Hindu Temples and Development of Localities in Tamil Nadu (South India) (original) (raw)

Socio-Economic Functions of Temples during Medieval Tamil Country 11 th -16 th Century A.D

The temples were the most powerful economic institutions which not only sustained by means of the generous and continuous endowments from the society, but enabled the other members of the society to turn to it in times of need for economic support. Temples, as landowners, offered immunity to the cultivators of the temple lands, lent money to the cultivators, reduced their upper share (melvaram) and even remitted the dues in favour of the cultivators. The selected epigraphs give a striking fact that the medieval temples helped the agrarian society, particularly, during their hard times. Though the temples lent the money to the assemblies and individuals on interest basis their fiscal help to the society to be viewed as very special in terms of socioeconomic aspect of the agrarian society.

Multifaceted Roles of temples in Ancient and Medieval Bharat (Revised)

Multifaceted Roles of Temples in Ancient and Medieval Bharat , 2024

Temples in ancient and medieval India were not just places of worship but vital centers of community, education, governance, and economic life. Supported by state patronage and land endowments, they became powerful institutions that shaped agrarian economies, trade, and social structures. Temples provided employment to a wide range of people, from artisans to administrators, and played a key role in urban development. They also acted as hubs for barter and exchange, supporting local economies in regions where monetized systems were less common. Temples helped integrate diverse communities, including tribal and pastoral groups, into the social fabric, reinforcing caste structures and political power. Their economic influence extended through land ownership, taxation, and revenue generation, establishing temples as both economic powerhouses and cultural pillars in medieval Indian society.

Temple cities of India: Categorisation based on urban form

Veranda, 2021

In India, many cities have evolved historically from a temple core and attract a large number of tourists. Though there are few in-depth studies focusing on the evolution of urban form of some cities, there is a lack of understanding regarding what the major temple cities of India are and their categories based on urban form. This research is an attempt to address this gap in existing literature by identifying the major temple cities of India and categorising them broadly based on urban form. Major temples and locations of mythical beliefs which have led to urban development were initially identified. The core temples were identified from literature sources and respective state tourism reports and cities with considerable tourist influx were considered further. The major Temple cities of India were identified based on four criteria identified from theory: i) age of temple, hence those built in or after 20th century not considered, ii) cities where the urban area is detached from the sacred core not considered, iii) temples with no active rituals but attracting tourists only due to heritage or architectural value not considered and iv) relatively higher tourist influx considered. The cities were further categorised into three types of urban form and the spatial distribution was mapped. The uniqueness of the sacred urbanism of India has been restated, along with a discussion on the scope for further research along these lines.

A STUDY OF TEMPLES OF MEDIEVAL MAHARASHTRA (11 TH TO 14 TH CENTURIES CE) A SOCIO-ECONOMIC APPROACH

Post-doctoral Report , 2009

Temple emerged as a significant and influential institution in medieval India, patronised by almost all classes of the society. The temples were endowed with villages, plots of land, gardens, oil-mills, cash donations, various commodities such as vessels, bells, ornaments, animals, grains, spices and innumerable other items. Very often, the temples had complete judicial, administrative and economic control over a large number of villages that were donated to them, many times in far-flung areas. In this way, temple evolved into a land-owning rich organization that carried out the multiple functions of a religious place, educational institution and also occupation-generating economic institution. The evolution of temple into such an important institution pose many interesting queries such as socio-economic-religious background of the rise of temples, nature of patronage and general function of the temple in contemporary society. This work aims to address some of these problems in the case of temples from Maharashtra, primarily with the help of epigraphic material, which comprises of around 255 inscriptions recording construction of temples and/or grants to these temples. Understanding the socio-economic-religious background of the rise of temples, evolution of temple institution, nature of patronage as well as nature and terms of endowments, functioning of temples and religious trends of the contemporary society, are some of the primary aims of this study.

Temples in Travancore: History, Polity and Governance

Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities, 2020

Temples in Kerala have been all the time, amazing factors in the society for their uniqueness in tradition, customs, rituals, festivals, art, architecture, mural paintings, etc. It is believed that most of the ancient Hindu temples in Kerala have been consecrated by Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to legend, after the departure of Parasurama, the Brahmins became the virtual rulers of the land. They divided the land into several Desams, and in each, they erected a temple, consecrated it and placed an image in them, and performed the prescribed rituals. The ownership of Hindu temples became the bone of contention for the temples that were associated with power in the locality. In the course of the conflict for the ownership of temples, the management of several of them became disorderly, and the state had, in consequence, to assume their control through the exercise of its paramount melkoima right. This paper is a historical analysis of the role of temples in society and the evolution of temple administration in the erstwhile Travancore state.

Temples as Icons of India’s Heritage

Purvodaya, 2022

India can be called as a "Land of Temples" where innumerable temples dotting the landscape. Many of these are ancient and some of which are massive in size and grand in appearances. These were designed, constructed and maintained based on sound spiritual principles, as enunciated in the ancient texts including Vedas and Upanishads. The Hindu temples stand as a very principle of value, and beliefs steeped in the Indian culture and ethos of the past thousand years. Patronized generously by the rulers in the olden times, these temples stood as the sign of their regal power and might apart from being an embodiment of art and architecture. Though held equally sacred, temples in different regions have their own distinct structural style. As through the BiMonthly ISCS attempts to represent distinct characteristics and attributes of Eastern India. Therefore in this edition the article on "Temples an Icon of Indian Heritage" is a tour to the magnificent temples of Eastern India, deliberating how the temples of the region with multi-layered prisms covering the top for as an institution-appealing one's spiritual, religious and aesthetic senses. Strengthening bonds of connection and complimenting the livelihood of many. The proceeding articles also reflect certain essential compounds and variations of Indian Culture. Giving an insight to how bonding over culture and language enabling neighbors India-Bangladesh to harbor multi-dimensional growth. The Bulletin ends up proving a glimpse of the interesting seminar on "Evolving Riverine Connectivity in Eastern Hinterland" organized by the members of ISCS's Study group on Purvodaya.

Temples: Probing the Possibilities of Economic Regeneration of the Local Communities in Goa

2015

Temples of Goa have played a very vital role as symbols of cultural resistance to the Portuguese hegemony. In the post-liberation era, these temples have been integrated into the national pilgrimage networks and as such receive a large inflow of not only the Goan diaspora, spread far and wide in the country, but also tourists. Some of these temples have also found their way onto the international tourist circuit. Owing to this dimension, most of the major temples of the state have registered immense financial growth and their net yearly incomes exceed 10 million INR. Managements of some temples have been proactive in exploring new avenues of income generation for their respective temples, while others have not shown any substantial inclination towards amplifying their sources of income. However, there is a dearth of organized efforts, on the part of the temple management and the state government, to evolve a strategic plan to use the religious and cultural phenomena associated with these temples to ensure economic regeneration of the local communities and thereby facilitate economic and cultural enrichment of the state. This paper probes the possibility of temples playing a key role, along with the state government, in generating sustainable growth and development of local communities that are slowly loosing their livelihoods in this age of modernization.

Temples in India: Origin and Developmental Stages

This volume is a study of the beginning and evolution of temple architecture in India which covers sculptures and carvings as well. With over a hundred plates of temples and carvings on them including cave facades and pillar depictions it deals with temples constructed by the different ancient and medieval dynasties in Indian history particularly the early western Calukyan and later western Calukyans Pallava Pandya, Cola Hoyasala and Nayaka with illustrations that include maps plans of caves and even viharas and caityas it undertakes a study of the temples found in different states of India. The research discusses the variations in plans and elevations to examine development of temple architecture over time and new experiment actions in the building of temples by use of various materials. Reconstructing art and architectural styles from the remnants of the ruined temples in many places it explains terms and concepts in temple building and architecture and cites examples of various temple style and traditions including the best and earliest ones. The focus is on the Dravida and Nagara temple styles and a third hybrid form of sikhara that developed in the Deccan. Many Jaina temples are also covered.

Remaking the past: Tamil sacred landscape and temple renovations

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2013

This article explores the repeated renovation of south Indian temples over the past millennium and the conception of the Tamil temple-city. Though the requirement for renovation is unremarkable, some “renovations” have involved the wholesale replacement of the central shrine, in theory the most sacred part of the temple. Rather than explaining such radical rebuilding as a consequence of fourteenth-century iconoclasm, temple renovation is considered in this article as an ongoing process. Several periods of architectural reconstruction from the tenth to the early twentieth centuries demonstrate the evolving relationship between building, design and sacred geography over one millennium of Tamil temple history. The conclusion explores the widespread temple “renovations” by the devout Nakarattar (Nattukottai Chettiar) community in the early twentieth century, and the consequent dismay of colonial archaeologists at the perceived destruction of South India's monumental heritage, in ord...

The Physicality and Spirituality of the Hindu Temples of Kerala

CREATIVE SPACE, 2014

Every culture can stir a type of architecture that can range from landmarks to everyday homes. History has proved that the various architectural styles have developed in response to climate, lifestyle, geology and geography of a place, religious philosophy of the people and availability of building materials. Religion and lifestyle seem to be the most common influences overall. Culture, in fact, underlines the important role that economics, politics, religion, heritage and the natural environment play in shaping the built environment. Kerala (the southern-most state of India), the land of temples appears unique in this context as the temples here were the pivot of religious, social, economic and cultural life of every Keralite. The typical Hindu temples of Kerala stand out from among the Indian temple typology in its form, structural clarity, stylistic tradition, symbolism and above all, in its construction and craftsmanship in wood. They show a distinctive style which is a local adaptation of the Dravida or the South Indian tradition of temple construction, considerably influenced by the various geographical, religious, cultural and political factors. Most of the temples of Kerala are traditionally neighborhood institutions of worship, rich in both tangible and intangible cultural values. The spatiality of Kerala temples follows the general Indian philosophical concepts of the centre, axis and the human relatedness to cosmic reality, while its implementation in the built form follows the Vedic religious practices. This paper attempts to explore the evolution of the generic built form of temples of Kerala and the philosophical and spatial concepts of their architecture.