of the Vedas; that the temple worship of the former is mostly derived from aboriginal superstitions adopted by the Brahmans, and that the latter is pure Aryan. On this theory Fergusson tried to explain the origin of the most conspicuous feature of Hindu temple architecture in Northern India, the curvilinear spire, or sikhara.
But the more the symbolism of Hindu architecture is understood, the clearer it becomes that, just as the chanting of the Vedic hymns in the temple service of to-day follows the musical traditions of three thousand years ago, born in the mountain-groves of Ariana, so the design of the temple itself is also directly derived from the sacrificial rites of the ancient Aryans in India.
Throughout these Vedic rites, as described in the Brāhmanas, one can trace the same structural elements, though in a primitive form, and the same symbolism as are found in the Silpa-sāstras, the canonical books of Hindu craftsmen. In Hindu temples the ceremonies connected with the worship of the Fire-spirit, Agni, began with the construction of huts or tabernacles of various shapes, oriented differently in relation to the house, and with doors facing different points of the compass.[1] These sacrificial tabernacles, though per-
- ↑ In the Agny-ādhēya, or consecration of the household fires, there was a round hut placed on the west with doors on the east and south; a square hut on the east with doors on the east and west; a crescent-shaped hearth for one fire, and a round hearth for another, etc. (see Barnett, Antiquities of India, pp. 156-7). Very similar instructions for the building of temples are given in Mānasāra. Thus a temple of Brahmā, the Creator, must have a door on all four sides—the four doors of the sky. A temple of Vishnu, the Preserver, must have one door facing the rising sun, Vishnu taking the place of Sūrya, the ancient Aryan sun-god. A temple of Siva, the Lord of Death, must have one door facing the setting sun. A Brahmā pillar was square, a Vishnu pillar octagonal, and a Siva pillar sixteen-sided. A plain cylindrical pillar symbolised Chandra, the Moon.
