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Home > Temples of Kerala > Adhishtaana and Upa Peetha Adhishtaana and Upa PeethaThe adhishtana is the basement and it has vertical moulded tiers, each tier from bottom to top arranged in a specified order and shape. Each tier has a distinct name viz padma-paaduka , paaduka or paada, jagathi, kumuda, kumuda-paada, gala, kantha, kampa, gala-pati, utthara, valabhi(valarh), pattika, prathi, kapotham, and vaajana. All these fall under the usual Dravidian tradition. It is not necessary that the basement of sreekovils should have all these mouldings, However certain essential mouldings like paaduka, jagathi, kumuda and gala are seen in almost all temples. In the rock cut temples and in temples where the idols is swayambhoo(self-revealed), these characteristic are usually absent. Wherever the temple are built in accordance with saasthra this structural procedure is strictly adhered to. It may also be noted that this tier system is followed in varying extent in other parts of the temple like namaskara-mandapa, nalambalam, vilakkumaatam, valiya-balikkall, dwaja, koothambalam etc. The shape and size of the adhishtaana bring out two aspects; firstly, by spreading the basement by different mouldings on sides beyond the line of vertical structure , the superstructure does not appear top heavy and gives greater stability and strength to the structure of the sreekovil; secondly the adhishtaana marvels in it’s the aesthetic beauty of architecture. Upa-peetha is the structure beneath the adhishtaana but it is optional and not indispensable. The upa-peetha and adhishtaana are generally made up of granite stones and or hard laterite stones. In certain cases burnt bricks are used, but the beauty of the structure is lost. The concept of each tier is given as follows(I). Below the top-most member of the adhishtaana there may be makara terminal known as vyala-vari. The height of the adhishtaana in the temples of Kerala varies between 18 angulams (i.e. 1.8 feet or 0.5 metre) and 54 angulams. (5.5 feet or 1.65 meters). These measurements vary according to length of the angulam based on the kole adopted. However most of the temples have adtishtaana ranging from 1 kole to 1.25kole on an average. The common types (Diagram 9) of adhishtaana are manjaka,gala-manjaka of 5,6,9 or 14 parts, prathi-manjaka of 3 or 12 parts, prathi-krama of 12 or 24 parts, pada-bandha of 12, 14 or 21 parts, sree-bandha of22 parts, Kapotha-bandha of 18 parts kalasa-bandha of 19 parts and naaga-bandha of 23 parts. Of these the most beautiful one is the kalasa-bandha of 19 parts (sketch 15 of Diagram 9),which is¬ generally taken as adhishtaana for the dwaja. Vedika has 6 parts as is seen in figure16 of Diagram 9. Upa-peetha is a sub-case below the adhishtaana. It has mouldings in the reverse order as those of adhishtaana. The height of upa-peetha from ground level depends on the height of adhishtaana either 1/3,2/5, 1/2,3/4, 1 1/4 , 1 ½,1 ¾ , or twice the height of the basement. It may contain all or some of the tiers as those of adhishtaana. One peculiar feature is that upa-peethas do not have vedika,where as vedika is, as a rule, seen only over the adhishtaana. Diagram 10 gives tiers of adhishtaana with upa-peetha, and adhishtaana without upa-peetha of some of the important temples in the State. I. Based on Glossary given in the Architectural Survey of Temples of Kerala(H.Sarkar), and temple Architecture in Kerala (K.V. Soundara Rajan) besides Thanthra Samuchaya (Chennas Narayanan Namboothirippad)
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