Panchayatana (temple)

Hindu temples are built in the panchayatana (Sanskrit: पञ्चायतन, romanized: pañcāyatana) layout: the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines.^[1]^[2] The origin of the name are the Sanskrit words pancha (five) and ayatana (containing), referring to a "five-shrined" layout.^[3]^[4]

Generally, Hindu temples are built along a west-east axis. The four subsidiary shrines are located at the north-east, south-east, south-west, and the north-west.

Examples of Panchayatana temples

Shree Dev Vyadeshwar in Guhagar
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho
Brahmeswara Temple in Bhubaneswar
Jagdish Temple in Udaipur
Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
Arasavalli Temple near Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh near Visakhapatnam. Main shrine dedicated to Aditya. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu.^[5]
Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh. It should be the oldest panchayatana temple in India.
Nabaratna Temple in Pantchupi
Shiva Panchayatana Temple in Tumbadi, Tumkur district. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha, Vinayaka, Parvati and Surya.
Gondeshvara temple, in Sinnar, Maharashtra^[6]
Panchayatan temple at Dronasagar, Kashipur, Uttarakhand is an archeological site, from 6th century AD.
Rinmukteshwar Panchdevalaya, Ena situated in Ena Village of Surat district in Gujarat State.

References

^ "Khajuraho, India | World Heritage Site". The-world-heritage-sites.com. 1986-11-28. Archived from the original on 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
^ Tadgell, Christopher (2015-10-23). The East: Buddhists, Hindus and the Sons of Heaven. Routledge. p. 889. ISBN 978-1-136-75384-8.
^ Asher, Frederick M. (2020-02-11). Sarnath: A Critical History of the Place Where Buddhism Began. Getty Publications. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-60606-638-6.
^ Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-18). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin UK. p. 906. ISBN 978-81-8475-396-7.
^ "Suryanarayana Temple at Arasavalli". Templenet.com. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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[1] "Khajuraho, India | World Heritage Site". The-world-heritage-sites.com. 1986-11-28. Archived from the original on 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2012-10-11.

[2] Tadgell, Christopher (2015-10-23). The East: Buddhists, Hindus and the Sons of Heaven. Routledge. p. 889. ISBN 978-1-136-75384-8.

[3] Asher, Frederick M. (2020-02-11). Sarnath: A Critical History of the Place Where Buddhism Began. Getty Publications. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-60606-638-6.

[4] Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-18). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin UK. p. 906. ISBN 978-81-8475-396-7.

[5] "Suryanarayana Temple at Arasavalli". Templenet.com. Retrieved 2012-10-11.

[6] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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