A mandapa (मंडप in Hindi/Sanskrit, also spelled mantapa or mandapam) in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.[1]
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Temple architecture
In the Hindu temple the mandapa is a porch-like structure through the (gopuram) (ornate gateway) and leading to the temple. It is used for religious dancing and music and is part of the basic temple compound.[2] The prayer hall was generally built in front of the temple's sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). A large temple would have many mandapas.[3]
If a temple has more that one mandapa, each one is allocated for a different function and given a name to reflect its use. For example, a mandapa dedicated to divine marriage is referred to as a kalyana mandapa.[4] Often the hall was pillared and the pillars adorned with intricate carvings.[5] In contemporary terms, it also represents a structure within which a Hindu wedding is performed. The Bride & Groom encircle a holy fire lit by the officiating priest in the center of the Mandapa.[1]
Name variations
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When a temple has more than one mandapa, they are given different names.[3]
- gMaha
- mandapa
- Ranga Mandapa
- Meghanath Mandapa
- Namaskara Mandapa
- Kalyana Mandapa
- Open Mandapa
- Jagamohan.
- Artha Mandapam — intermediary space between the sanctum sanctorum and the temple exterior
- Asthana Mandapam — assembly hall
- Kalyana Mandapam — dedicated to ritual marriage celebration of the Lord with Goddess
- Maha Mandapam — big hall for conducting religious discourses
Other languages
The Burmese term mandat, which has etymological origins in Pali mandapa is an open platform from which people spray water to passers-by during the Buddhist festival Thingyan.
A mandapa in Thai is a mondop. It features often in Thai temple art and architecture, either in the form of a Hor Trai (a temple library) or as an altar shrine such as the one in Wat Chiang Man in Chiang Mai.
Notes
- ^ Thapar, Binda (2004). Introduction to Indian Architecture. Singapore: Periplus Editions. p. 143. ISBN 0-7946-0011-5.
- ^ Ching, Francis D.K. (1995). A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. New York: John Wiley and Sons. p. 253. ISBN 0-471-82451-3.
- ^ a b "Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent - Glossary". http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Thapar, Binda (2004). Introduction to Indian Architecture. Singapore: Periplus Editions. p. 43. ISBN 0-7946-0011-5.
- ^ "Glossary of Indian Art". art-and-archaeology.com. http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/glossary1.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mandapa |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mondop in Thailand |
- Photo of four-pillared Kakatiya mandapa
- Photo of relief in a mandapa
- Floor plan of North Indian temple with mandapa
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