Page 82 - Hinduism

Worship of God as arca or image is of two kinds, namely, temple and domestic worship. The former is meant for all and has continuity. It is conducive to the good of the commiinity as a whole. Domestic worship is, however, confined to the householder and his family. Again, there will be homa, bali and utsava in temple worship which are absent in domestic worship. Further there will be multiple images in temple worship.
The Āgamas refer to 96 varieties of temples of which 18 are prescribed for Viṣṇu and the remaining types are meant for other Gods. The essential parts of a temple are the garbhagṛiha or the sanctum sanctorum, the mukha maṇṭapa or the pavilion in front and the prākāra or the walls surrounding the sanctum for going round it or pradakṣiṇa. The garbhagṛha is surmounted by a vimāna or tower and the prākāra is provided with a gate or gopura. The prākāras may vary from one to seven according to the grandeur of the temple.
Five kinds of images are prescribed for temple worship of which dhruva the static aspect, and utsava, the dynamic aspect, are the most important. The images are of three types, the sthanaka or the standing posture, the āsana or the sitting posture and the sayana or the lying down posture. Each of these kinds may be of the yoga or the serene type, the bhoga or the blissful and the vira or the heroic.
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