Some Notes on "Temple"-building and Image-worship in Indian Religion, in Historical Perspective - Department of Sociology Working Papers No.106

Oct 28, 2026

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Explores how religious structures and divinity were conceptualised across the history of Indian religion, focusing on the emergence and momentum of the temple as a religious structure and its influence on ritual and philosophy. Addresses historiographical questions about religious space, temple formation, and continuity with later Hindu temples. Stresses the need to reassess labels such as “Hinduism” and “temple” by examining their etymology and chronological usage, drawing on archaeological and Vedic historical frameworks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages51

Reading Time2 h 9 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

3000-1500 BC: Indus Valley civilisation

1500-900 BC: Early Vedic Period

900-500 BC: Later Vedic period

600-300 BC: Rise of "Jainism" and "Buddhism"

320-185 BC: The Maurya dynasty

First to Tenth centuries AD

Concluding notes

Appendix 1: A glossary of Indian terms

Appendix 2: A list of Indian texts relating to religious matters

Bibliography

List of figures

Figure 1

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5a-5d

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8a

Figure 8b

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12a

Figure 12b

Figure 13a

Figure 13b

Figure 14

Figure 15a

Figure 15b

Figure 16a

Figure 16b

List of maps

Map 1

Map 2

List of charts

Chart 1

8 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY WORKING PAPERS No.106 Some Notes on "Temple"-building andImage-worship in Indian Religion,inHistorical Perspective VINEETA SINHA* *Senior TutorDepartment of SociologyNational University of Singapore ISS 0129-8186 ISBN 9971-62-526-1 All Rights Reserved 1991 Contents 1.3000-1500 BC: Indus Valley civilisation……………………………………………………………………………………9 II. 1500-900 BC: Early Vedic Period………………………………………………………:.....:...9 II.900-500 BC: Later Vedic period………………………………………………………………………………………14 IV.600-300 BC:Rise of "Jainism" and "Buddhism"……………………………………………………………14 V.320-185 BC: The Maurya dynasty……………………………………………………………………………………………16 VI. First to Tenth centuries AD.......:………………………………………………………………20 VII. Concluding notes………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………31 Appendix1:A glossary of Indian terms.....:…………………………………………………………:.35 Appendix 2: A list of Indian texts relating to religious matters…………………………………………38 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………:40 Acknowledgments Special credit is due to the following individuals: Assoc. Prof. Geoffrey Benjamin for reviewing this paper as well as typesetting it for publication; DrChan Kwok Bun and Dr Ho Kong Chong for editing the paper; and Mr Ravinran Kumaran for doing all the maps and drawings for this paper. # List of figures Figure 1:Hindu Trimurti,Elephanta Temple, Bombay…………………………………………………………3 Figure 2a: Yaksi bracket from the gateway of Stupa I at Sanchi,1st century BC……………5 Figure 2b: Guardian yaksa figure from the railing pillar of Bharhut,c 150 BC………………5 Figure 3: Sanchi Stupa(Bhopal),beginning of the Christian era………………………………………6 Figure 4: The Great Bath Tank at Mohenjodaro………………………………………………………………………11 Figure 5a-5d:Seals and statuettes from Mohenjodaro…………………………………………………………12 Figure 6:Facade of rock-cut caitya-halls, 2nd century BC……………………………………………15 Figure 7: Asoka's Pillar(Bihar), dated to the reign of the Gupta dynasty(320 AD-647 AD).........:.:…………………………………17 Figure 8a:Yaksi or Sri Lakshmi figure from Mathura…………………………………………………………18 Figure 8b:Yaksa figure from Parkham,Mathura, 2nd century BC…………………………………18 Figure 9:Lingam at Gudimallam, Tamilnadu,2nd-1st century BC………………………………19 Figure 10: Stone Buddha, Mathura,4th-5th century AD.Anthropormorphic images of the Buddha began to appear in about the 2nd century BC……………21 Figure 11: Lomas Rishi Caves, Barabar Hills,Bihar, 3rd century BC…………………………22 Figure 12a: Earliest known structural stone temple, Aihole, 350 AD or earlier…………23 Figure 12b: Temple No.17 at Sanchi,Gupta style in stone 400 AD………………………………23 Figure 13a: The shore temple at Mamallapuram, in stone masonry,675 AD……………26 Figure 13b:Draupadi's ratha,at Mamallapuram, cut out in a single rock,450 AD..26 Figure 14: The main temple at Tanjore, showing the gopuram and vimanam……………27 Figure 15a: Dance of Siva,14th century,in bronze……………………………………………………………28 Figure 15b: Rama, in bronze of the Chola period,11th century………………………………………29 Figure 16a: The Brahmesvara Temple, Bhubhaneswar,Orissa, 1050 AD……………………32 Figure 16b: The Rajarani Temple,Bhubhaneswar, Orissa,1000 AD………………………………32 List of maps Map 1: Map of Vedic India..........:……………………………………………………………………10 Map2: Map of the Deccan,760 AD…………………………………………………………………………………25 # List of charts Chart 1: Chart showing the conceptualisation of religious structures and representations of divinity,as well as the existing religious climatein the Indian subcontinent,during significant periods in the history of this region……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………30 # Some notes on "temple"-building andimage-worship in Indian religionin a historical perspective This essay explores,in a very preliminary way how religious structures and divinity havebeen conceptualised throughout the history of Indian religion and how the relationshipbetwecn these two expresses a particular religious style.A h

FAQs

What central questions does the essay pose about Indian religious structures?

It asks how religious space and structures were conceptualised across Indian religious history, when the temple emerged, when temple-building gained momentum, and how temples assumed forms continuous with later Hindu temples.

Why does the essay treat the terms “Hindu” and “temple” as problematic?

It emphasizes that such labels have histories and were created for specific purposes, making them unsuitable as unexamined, taken-for-granted categories when writing about the themes being studied.

How does the essay plan to address the problematic terminology before answering its main questions?

It proposes examining the etymology of key words and locating their chronological usage in the history of the Indian subcontinent, alongside historical and archaeological context.

Oct 28, 2026

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