The temple and its plan

The surrounding spaces provide room for the temple's worship, festivals and life in its town.

✦The gate and the circles around the shrine

A gopuram (கோபுரம்) is a tower over an entrance; the vimana stands over the sanctum. A large temple may have towers in several enclosure walls. Chidambaram has gateways on all four sides. A tall entrance tower is not necessary to every Siva temple: the surviving stone temple at Sivapuram near Kanchipuram has no gopuram.

A prakaram (பிரகாரம், திருச்சுற்று) is an enclosure and the space for walking within it. Descriptions of South Indian temple complexes give a range from one to seven surrounding circuits; the number depends partly on whether surrounding streets are included. Tiruvidaimarudur is described as having four prakarams, or five when the street is counted. The circuits are numbered from the sanctum outwards: 1 is innermost.

These functions can share one enclosure. At Tiruvannamalai, the third prakaram contains the Goddess's temple, a wedding hall and temple kitchens; at Tiruvidaimarudur, the outer Asvamedha circuit surrounds both the Lord's and the Goddess's temples.

✦Sacred water and a living tree

The tirukkulam (திருக்குளம்), or temple tank, belongs to the temple's sacred water, tirtham. Its position varies. At Tirumarugal, the tank lies opposite the entrance; at Chidambaram, Sivaganga lies in the northern part of the third large enclosure. Water participates in purification and festival rites; a tank is also a built place with steps, banks and a life that depends on water being maintained.

The sthala vriksha (தலமரம்) is the plant sacred to that particular place. It is not always the same species, nor always in the same direction. Tirumarugal has the marugal banana; Tiruvidaimarudur has the marudu tree; Tiruvanmiyur has a vanni tree in the northwest of its outer enclosure. Tree, water and divine form give a temple its local identity. Read The 276 Padal Petra Sthalams for that geography.

The entrance, flagstaff, offering pedestal, Nandi and halls prepare the approach to the linga.

✦Vinayaka and the festival flag

Vinayaka, பிள்ளையார், is typically saluted at the beginning, as the Lord who removes obstacles. His image may be at a gateway, beside the entrance to a hall, or in a separate shrine. Chidambaram's western entrance has Vinayaka shrines near it; Tirumarugal has Muthu Vinayaka beside the tank and Vinayaka beside the approach to the Lord.

The dhvajastambham (துவஜஸ்தம்பம்), கொடிமரம், is the temple flagstaff. Typically it stands on the main shrine's approach. Raising the festival flag, kodiyetram, opens the festival's ritual period. Kodikkavi, especially verse 1, reads the raising of the flag as the soul's reaching grace; its remembered setting is Chidambaram.

✦The pedestal and the waiting bull

The bali-pitham (பலிபீடம்) is the pedestal for ritual offerings. Kamika Agama, Purva 4.376–378, includes bali among offerings to the attendant beings and cosmic elements. Devotees are also taught to leave pride and the claim of “mine” before approaching the Lord; that inward explanation gives the pedestal a meaning to carry into worship.

Nandi (நந்தி), Siva's bull, typically faces the Lord along the same axis. His posture makes an enduring act of attention visible. At an east-facing shrine, Nandi stands to its east and faces west. At west-facing Tiruvanmiyur, the approach comes from the west. Tirumarugal's entrance sequence names the flagstaff, bali-pitham and Nandi before the raised approach to the shrine. Their spacing and arrangement vary.

✦Halls and the inner chamber

The mandapams (மண்டபங்கள்) provide space for gathering, recitation, offerings and festival rites. A mukha-mandapam is an entrance hall; a maha-mandapam is a larger hall. A wedding hall or a dance hall serves a particular part of the temple's life. Not every temple has every hall.

The ardhamandapam (அர்த்தமண்டபம்) is the hall immediately before the sanctum. Beyond it is the garbhagriham, கருவறை, the inner chamber. In the typical Siva temple the consecrated linga stands within it, on its pedestal, the avudaiyar (ஆவுடையார்). The temple's main axis draws sight towards that presence. Access to the chamber itself follows the temple's priestly and ritual practice; the devotee's darisanam is typically from outside its doorway.

The wall images show recognisable forms and functions around the central linga.

Koshta (கோஷ்டம்), also தேவகோட்டம், means the niche in a shrine's outer wall. Its image is a koshta deity. Some niches belong to the sanctum itself, others to the ardhamandapam. Typically the image faces outwards from its wall.

The following arrangement is documented at Sivapuram near Kanchipuram, in its account of the temple's structure and sculptures. It gives a concrete example for an east-facing plan.

The functions name the forms worshipped; they do not supply a separate cosmic explanation for every compass position. The temple's inherited arrangement places them in relation to the main shrine.

A rear niche does not invariably contain Lingodbhavar. At Ramanatha Isvarar, Esalam, the south niche has Veenadhara Dakshinamurti, the west has seated Vishnu, and the north has Brahma; its ardhamandapam has Ganapati to the south and Vishnu Durga to the north. At west-facing Tiruvanmiyur, Vishnu occupies the eastern rear wall. The main shrine's orientation matters when reading the plan.

A surrounding shrine's position, its facing and its purpose are three different things to notice.

The groups describe a two-enclosure teaching plan with an east-facing main shrine. They combine familiar placements with named examples; larger temples distribute these shrines across more circuits. “Typically” describes a recurring arrangement, not a requirement that every temple contain every shrine.

The Navagrahas, நவக்கிரகங்கள், are Surya, Chandra, Angaraka, Budha, Guru, Sukra, Sani, Rahu and Ketu. Typically they occupy a raised pavilion, but their arrangement varies: the Lalgudi Saptarishisvarar group has the other eight turned towards Surya. Tiruvanmiyur has no separate Navagraha shrine. The Goddess's temple and the Nataraja sabha also have their own approaches and rites; their positions cannot be obtained simply by rotating the main shrine's plan.

Chandesvara's shrine recalls devotion received as responsibility for the Lord's possessions.

✦The devotee given an office

Chandesvara (சண்டேசுவரர்), also called Chandikesvara, is both a Nayanmar and the steward remembered in temple worship. Periya Puranam, Mummaiyal ulaganda sarukkam, Chandesvara Nayanar puranam 23–30 and 46–59, tells of Vicharasarman tending cattle and offering their milk to a sand linga. His father interrupts the worship and kicks over the milk; the boy's staff becomes an axe and severs his father's feet. Siva appears with Uma, receives the boy as His son and gives him the Chandesvara office. The father too receives Sivaloka.

In verse 56, Siva assigns him what He has eaten from, worn and adorned Himself with. The Lord's vessels, clothes and garlands belong within his care. Read Stories of the Nayanmars for the story and its difficult act; the temple shrine carries its remembrance into daily worship.

✦Beside the northern outlet

Chandesvara's shrine is typically north of the main sanctum, facing south near the channel that carries out its abhishekam water. The outlet is called the gomukhi (கோமுகி); the watercourse is the somasutra (சோமசூத்திரம்). Water that has bathed the consecrated linga leaves through it. Its course is respected in the walk around the shrine.

✦How devotees salute him

A Saiva worship guide describes devotees seeking his leave for offerings received as the Lord's blessing, and rubbing their hands to signify that they carry away no other temple property. Another contemporary account records gentle clapping, spoken acknowledgement and rubbing the palms as different customs. Clapping is sometimes explained as drawing the attention of a devotee absorbed in meditation. These customs differ; follow the gesture taught at the temple rather than making a loud sound or leaving stray threads and objects on his image.

Circumambulation honours the shrine, while the northern watercourse interrupts an otherwise complete circle.

✦The ordinary clockwise walk

Pradakshinam (பிரதட்சிணம்), வலம் வருதல், is typically clockwise, keeping the shrine on the right. Before an east-facing shrine, this means proceeding from the eastern approach towards the south, then west and north. A circuit through an outer prakaram need not have the same restrictions as the narrow walk immediately around the sanctum.

At the main shrine's northern abhishekam outlet, the watercourse is not stepped across in the observance described by Saiva worship guides. The devotee turns back rather than completing the inner circle across it. This is why a simple instruction to “walk all the way round” is insufficient for that walk.

✦The somasutra route

Somasutra pradakshinam is the turning route associated especially with Pradosham; some temples keep it at other times too. It alternates directions between Nandi, Chandesvara and the outlet without crossing the watercourse. One recorded Pradosha sequence begins at Nandi, goes anticlockwise to Chandesvara and returns clockwise past Nandi towards the other approach to the outlet. Further turns revisit these points and end before Nandi. It is a prescribed local movement, rather than a free choice to circle the sanctum anticlockwise.

The route's turns and repetitions are learnt from the temple's own practice. A short return at the outlet during an ordinary visit and the fuller Pradosha route are related observances, but are not necessarily the same sequence.

✦An order of attention

Typically a visit begins with Vinayaka and a salutation at the main approach; Nandi is honoured before the Lord's darisanam. Worship of the Goddess and subsidiary shrines follows the arrangement and custom of the temple. Chandesvara is commonly saluted near the close of the inner worship, followed by a return towards the flagstaff and a moment of sitting quietly.

The order is not identical everywhere. At Tiruvidaimarudur, the customary visit uses different gateways for entry and departure; at Tiruvanmiyur, the west-facing Lord changes the approach. Read Worship and daily practice for the offerings, sacred ash, five letters and sung praise that accompany the walk.

The temple gives bodily form to worship, and Tirumular carries its forms into the worshipper's interior.

✦An architectural correspondence

The architectural body comparison treats the temple as an embodiment of Siva: the sanctum as His head, the halls as His body and the entrance as His feet. Such a correspondence helps the devotee understand the building as an ordered whole. It does not replace the practical functions of chambers, courts and halls.

✦Tirumular's inward temple

Tirumantiram, Tantra 7, Sivapujai, verse 1823, gives a different, explicit correspondence. It begins with the interior and names the mouth, soul and senses.

The verse calls for clarified seeing. Siddhanta reads the soul's relation to Siva through His grace; the soul does not become the independent Lord. Tirumular's mapping also differs from the architectural body account: his mouth is the entrance, and his interior is the temple. Each comparison carries its own teaching.

✦Four paths in one place of worship

The Agamas connects temple life with conduct, ritual, yoga and knowledge. The four paths are named in Tirumantiram, Tantra 5, verse 1449, and unfolded in Sivagnana Siddhiar, Supakkam 270.

The four can meet in the same devotee's life. Sivagnana Bodham, sutra 12, returns the freed knower to the devotees and the temple; knowledge gives worship depth. Read Sivagnana Bodham and Unmai Vilakkam, whose closing verses 52–54 honour guru, linga and the fellowship of devotees.

Read a temple's own arrangement beside the Agamas, the Tamil poems and its living worship.

✦Texts and teachings

• The Agamas: architectural and ritual teaching within the four padas.
• Tirumantiram: Tantra 7, Sivapujai 1823, and the four paths in Tantra 5.
• Sivagnana Bodham: sutra 12, the devotees and temple in the life of the knower.
• Unmai Vilakkam: Nataraja's gestures and the closing worship of guru, linga and sangama.
• Kodikkavi: the flag and the soul's reaching grace.
• Stories of the Nayanmars: Chandesvara and the lives remembered around the shrine.
• Worship and daily practice: offerings, sacred ash, mantra and Tirumurai singing.
• Nataraja and the five acts: the dance worshipped in the sabha.

✦Tamil and Agamic passages

• Kamika Agama, Purva Pada, translated by S. P. Sabharathanam: 4.376–378 on offerings and bali; chapter 62 on lingas; chapter 67 on locating shrines; chapter 68 on installation. Chapter 67 includes settlement planning as well as temple matters, and is not a single diagram for every temple.
• Tirumantiram, Seventh Tantra, Project Madurai: Sivapujai begins at 1823.
• Periya Puranam, Project Madurai: Mummaiyal ulaganda sarukkam, Chandesvara Nayanar puranam, particularly 46–59 and the office bestowed in 56.

✦Named temples and walking customs

• Tamil Virtual Academy's temple accounts: Sivapuram, Esalam, Tirukkandiyur, Tiruvidaimarudur and Tirumarugal. Their architectural and sculpture sections give the named arrangements discussed above.
• Chidambaram's temple plan, Tamil Virtual Academy, sections 4.2.1–4.2.2: the south-facing Nataraja shrine, gateways, tank and halls.
• Marundeesvarar, Tiruvanmiyur and Tripurantakar, Tiruvirkolam: descriptions of inner and outer walks and subsidiary shrines.
• Tiruvidaimarudur's entry and departure custom, Dinamalar: a description of using different gateways.
• Navagraha arrangements, Solvanam: named examples including Lalgudi.
• Temple management and the Agamas, an eSamskriti republication of a Hinduism Today discussion of Deepa Duraiswamy's work: the temple as Siva's body.
• Tiruvannamalai's third prakaram, Arunachala Samudra: the Goddess's temple, halls and working spaces.
• Temple worship procedures and Somasutra pradakshinam, Shaivam: an order of worship and a fuller turning route at Pradosham.
• Worship procedure at Siva temples, TN Temples Project: common subsidiary-shrine positions and differing gestures before Chandesvara.