A mandapa or mantapa () is a
pillared hall or
pavilion for public rituals in
Indian architecture, especially featured in
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, whe ...
.
Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, one or more mandapas very often lie between the sanctuary and the temple entrance, on the same axis. In a large temple other mandapas may be placed to the sides, or detached within the temple compound.
Temple architecture
In the
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...
the ''mandapa'' is a porch-like structure through the (''
gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Sout ...
'') (ornate gateway) and leading to the temple. It is used for religious dancing and music and is part of the basic temple compound. The prayer hall was generally built in front of the temple's ''
sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, which generally refers in Latin texts to the holiest place of t ...
'' (''
garbhagriha
A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the '' murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ' ...
''). A large temple would have many ''mandapa''.
If a temple has more than 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''.
Often the hall was pillared and the pillars adorned with intricate
carvings
Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
. In contemporary terms, it also represents a structure within which a
Hindu wedding is performed. The bride and groom encircle a holy fire lit by the officiating priest in the center of the ''mandapa''.
Classifications
When a temple has more than one ''mandapa'', they are given different names.
*
Ardhamandapa (Artha Mandapam or Ardh Mandapam) – intermediary space between the temple exterior and the ''
garba griha'' (''sanctum sanctorum'') or the other ''mandapa'' of the temple
*Asthana Mandapam – assembly hall
*Kalyana Mandapam – dedicated to ritual marriage celebration of the Lord with Goddess
*Maha Mandapam – (Maha=big) When there are several ''mandapa'' in the temple, it is the biggest and the tallest. It is used for conducting religious discourses. Sometimes, the ''maha mandapa'' is also built along a transversal axis with a
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...
(bumped-out portions along this transversal axis). At the exterior, the transept ends by a large window which brings light and freshness into the temple.
*Nandi Mandapam (or Nandi mandir) – In the Shiva temples, pavilion with a statue of the sacred bull
Nandi
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
* Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afric ...
, looking at the statue or the ''lingam'' of Shiva.
*Ranga Mandapa or ''rangamandapa'' - a larger mandapa, which can be used for dance or drama, with music
*Meghanath Mandapa
*Namaskara Mandapa
*Open Mandapa
Nomenclature
In
Burmese, the term ''mandat'' (), which has etymological origins in Pali ''maṇḍapa'', is an open platform or pavilion from which people spray water to passers-by during the Buddhist festival
Thingyan
Thingyan (, ; Arakanese: ; from Sanskrit '' saṁkrānti,'' which means "transit f the Sun from Pisces to Aries) is the Burmese New Year Festival that usually occurs in middle of April. Thingyan is the first ever water festival celebrated i ...
.
In
Indonesian, the mandapa is known as a ''
pendhapa'' (). Unusually, Indonesian pendopos are built mostly for Muslim communities. Many mosques follow the pendopo design, with a layered roof to resemble
Mount Meru.
In
Khmer, Mandapa is pronounced to be ''Mondup'' (មណ្ឌប), means pavilion.
Khmer people often refer it as a small shrine with high crown-shaped like tower, decorated with exquisite ornaments in various styles.
[Khmer dictionary, word ''មណ្ឌប'' (Mondup), p.767, published in 2007, adapted from Khmer dictionary that was published by Buddhist institute of Cambodia in 1967.] In
Khmer temples during
Angkor era, A Mandapa is generally attached to the central tower of a temple and lied longitudinally to one of each main direction.
In
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
, this platform is the ''Aayiram Kaal Mandapam'' – a distinctly thousand pillared hall close to the
vimana
Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also men ...
of the
Koil which forms a distinct part of the site plan of classical
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture, or the South Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinc ...
.
In
Thai, it is called 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
Wat Chiang Man ( th, วัดเชียงมั่น, Northern Thai − sometimes also written as ''Wat Chiang Mun'') is a Buddhist temple (Thai language: ''Wat'') inside the old city (which is contained within the city walls and moat) of Ch ...
in
Chiang Mai.
Gallery
File:Tripurantakesvara Temple at Balligavi.jpg, Mandapa porch, Shimoga
Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...
File:Mantapa (hall) in Panchakuta Basadi at Kambadahalli.jpg, Kambadahalli Ganga
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
mandapa
File:Thommanon Temple, Angkor, Cambodia.jpg, Madapa of Thommanon temple connected its main shrine tower, facing to the east, Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
File:Cambodge-1000a.jpg, Chau Say Tevoda
Chau Say Tevoda ( km, ប្រាសាទចៅសាយទេវតា, literally: prolific grandchildren of a deity) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is just east of Angkor Thom, directly south of Thommanon across the Victory Way (it pre-d ...
's mandapa and main tower enclosed by its wall and 4 gopura
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South ...
s, Cambodia
File:Pasat Khaw Phanom Rung - panoramio - JAMRAT (6).jpg, Phanom Rung
Phanom Rung ( th, พนมรุ้ง, ), or full name, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung ( th, ปราสาทหินพนมรุ้ง – ''Phanom Rung Stone Castle''), is a Hindu Khmer Empire temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcan ...
temple's prang
Prang may refer to:
Places
* Prang, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a town of Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan
* Prang Besar, an old name for Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia
* Prang Ghar Tehsil or Pran Ghar Subdivision, a subdivis ...
and its mandapa, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
File:P5254889พนมวันโคราช.JPG, Mandapa of Phanom Wan temple, Thailand
File:2019 02 Prasat Hin Phimai 22.jpg, Mandapa and tower of Phimai
Phimai ( th, พิมาย) is a township (''thesaban tambon'') in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeast Thailand. As of 2005 the town had a population of 9,768. The town is the administrative center of the Phimai District.
In the aftermath ...
temple, Thailand
File:TMII_Central_Java_Pavilion_1.JPG, Royal pendopo
A pendhapa or pandhapa ( Javanese: ꦥꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦥ or ꦥꦤ꧀ꦝꦥ, Indonesian spelling: pendapa, nonstandard spelling: pendopo) is a fundamental element of Javanese architecture unique in the southern central part of Java; a large pavil ...
in Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, commonly found in sultans' palaces
File:Bhaktapur Durbar Square Premises 2016 (61).jpg, Chyasilin Mandap in Bhaktapur
, motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture
, image_map ...
, Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
File:Kasthamandap GP3.JPG, Kasthamandap in Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
, Nepal
Notes
See also
*
Pendopo
A pendhapa or pandhapa ( Javanese: ꦥꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦥ or ꦥꦤ꧀ꦝꦥ, Indonesian spelling: pendapa, nonstandard spelling: pendopo) is a fundamental element of Javanese architecture unique in the southern central part of Java; a large pavil ...
*
Wedding mandapa
*
Zayat
External links
{{commons category, Mondop in Thailand
Photo of four-pillared Kakatiya mandapa Hindu temple architecture