Temples with Multiple Garbhagrhas: An Iconographic Consideration of Selected Indian Monuments

Hindu temples are raised to their deities. They are a means to acknowledge the deity and to enshrine his/her images. People honour and worship the deity. Within the Hindu pantheon, there is an array of divinities spread over three major sects Þ Vaisnava, Saiva and Sakta. All these sects have stemmed from the Vedic teachings and beliefs. Normally a temple is devoted to a single diety, having a solitary sanctum (garbhagrha), called ekakuta. In this volume, the author, through his serious research, has made a sincere attempt to identify, present and feature about one hundred temples with multiple garbhagrhas which are categorized as dvikuta, trikuta, catuskuta, pancakuta, saptakuta, navakuta and caunsath yogini temple. This book delves deep into the details of these temples: their historical milieu, their iconography, the application of mandala(s) to their plans and so on. It also attempts to correct those errors crept in the earlier studies of other researchers in understanding and detailing a few multiple garbhagrhas. The author has given a brief description of such temples and has made a sincere effort to provide a relatively precise scale rendering of those temples, in a size and format, commensurate with their importance. This volume can serve architects, temple planners, researchers, vastu experts and even historians as a sourcebook on temples with multiple garbhagrhas.