Religious architecture

India has been a treasure of temples for ages. The Eleventh-century witnessed numerous religious architectures by kings of the respective regions. Kings used to build huge temples and religious places to show their devotion to God and their power and wealth. In this UPSC notes on history class 7, chapter 5 we will discuss major temple constructions like Kandariya Mahadeva temple, Rajarajeshwara temple, and Jami Masjid, why tanks were made by rulers, why temples were targeted and the history of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. This article on religious architecture jots down the summary of the chapter with detailed information of significant points, considering the UPSC examination pattern. 

Temple Construction in the Early Eleventh Century

Though architecture flourished in India for ages, architecture was at its zenith during the mediaeval period. Some of the architectures were indigenous while the foreign styles of construction also impacted Indian architecture while designing temples, mosques, gardens, tanks, etc. Mughals also brought unique architecture to India.

Rajarajeshwara Temple at Thanjavur

• Rajarajeshwara temple is situated in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu
• Rajarajeshwara temple is devoted to lord shiva. Rajarajeshwara temple was constructed by King Rajarajadeva (Rajaraja I of Chola dynasty) between 1003 and 1010 AD
• He built it for the worship of a god named Rajarajeshwara
• The god’s name is similar to the name of the king. This is so because Kings used to take god’s name as it was auspicious and he wanted to appear like a God
• So, by worshipping one god honoured another
• The temple was later known as Brihadishwara by Marathas
• Rajarajeshwara temple is a world heritage site designated by UNESCO

Construction details of Rajarajeshwara Temple

• Shikhara(highest point) of Rajarajeshwara temple was the highest among all temples at that time
• Shikhara of the Rajarajeshwara temple is twice as high as that of the Kandariya Mahadeva
• 90 tonnes of stone had been used for Shikhara
• Its construction was not easy as there were no cranes at that time to lift the stone to such heights
• The stones were lifted manually. Due to this reason, the construction was carried in an inclined path to the top of the temple. This inclined path made it easier to take stones on rollers from 4kms away to avoid sudden steepness. Later these rollers were dismantled
• There’s a nearby village named Charupallam, which means the “Village of the Incline ”

Kandariya Mahadeva temple

• Kandariya Mahadeva temple is situated at Khajuraho in the state of Madhya Pradesh and it is dedicated to Lord Shiva
• Kandariya Mahadeva temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Kandariya Mahadeva temple means “The Great God of the Cave”
• This temple was constructed by king Dhangadeva of the Chandela dynasty in 999AD
• This architecture has an ornamented gateway led to an entrance and the main hall (maha mandapa) where dances were performed
• The god was kept at the main shrine(garbhagriha)
• The temple is decorated with elaborately carved sculptures
• Garbhagriha was a place where priests, the king, and his immediate family could only come to worship
• Commoners were not allowed to such royal temples (like Kandariya Mahadeva temple)

The lesser deities in temples were subordinates of the King of the region. So it can be inferred that the temple’s architecture was just a miniature model of a world ruled by kings and allies.

Similarly, Muslims also depicted that the rulers were like Gods. Though Muslim Sultans and Padshahs never claimed incarnations of God, the word Sultan itself means “Shadow of God”. One of the inscriptions kept in the Quwwat al-Islam mosque mentions that God chose Alauddin as the king. So the king bought harmony and order in the World.

This process continued in the coming centuries and in order to prove their close relationship with God, the kings kept on constructing places to worship gods. Rulers transformed their capitals and states into cultural centres to bring fame to the places and their rule.

Construction of Tanks and Reservoirs

• At that time, there was a belief that the rule of a king ensured constant water in the region.
• So, constructing tanks and reservoirs, whether big or small, for common people was praised by people.
• Sultan Iltutmish constructed a large reservoir just outside Delhi-i-Kuhna. The reservoir was named Hauz-i-Sultani meaning King’s reservoir.
• These tanks and reservoirs were also constructed around the temple. (For example Golden temple)

Why were temples targeted?

Temples were regarded as a sacred duty of the ruler. As rulers construct these buildings to demonstrate their power and wealth, during an attack other rulers targeted these buildings and destroyed them to show superiority. Hence, many temples were targeted, destroyed, or looted by invaders. 

In the ninth century Pandyan king Shrimara invaded Sri Lanka after defeating Sena I.

• The Buddhist monk and chronicler Dhammakitti stated that Pandyan king Shrimara seized the statue of Buddha made of gold and the golden images in the various monasteries. To take revenge, the next Sinhalese ruler Sena II invaded Madurai (the capital of the Pandyas) specifically to restore the gold statue of the Buddha
• Similarly in the eleventh century, Chola king Rajendra I constructed a temple where he put all the valuable statues of God and goddesses seized from defeated rulers

Another reason for temple destruction was that these temples were against the idols of Muslims.Targeting temples, robbing them harmed the beliefs of Hindus. One such Muslim ruler was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.

• Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, a contemporary of Rajendra I was the first sultan ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty in Afghanistan. He is remembered as a plunderer of India
• He tried to credit himself as a great hero of Islam, he destroyed Hindu temples, looted its wealth and idols, and destroyed wealthy India
• He raided the temples of Mathura, Somnath, Kannauj, Thanesar and Nagarkot
• His most famous raid was at Somnath temple in Gujarat (in 1026)

To sum up, it is clear that invaders were targeting temples to show their military and political success over the region.