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PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE - KATHMANDU

1. NEPAL TEMPLES - ORIGIN

The present temple architecture of Nepal with characteristics of Pagodas, made of wood ,bricks and tiles of tiered roofing are dated fairly early, starting from the Lichchavi dynasty (5th to 8th century CE), if not earlier and were later followed by the Malla dynasty. However the origins of these temples structure are based on very little evidence or inscriptions and are based on assumptions.




These multi tiered temples of Nepal especially in the Kathmandu valley look very similar to the structural temples in Himachal Pradesh,the Malabar coast in south of India, Bali in Indonesia,China, korea and Japan. Experts assign the origins of these Nepalese storied temples to various sources including India and China and some attributing it to the indigenous style of Nepal itself.

Knowledge about the Brahminical temples of the Lichchavi's are derived from very limited sources , including two brief references from inscriptions and from a Chinese envoy in Nepal named Wang Hieun ts'e in the middle of the 7th century.

In an inscription of Saka 388 corresponding to 466 CE of the Lichchavi dynasty, a mention is made of the installation of a Shivalingam in a Prasada or pinnacle or a high raised platform referring to the Pashupatinath. Similarly an inscription in the Changu Narayan Temple dated 467 CE of King Manadeva l, the idol of Shri Garuda Narayana is installed in a Bhavana.
Further a word called Devakula was also very popular in the Kathmandu valley starting from the Lichchavi period(400-750 CE) to the later Malla period(1201-1482 CE). The word Prasada or Bhavana or Devakula thus would constitute to an existing structure which could only be a temple in any form including a single cell, a niche, a fenced area, an aedecule, a wall as a back drop, an open space with a Jagati or raised platform or a full fledged temple.
The Kailasanathar Temple Kanchipuram, has 58 miniature temples fencing around the main temple called Devakulika. The Pashupatinath temple also has a sub shrine of the same nature in its compound.

So the presumption would be that the early temples were simple structures, with raised platforms,open sky or with metal canopy supported by pillars over the main Idol, resembling a pavilion or mandapam(instead of well defined Garbhagriha's), which are very common in the Kathmandu valley including that of the Guhayeshwari and Kirateshvara temple in the Pashupatinath extended Courtyard even to this day.

The Sanskrit inscription of King Jayadeva ll of the Lichchavi's in the 733 CE, offering a silver Lotus Canopy to Mahadev Pashupatinath, presumably describes the temple as in existence, with the walls embossed with silver on the Vedi or plinth or Jagati or raised pedestal layed with gilded metal. Further it is not clear wether the Silver Lotus was to be suspended from the ceiling as a lantern or was to be used as a parasol over the Lingam, leading to a conclusion that the Pashupatinath temple was more of an open place, standing on a pedestal, walls with doorways enclosing the Lingam and an open sky during this period.

The early temples in Kathmandu valley were simple structures and assumed the grandeur of multi roofed forms or Shikhara style from a later period, approximated around or after the 11th century CE. Infact no record earlier than the 11th century speak about large grand temple in Nepal.

The Gopalarajavamsavali a hand written manuscript from the 14th century CE highlights the lineage of the Kings of Nepal and gives accounts of some temples for the first time only from the 11th century some of which are as follows:

King Sankaradeva (c.1069-1082), built a temple to Samkaresvara at Nandisala (modern Naxal) and had a copper roof donated to it
King Sivadeva (e.1098-1126) donated a golden roof to Pashupati témple
King AnandadeVa (c.1147-1167) donated a copper roof to the Sivagla temple
King Somesaradeva (c.1178- 1183) built a ‘big temple at Yodyam and had it decorated with lovely wood carvings’ King Jayabhimadeva (c.1258-1271) donated a copper roof to the Changu Narayana temple
Princess Viramadevi donated a roof to the Indrakuta temple (Panauti Indresvara temple) in NS 414(c.1294), and her son Jayasaktideva (c. 1276-1515) donated a dhvaja to it.
King Anantamalladeva (c.1274-1308) offered a golden roof, four golden horses at four corners, and a dhvaja to Pashupati temple

Inscriptional evidence to temple construction activity becomes more and more abundant and overwhelming, later on.

The inference therefore is the current multi roofed grand temples of Nepal would have been reconstructed many a times starting as late as the 11th to 14century CE. But that does not mean a non existence of the same temples in the earlier period. They would have been very simple and in all probability open sky temples with the compound, plinth, one wall on which the Idol would have been embossed or a central pit for installation of Lingam or Idol as defined earlier.

This write up is referenced from a presentation by Shri Prayag Raj Sharma from Tribhuvan University, who has methodically fragmented the era of the temple and their Origins in terms of historical periods and the advancement of temple architecture over the ages. Thank you Sir , a great inspiration for iconographic and architectural studies for students.

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