Antarala
Also called: Vestibule · Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The antarala is a small passage or ante-room (vestibule) in a Hindu temple. It joins the garbhagriha, the small dark shrine room holding the main image, to the mandapa, the pillared hall where worshippers gather. It is found in both Nagara (north Indian) and Dravida (south Indian) temples. It became common as temples grew beyond the simple one-room shrine of the earliest period. It marks the step from the public hall into the most sacred space.
Example
At the Kandariya Mahadeva temple, Khajuraho (c. 11th century CE), a worshipper passes through the entrance porch and then the halls. The worshipper then reaches the antarala, and only after that the garbhagriha with the Shiva linga.
Don't confuse with
- Mandapa means the larger pillared hall where people gather. The antarala is only the narrow link between the mandapa and the sanctum.
Related concepts
- Puranic Hinduism
- Vaishnavism
- Avatar
- Dashavatara
- Varaha
- Vasudeva-Krishna
- Shaivism
- Linga
- Garbhagriha
- Shikhara