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Thread: Temple Design

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    Temple Design

    Namaskāra everyone,

    This morning, I happened upon recently seeing the wiki for Vāstu Śāstras, but I have not read it completely. I am looking at this from the perspective of the Ancient perspective of the three-in-one that was supposedly a very ancient world-wide religion found in ruins all over the world. I learned that historically, the three-in-one meant male, female, and godhead. They are arranged as follows from the icon's perspective, male - the sun - on its right (your left looking at it), female - the moon - on its left (your right looking at it). I think even traditional seating arrangements reflect this, women on the right side, and men on the left side of the temple (I have seen NO references on it, except for a video of a guru I'm starting to follow, where it shows a brief pan of the devotees sitting, men on their left, and women on their right). This arrangement mirrors the three-in-one design at the west end of the temple, where the deities are. I also notice that the main deity for the temple is at the center with the largest sanctum sanctorum, because it is considered godhead. Then you see the male deity on the left space, followed by his consort on the opposite side of the main deity. Godhead above, female to your right facing it, and male to your left.

    In our case, we have Veṅkaṭeśvara (Bālāji) as the main deity, flanked by Śiva on his male side (looking to your left) and Mahālakṣmī on his female side (looking to your right) (who is Śiva's consort). Even Gaṇeśa remains on the male side on the far left sanctum sanctorum (there are five in total facing east), but RādhāKṛṣṇa containing Rādhā as the female part of the three-in-one, cannot be on the left side, and thusly goes in the far right sanctum sanctorum. I THINK the navagraha is mounted in the northeast corner of the temple and not the southeast because it has just even a small portion of female in it (Shukra being feminic in nature, and another two being gender-neutral). It cannot be installed in the male side of the temple.

    Is this right? Praṇāma

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    Re: Temple Design

    Vannakkam DA: The left/right sitting by males and females varies from North style to South style temples. I don't know why, but it is sometimes a cause for confusion when devotees go to the 'other' style, no matter which tradition.

    As for following scripture, most temples in America are amalgamations of several traditions so a lot of the more orthodox stuff gets lost in that process. For example, in India you would rarely find a Venkateswara and a Sivan in the same temple ... smaller shrines, yes, but not in the way you describe. If an orthodox sthapathi is hired, and he says 'You can't do this' following a scripture, the temple board, rather than heeding the advice, simple goes out and finds another sthapathi.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Temple Design

    Namaste,

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    If an orthodox sthapathi is hired, and he says 'You can't do this' following a scripture, the temple board, rather than heeding the advice, simple goes out and finds another sthapathi.
    I am sure you know the reason for this - out here an attempt is made to make different ethnic Indians feel welcome by having different deities installed in the temple. The Hindu temple in Ottawa not only has half a dozen separate alters for different deities, but they also have arrangements for Arya Samajis to hold their puja/havan in the basement. By being inclusive, one temple can serve the needs of a vast array of traditions and also stay financially solvent by getting donations from a diverse group of Indians.

    Pranam.

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    Re: Temple Design

    Vannakkam B: Yes it works, (on an external level for sure, not really sure mystically) but I was mainly explaining to DA how I don't think the 3 in one rule applies. It looks like it does, in these style temples, but in India, I don't think it does apply.

    On a side note, I've been to Ottawa,l but not to the temple you're referring to, just to the Sivan temple a few miles to the south of the city.

    Aum Namasivaya

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