TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

Himachal Pradesh, amid the Himalayan mountain range, is a land of Gods. The temple is where the past intersects with the present through belief. Various cultural streams hsve enriched the art forms of Himaachal Pradesh in the wake of numerous migrations. Thousands of temples and religious places are there in Himachal, some of which have been built time immemorial.

The prominent types of temple architecture based on roof styles are:

(1) The ‘Pent’ roof and veranda

The pent-roofed temples are indigenously styled circular or rectangular structures with slanting roofs made of rows and rows of slates, designed, in keeping with the climatic conditions of the region, to keep heavy rainfall and snowfall from covering these structures for more than short intervals. The roof extends over the covered ‘veranda’ which serves the purpose of ‘Pradakshina’ round the shrine. An interesting feature very specific to these hill temples is the peculiar arrangement of wood and stone in building the walls. Wooden beams are laid at right angles of the walls, and intervening spaces are filled up with stone which holds itself quite beautifully protecting the inmates from harsh climatic conditions.

Most remarkable among these temples are Lakshana Devi temple (Brahmaur), Shakti Devi (Chhatrari in Chamba), Kali Devi, also known as Mirkula Devi (Lahaul) and Bijli Mahadev (Kullu).

Mirkula Devi Temple - Pent Roofed Style

(2)The Pagoda Style

Pagoda temples are similar to the above mentioned pent-roofed temples in plan and style. The difference lies in the superstructure.The Padoga Style temples comprised of rectangular stone and wood structures with successive roofs, placed one over the other making them in some cases look like multi-storey edifices. Each superimposed storey is slightly smaller than the one below forming a slanting linear structure at a sharp angle surmounted by a metal púrnakalasa at the top.Each slanting roof consists of rows of slates, much like the roofs on the pent-roofed temples, designed to shed water and ice in winters.These temples are believed to have Chinese or Tibetian influence in their architecture. Outside Himachal Pradesh, Pagoda style is found in Kashmir, Nepal and Maynmar.

Famous among this category includes Hidimba Devi or Doongari ( Manali), Tripura Sundari (Naggar, Kullu), Adi Brahma (at Khokan, Kullu), Sungara Maheshwara (Kinnaur).

Hidimba Devi Temple - Pagoda Style

Related: Art and Crafts of Himachal Pradesh

(3) Pyramidical

The Pyramidal style of roof temples are built on square plinths. In which, all the four lowereaves of the temple roof are of equal length and the roof goes on narrowing towards centreforming pyramid like roof in the centre. 

 

Hateshwari Devi and Shiva temples at Hatkoti and Mahasu and Shiva temples at Deora in Jubbal (Shimla) are examples of Pyramidical architecture.

Hateshwari Temple- Pyramidical

(4) Satluj Valley Style (A blend of pent roof and pagoda style) 

A blend of pent roof and pagoda style. It is a style of mandap with one or more pagoda roofs above the garbh griha that correspond to shikhar of a classical temple, usually at one end of the building but sometimes in the centre.

Bhimakali Temple (Sarahan, Shimla), Bahna Mahadev and Dhaneshwari Devi (Nethar) in Outer Seraj are noted ones.

Satluj Valley Style - Bhimakali Temple

Ancient History of Himachal Pradesh

(5) Shikara Style or Nagara Style

Sikhara type temples are called as Nagara group of temple architecture. The Nagara temples in Himachal Pradeshbroadly follow the overall form and design of the typical Indo-Aryan stone temples. Some minor modifications were made in the form of these temples of the plains to adapt them to the climatic conditions of the hill areas like. In this style there is a tower like conical formation built of stone and decorated with carvings. The top of shikhar has amalaka, the circular sun-disc. It has got all the essential elements of a Hindu temple. It has got mandap (porch), garbh-griha (sanctum sanctorum) and shikhar (tower).

Vidyanath’s temple at Baijnath (Kangra district), Laxmi Narayan temple (Chamba district), Bajaura temple (Kullu district) and Thakurwada at Masroor (Kangra district) fall under this category.

Shikara Style- Masroor Rock Cut Temple

(6) The Domed Style

This style is the direct outcome of the Mughal and the Sikh rule. The shrines built in the 18^th and 19^th centuries by the local rulers are representing the domed style. 

 

Some of the important shrines belonging to this category are Jawalamukhi and Brajeshwari Temple (Kangra), Chintpurni (Una), Kameshwar Temple (Mandi) and Tarna Temple (Mandi), Naina Devi (Bilaspur).

The Domed Style -Jawalamukhi Temple

(7)Flat-roofed Temples of Kangra Valley

In this category shrines have ordinary walls in mud and lime plaster and the remarkable paintings executed in the traditional pahari style around the Ramayana and Mahabharta.

Famous among this category includes Narbadeshwar Temple (Sujanpur-Tira, Hamirpur), Ramgopal Temple (Damtal, Kangra)

Flat-roofed  - Narbadeshwar Temple

Related: 

River and Drainage system in Himachal Pradesh