Dwajasthamba
The dhvajastambha (ध्वजस्तम्भ) refers to the flagstaff erected in front of the ''mukhamaṇḍapa'' (front pavilion) of a Hindu temple. The ''dhvajastambha'' is usually built within the temple walls (''prākāra''). They are traditionally built of wood and stone, where the wooden variety is often finished with a metal covering (''kavaca''). The dhvajastambha is a common feature in South Indian temples. Two other objects that are grouped together with this flagstaff are the ''bali peetam'' (altar for offerings) and the vehicle ( vahana) of the deity, to whom the temple is dedicated. Symbolically, these three objects are shields that protect the sanctuary of the temple from the impure and undevoted. Hiltebeitel, Alf (1991). The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 2: On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess'. University of Chicago Press. . pp. 91-92. See also * Dhvaja * Gopuram * Vahana * Hindu temple architecture Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architec ...
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Hindu Temple Architecture
Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many varieties of style, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the ''garbha griha'' or womb-chamber, where the primary ''Murti'' or the image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. This chamber often has an open area designed for movement in clockwise rotation for rituals and prayers. Around this chamber there are often other structures and buildings, in the largest cases covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like ''shikhara'', also called the ''vimana'' in the south. The shrine building often includes an circumambulatory passage for parikrama, a mandapa congregation hall, and sometimes an antarala antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. There may be other mandapas or other buildings, connected or detached, in large temples, together with other small temples in the compound. Hindu ...
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