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| Sketch of ornate South Indian Hindu temple x.com/ |
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| South Indian temple part open, shutterstock.com |
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| Madapam Andal Renga Mannar Temple,Sri Villiputhur, TN tripadvisor.in |
Pillars play a very an important role in various cultures across the globe. So are they in the traditions and cultures across India. They symbolize religious, political and historical perspectives. For the monarchy, they stand as a symbol of victory or power. In politics, they may stand as memorials to the departed leaders of repute or people died for a cause. In the places of worship - in the Hindu temples they symbolize the supremacy of all- pervading God over other things including the king or local head..........
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| sculptured pillar with eaves and brackets La pakshi temple, APasoulwindow.com |
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| Ranganathar temple, hanging eaves Srirangam,thehindu.com |
Above image: A big mandapam at Srirangam Ranganathar temple, TN. A mandapa is a portico or colonnaded (series of columns placed at regular intervals) hall that provides space for a large number of worshippers. Dances, religious discourses and some rituals linked to the temple are held here. Some temples have multiple colonnaded mandapas in different sizes named as Ardhamandapa, Mandapa, and Mahamandapa.....
The architecture of Hindu temples is not merely a matter of stone and sculpture but a spiritual expression that embodies divinity in physical form. Among the most important structural and symbolic elements of a temple are its pillars and mandapas (halls). These do not just serve as architectural supports; they reflect the unity of religion, politics, history, and philosophy besides providing sacred space for worship, rituals, and community gatherings.
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| Heliodorus pillar 113 BCE , MP. upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image: Ashoka was first to establish India’s first pillar commemorating his kingship. He had more than 84000 free-standing stone pillars built marking the 84000 relics of Buddha across India. They were topped by a royal symbol, confirming their political and religious connotations. Unfortunately, only a handful of them are left behind today........
Many Hindu Maharajahs ruled their kingdoms in the name of gods or goddess. The Nayaks of Madurai ruled the kingdom in the name of Goddess Meenakshi. The rulers of Travancore ruled their kingdom on behalf of God Vishnu, Padmanabha Swamy. Naturally, in many parts of a Hindu temple, including the pillars, you can see the stone carved images of god or something related to divinity.
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| Meenakshi temple, Madurai omspiritualshop.com |
Above images Top. The 16th-century Thousand Pillar Hall at Madurai’s Meenakshi Temple features richly carved yali pillars, each displaying distinctive postures and expressions.
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| Puthu Mandapam, Meenakshi temple,Maduraimaduraitourism.co. |
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| 1000 pillar hall Meenakshi temple, Madurai. seawatersports.com |
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| Sculpted pillars at Shesharayar mandapam,Srirangam talesofanomad.com |
From the earliest times, pillars have been revered in Indian culture. They stand as emblems of religious ideals, memorials to monarchs, and representations of cosmic order. In temples, a pillar or stambha often bears inscriptions and carvings of deities, signifying that divinity pervades every part of the sacred complex. For instance, the Dwajasthambam (flag pole) in front of the sanctum represents victory of the divine, while oil lamps or vilakkus signify the triumph of light over darkness.
In Kerala temples, tortoise-shaped lamp-stands called ammai vilakku symbolize the primordial support of the universe, integrating the pancha boothas—the five elements of nature: sky, air, fire, water, and earth—each associated with gods such as Paramesvara, Vayu, Agni, Varuna, Vishnu, Bhudevi, and Brahma. Thus, pillars themselves embody cosmic balance and divine energy.
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| Stone oil lamp (Kal Vilakku), Kerala temple invisstock.com |
Countless Hindu temples across south India have huge halls - mantapas supported by rows of decorative pillars. There are some mantapas that have more than 900 pillars. In Tamil Nadu Srirangam Ranganathar temple and Madurai Meenakshi temple have 1000 pillar mandapams. Calling them 1000 pillar hall (Aayiram Kaal mandapam) is not right and they actually have less than 1000 columns. .......
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| 1000 pillar hall, Ranganathar temple, Srirangam, TN, talesofanomad.com |
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| Musicalpillars ofNellaiappar temple, Tirunelveli, TN |
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| Hampi Sri Vittala temple swamiindology.blogspot.com |
Above image: Musical Pillars are standing testimony to the ancient sculptors and their innate artistic and musical skills. Sri Vijaya Vittala temple was built in 15th century. It has 56 musical pillars known as SAREGAMA pillars representing seven musical notes..............
Pillared halls that form an integral part of the templemay come indifferent size and design - square, rectangular, circular, or octagonal. Some are open to allow air and light, while others are closed, creating a solemn atmosphere for rituals. The purpose of mandapas is both practical and spiritual: they accommodate large gatherings of devotees, host discourses, rituals, dances, and festivals, and serve as transitional spaces leading toward the sanctum. In this sense, the mandapa is not merely an architectural unit but a sacred arena where humanity engages with the divine.
Several temples in South India are famous for their mandapas with numerous carved pillars. The Srivilliputhur Andal Renga Mannar Temple in Tamil Nadu, associated with the life of Andal, has exquisitely carved mandapas that depict episodes from the Divya Prabandham. The Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai is renowned for its Aayiram Kaal Mandapam (Thousand Pillar Hall), with finely sculpted pillars portraying gods, goddesses, celestial beings, and mythistone cal animals. The Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam also has a celebrated hall of pillars, used during Araiyar Sevai and Vaikunta Ekadasi festivities.
Stone pillars,Rameswaram temple,TN
shutterstock.com
Similarly, the Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram has the world’s longest temple corridor lined with nearly 1,000 pillars, each resonating with artistic brilliance. The Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram, dedicated to cosmic dance, has pillared halls where festivals such as Natyanjali are performed, emphasizing the union of art and divinity.
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| Lathe-turned pillars,Tarakeswara temple, KA |
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| Hanging pillar, Lapakshi, AP.atlasobscura.com |
Outside Tamil Nadu, the Lepakshi Temple in Andhra Pradesh is famous for its hanging pillar, a marvel of Vijayanagara architecture. The Rudreshwara Swamy Temple in Hanamakonda, Telangana, has exactly 1,000 ornate pillars and is listed under UNESCO’s tentative heritage sites - an epitome of engineering marvel of the Kakatiya era. The Virupaksha Temple at Hampi contains mandapas with intricately carved Yalis and celestial motifs that reflect the empire’s grandeur. These examples reveal how rulers across dynasties patronized temple architecture, using mandapas and pillars not only for religious devotion but also as displays of power, artistry, and cultural vision.
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| Rudreswara TempleMandaba Hanamakonda thehansindia.com |
Mandapas also carry specific functions and symbolism, with each part compared to the human body. The entrance gopuram stands for the feet, while the garbhagriha (sanctum) is regarded as the head, the seat of consciousness. Between them lie various mandapas: the Mukha Mandapam (porch), the Ardha Mandapam (neck) connecting to the sanctum, and the Maha Mandapam (chest), the largest hall for gatherings. Other notable halls include the Nritya Mandapam at Chidambaram for dance, the Kalyana Mandapam at Madurai where divine weddings are celebrated, and the Yaga Mandapam at Srirangam where sacrificial rituals take place. Each type of mandapa enhances the temple’s sacred rhythm, guiding devotees step by step toward the inner sanctum.
Historically, pillars in India also had political and religious roles outside temples. The Ashokan pillars, erected more than 2,000 years ago, symbolized imperial authority and the spread of Buddhist dharma. The Heliodorus pillar in Vidisha, dedicated to Vasudeva around 113 BCE by a Greek ambassador, stands as one of the earliest known religious pillars in India. These traditions influenced temple stambhas, which came to embody cosmic order and divine energy.
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| 1000 pillar corridor, Ramanatha Swamy temple, Rameswaram, TN. |
Above image: The long corridor of 1000 pillars of the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India..........
Nootru or Ayiram kal mandapam – Hall of 100 or 1000 pillars. As mentioned above, only temples that can be counted on the fingers have 100 or 1000 pillar mandapams. In Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram, Chidambaram temples do have massive halls supported by 1000 pillars or 100 pillars
Ultimately, the purpose of mandapas and pillars in Hindu temples transcends their material form. They remind the devotee of the Purusharthas—the four aims of life: dharma (righteousness), artha (prosperity), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation). By entering a mandapa supported by divine pillars, one symbolically leaves behind worldly distractions, focusing instead on the eternal presence of God. The stone columns, rising toward the heavens, embody the link between earth and sky, man and cosmos, human effort and divine grace. Together, they form a sacred architectural language that has guided generations of Hindus on their spiritual journey.
https://learningthursdays.com/temple-mandapams/
https://www.templepurohit.com/hindu-temple-architecture-structure-human-body-symbolism/
https://swamiindology.blogspot.com/2013/05/musical-pillars-in-hindu-temples.html
