Kalinga architecture
Encyclopedia
The Kaḷinga architectural style (Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...

: କଳିଙ୍ଗ ସ୍ଥାପତ୍ୟକଳା) is a style which flourished in the ancient Kalinga region or present eastern Indian state of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 and northern Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

. The style consists of three distinct types of temples: Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula and Khakhara Deula. The former two are associated with Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...

 and Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 temples while the third is mainly with Chamunda
Chamunda
Chamunda , also known as Chamundi, Chamundeshwari and Charchika, is a fearsome aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother and one of the seven Matrikas . She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior goddess Durga...

 and Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...

 temples. The Rekha Deula and Khakhara Deula houses the sanctum sanctorum
Sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase sanctum sanctorum is a Latin translation of the biblical term: "Holy of Holies" which generally refers in Latin texts to the Holiest place of the Tabernacle of Ancient Israel and later the Temples in Jerusalem, but also has some derivative use in application to imitations of the...

 while the Pidha Deula constitutes outer dancing and offering halls.

In Kalinga, the ancient land of Sakta cult, divine iconography existed since the mythological era. Present day research implies that idols (deities) were placed under auspicious Trees in the ancient days. And maybe today a Temple in general carries various minute details and the overall shape of some heritage tree. The various aspects of a typical Kalinga Temple include Architectural stipulations, Iconography, historical connotations and honoring the traditions, customs and associated legends.

Selecting people

According to Manusmṛti there is a specific hierarchy of Command for the management of people involved in the they are classified as:
  1. Kartā : The Chief patron of the temple, generally the king of the state is designated as kartā. Hence these devotional ancient architectures often reflect various socio-cultural aspects of society of the time.
  2. Mukhya Sthapati : The Chief Architect, The master of the Shilpa Shastras
    Shilpa Shastras
    Shilpa Shastras is an umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe manual arts, the standards for religious Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, as well as rules of Hindu architecture.Sixty-four such arts or crafts, sometimes called ...

    , Vastu Shastra
    Vastu Shastra
    Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...

    , Dharma Shastra, Agni Purana
    Agni Purana
    The Agni Purana, one of the 18 Mahapuranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts, contains descriptions and details of various incarnations of Vishnu. It also has details account about Rama, Krishna, Prithvi, and the stars...

     and Mathematical Calculations. Besides being a very knowledgeable person he is also a very pious man. He translates the Kartā's vision into an architectural design based on stipulations.
  3. Sutra Grahaṇi : The Chief Engineer (can be equated) as he is the person who translates the architecture into actual geometrical dimensions. He is equally proficient in all the required knowledge and most often is the son of the Mukhya Sthapati.
  4. Bārdhanikas : The masons, the stone setters
  5. Takṣaka : The sculptor with hands that create poetry in stone does all the magnificent carvings and engravings of various forms that has left us spell bound.


Besides these primary set of specialists, various supportive functions are carried out by other people.

Material selection

Primarily certain classes of stones are considered auspicious for the construction of Kalinga deula (temples). Shilpa Chandrika, an ancient architecture book define some specific seven varieties of stone as ideal and specific types are used for certain portions of the temple :
  1. Sahaṇa
  2. Chhita Sāhaṇa
  3. Baḍa Pagaḍa
  4. Dhobā Kuṇḍa
  5. Rasa Chiṇḍa
  6. Niḷa Kusāṇa


Though clay bricks have been used in very rare cases most Kalingan temples are built using these stones.

Site Selection

Various aspects like type of soil, shape of the Plot, location of the plot, availability and type of space and ground water level, etc. are taken into consideration while selecting the site. Color, density, composition and moisture content of the soil discriminates between the best,middle, sub-middle and worst kind of soil. Based on Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...

, a rectangular, square, elliptical or circular plot of land is selected in order of preference.

Naga Bāndhēṇi

This is an intricate and ancient method in Shilpa Shastra
Shilpa Shastras
Shilpa Shastras is an umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe manual arts, the standards for religious Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, as well as rules of Hindu architecture.Sixty-four such arts or crafts, sometimes called ...

, by which the temples direction and the auspicious moment for beginning the sacred construction is determined. Like the present day Geomorphology
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...

, Seismology
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...

, Topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...

 etc., probably this is some ancient science which guides the architect to understand natural forces and build stable massive structures in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

.

Scale Model

The Mukhya Sthaptya (Main Sculptor similar to Chief Architect) creates a scale model based on traditional stipulations and takes the Karta's (producer / financier) approval. In many instances we see such depictions on walls and motifs.

Potā and piṭha (Mobile Foundation)

By observing conventional masonry and going through the following steps of the preparation of otā and piṭha the foundation of a templecould be understood:
  1. A square or rectangular area is dug out depending on the type and combination of temple proposed at the center of the preselected Nāgabandhani plot of land.
  2. The depth of this Potā is 1/3 of the height of the proposed temple, from plinth level.
  3. The length and width of this Potā (pit) is always sufficiently broader than the diameter of the proposed temple.
  4. Hard stone slabs are laid at the bottom to create a level.
  5. Then with uniformly cut hard stones, the four walls of the Potā are erected and the outer perimeter space between the pit wall and ground is properly filled with soil.
  6. The Asṭadala Padma Chakaḍā (Eight lotus petal shaped), is then laid at the exact spot required. This is a square or rectangular shape of hard uniform stone slab at the center of which an eight petaled lotus shape in exact geometric proportions is engraved. The petals are aligned to the north, north-east, east, southeast, south, south-west, west and north-west. The exact perpendicular line through the center of this Asṭadala Padma Chakaḍā determines the axis (rekhā/meru) of the temple. The traditional method of such alignment is termed as Sanku.
  7. Thereafter the Potā is properly packed up with large pieces of stone and soil, probably pressed down by elephant
    Elephant
    Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

    s.
  8. The Potā (pit) is leveled off at ground level with huge and thick cut theodolite stones.
  9. Another layer of theodolite stones, corresponding to the shape and size of the ground plan called the piṭha is constructed. This is the base of the temple. In many instances, we see this piṭha at various levels of elevation.

Bhunaksā (the ground plan)

Keeping the Sanku (the vertical axis through the center of Asṭadala Padma Chakaḍā) as the exact center of Garbhagruha, the ground plan of the proposed temple is engraved by the Sthapati and Sutragrahaṇi with the help of a sharp edged instrument, on the perfectly leveled Piṭha. As temples in every of their details depend on proportions, complex ancient methods are used for correct geometric designing and executing the ground plan (bhunaksa) to ensure long term stability and aesthetic appearance of these huge structures. Simplicity or intricacy of the temple is reflected in this ground plan.

Thereafter, the Bardhanikas set about precut stones, under the strict vigilance of Sutragrahaṇi as per the Bhunaksa, deula gaddanni has started.

Deuḷa (Temple of Orissa)

Temple architecture in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 evoluted over a long period of time. Stipulated architectural principles with ample provision for artistic improvisation enabled the progressive generations. Temples in Orissa are based on certain fundamental principles of stability and take cue from the human body. The superstructure is basically divided into 3 parts, the Bāḍa (Lower Limb), The Ganḍi (Body) & the The Cuḷa/Mastaka (Head). Accordingly, treatment to the different parts, are given from the architecture to the final ornamentation of the Temple.

Classification

  • Rekhā deuḷa
  • Padma Garbha
  • Ratha Jukta
  • Meru Saili

Examples of Rekha deuḷa are Lingaraja Temple (Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...

), Jagannath Temple
Jagannath Temple
-India:*Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Koraput, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Nayagarh, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India*Jagannath Temple, Delhi, India...

 (Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

)
  • Piḍha deuḷa
  • Dwichallia Pidhha
  • Nahachallia Pidhha
  • Kathachalia Pidhha
  • Ghantashree Mohana
  • Pidhha Mohana
  • Naddu Mohana

Example: Konark temple, Konark
Konark
Konark is a small town in Puri district in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometers from Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple , built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a World Heritage Site...


  • Baitaḷa /Khakarā deuḷa

Example: Baitala deula, Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...

  • Varahi Deula, Chaurasi
    Varahi Deula, Chaurasi
    Varahi Deula is an ancient 9th century built temple situated on the eastern coast of Orissa in Puri district.-History and Tradition:...

  • Durga Temple, Baideshwar
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