Let us now try to describe the typical steps commonly involved in building a temple. The yajamana (lit. the sacrificer; here, the financier and builder) must first choose a roper guide or sthapaka or acarya for overall guidance and supervision. This acarya must be a pious brahmana, with a sinless life. He must be an expert in art, architecture and rituals. The acarya then chooses the sthapati ( chief architect ) and puts him in charge of the whole construction. The sthapati commands a status and respect equal to that of the acarya. He is assisted by the suthragrahin (surveyor), the taksaka ( scluptor ) and the vardhakin (builder, plasterer and painter).

From the day of sankalpa (religious resolve), the yajamana and the acarya have to take certain religious vows and lead a very strict life in accordance with those vows.

The first and foremost step in the building of a temple is the selection of the suitable site situated in or near a holy place and endowed with natural beauty and peace. The site has then to be cleared of all its vegetation. Evil spirit have to be exorcised and the place purified.

Assuming that the detailed designs and engineering drawings have already been prepared, the next item is vastuvinyasa, drawing the vastumandala on the site of the temple construction at an appropriate auspicious time. The cosmic man embodying the whole creation including the different deities of the Hindu pantheon in the different limbs and parts of his body, is technically called the vastupurusa.

Vastupurusa

The mandala is a geometrical drawing of 64 squares which represents him. Once the vastumandala is drawn ceremonially, it becomes ‘alive’, with the vastupurusa fixed on it. Later, the image or the symbol of the deity will have to be installed in the centre of this mandala at the appropriate time.

Another important religious ceremony connected with the various stages of construction is ankurarpana (rite of the seeds and their germination). Its main purpose is to facilitate the fruition of the work without obstructions and obstacles. It is performed before the construction starts, before laying the last brick or stone (murdhestaka) into superstucture, prior to the installation of the main image, before the, opening of the eyes’ (acsimocana) of the image and so on. The rite consists of placing the seeds of different varieties of rice, sesamum, mustard etc., in 16 copper vessels in front of Soma (the lord of germination) and offering them to the concerned deity after germination.

Next comes silanyasa or foundation stone laying ceremony. It is the laying of the first stone (square in shape) or brick signifying the start of construction. It is laid in the north-western corner of the building plan, drawn on the ground after excavating the foundation to the required depth. After this, the construction of the foundation is taken up.

The foundation is built and the ground filled up, up to the plinth level, except in the middle portion of the garbhagrah which is filled up three-fourths only. In the centre of this place, the adharasila (a base stone) is placed, over which are deposited the following articles in that order: a pot (called nidhikumbha), a tortoise and a lotus, all made of stone; a tortoise and a lotus made of silver; a tortoise and a lotus made of gold. From there, a funnel-shapped tube called yoganala, made of copper leads upto the plinth. The whole thing is covered by another stone slab called brahmasila. Lateron, the image of the deity is established over this

A Coronar sectiony through a pratista showing Sadadhara pratistha

Another extremely important rite which is performed during temple construction is the garbhanyasa ("insemination" of the temple site). A casket or tray of copper, whose dimensions are propotional to the dimensions of the temple, is ceremonially lowered in to the ground on an auspicious night after filling its 25 squares with various articles and duly worshipping it. It represents the Mother Earth and the ceremony itself is done with a view to achieving the smooth consummation of the temple project.

Materials used for construction like stone, bricks and wood should be procured newly from their sources, for which also there are guidelines. All the tools and implements used in the construction should be worshipped.

After the foundation is built up to the basement level, the superstructure is built either with pillars or with or a combination of both. Doors, openings, niches, windows and porches with suitable decorations are added at the appropriate stages, ending finally with the sikhara (the crest or the finial)

A TEMPLE SKETCH-REPRESENTING PRINCIPAL TERMS.
Details of a sikhara (Orissa type)