ as coined by Danish Scholar Christian J., signifies the evidence for production of stone implements dating back to 2.5 million years ago. Around the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age, archeologists have recorded the earliest artistic expressions in the form of cave paintings, ornaments and several other art forms joined together.

Similarly, there is archaeological evidence like megaliths, paleolithic stone tools, rock shelters and ancient cave paintings which suggests of human habitation in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand during the prehistoric times. There is mention of different places of this state in the Purans, the Vedas and in the great Indian Epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana and the folk tales we hear in Garhwal and Kumaon, confirm the same. For example the tale about the Panch Kedar Temples, that says how the Pandavas were searching Lord Shiva to pray for being free from the sin of fratricide, however Shiva was angry at them and he hid himself, till they found him disguised as a bull. When they tried to capture him, he disappeared into the ground and later appeared at five places with the face showing up at Rudranath, hair and head in Kalpeshwar, navel and stomach part surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar, the arms appearing in Tunganath and the hump showing up in Kedarnath. The Panadavas later built temples at these places.

There are numerous age-old temples situated in Utttarakhand, constructed with wood, stone and clay, since these were always locally and abundantly available natural resources. These temples were decorated with intricate and heavy stone carvings which were patronized by rich and powerful kings of Katyuri, Paun, Chand, Pawar dynasties and several others. Jageshwar temples, Kedarnath, Tunganath, Bageshwar temples, Duwarhat temples etc., are few examples of richness of these crafts. The Kedarnath Temple is constructed in thick granite stone. It is fully carved out of rock slabs which is the reason why it has been standing unaffected after facing the ice age and till recent past the cloud burst and flood. It is the property of these rocks that in the conditions of extreme heat or increased pressure, they attain extra properties of luminosity, hardness and roughness, which shows in their appearance also.

Gopinath temple of Gopeshwar is an archeologically important monument, built in tenth century AD and stylistically comparable to the Bageshwar temples of Kumaon.

In general a Hindu Temple comprises of

1. Garbhagriha or Sanctum sanctorum- It is the space for the main icon which is the focus of the rituals.

2. Mandapa or hall- It is the space for worshippers to gather.

3. Shikhar and Vimana- It denotes the high rising part of the structure spiring like a mountain.

4. Vahan- The vehicle of the main icon.

The two broad divisions in the Indian temple architecture are Nagara style, which became popular in North India and Dravid, which reflects in the temples of South India. Instead of the existence numerous variations in the Nagara style, commonly the entire temple is built on a stone platform with steps leading to it.

MOONSHOTS

I had heard that I have to whisper in Nandi’s ears, to get my word to the Swayambhu Shiva. Nandi is always there to guard for Shiva. I sometimes lean and talk to him when there is nobody around to watch that.

As a child, I would always wonder how Nandi ji would be carrying Shiva and what pace could he achieve while doing that, since according to what I have heard and seen in the television, he was nothing near to petite.

Once, while I was on a field for doing Nettle Fiber documentation, on my way back from Mangroli village to Pipalkoti, we took a turn towards Gopeshwar on the way. It was the month of January and I could find so many pine cones lying beside the road.

To my amazement, I was standing before a stunning architecture, preserved in the mountains for more than thousand years. It was the Gopinath temple, dedicated to Shiva. At that time of the year, I could see mostly locals, not many in number. It felt like a fortune. I roamed around the temple to observe the architecture closely. Later I came to know that this temple is known as Rudranath-Gopinath Temple, due to the fact that during winters when the Rudranath temple is closed, the deity’s ‘Utsav Doli’ stays temporarily at Gopinath, where both deities are worshipped together.

There is a historic Trishul in the temple’s coutyard, which is said to be used by Shiva to kill Kamdev, when he tried to wake him up from his ‘Dhyana’. It is said that the Trishul won’t move even if one applies a lot of force, but a devotee can shake it just by the force of one finger.

I didn’t try achieving that, I wasn’t aware actually. Therefore I don’t know if its true for the Trishul.

But what I caught out of it is that, it is true for all our relationships. If it is there, it responds to the emotional signals. If not there, one need not waste their energy.

To me,
Who has learned
enduring pain and smiles
how to let people go
and, how and when 
to make myself leave-
"You are going to be 
happy and satisfied,
You are more than enough
for more than two copies of yourself."
 
-LOVE 

This is me for now.

Punam