Temple Architecture Styles : Kath-Kuni architecture
Kath-Kuni Architecture1 2 34 is an indigenous construction technique prevalent in the isolated hills of northern India, especially in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It is a traditional technique that uses alternating layers of long thick wooden logs (Kath) and stone masonry, held in place usually without using mortar.
The technique was devised keeping the seismic activity, topography, environment, climate, native materials and cultural landscape in perspective. Most of the oldest temples, in the region, are built using this ancient system.
The temples can range from simple structure with a single storey, to multi-storeyed eleborate structures, although the height is restricted due to frequent earthquakes in the region.
General architectural features:
Sloping roofs, usually pyramidal and/or hip-gable combination. Sometimes with slight inwards curve.
Tall spires on temples, usually on octagonal/square pyramidal structures which are somewhat miniature towers.
→ Image showing Kath-Kuni construction technique [Source: Kath kuni architecture - Wikipedia]
Structural Details
Materials
The primary building materials employed in the construction are stone (igneous), wood and slate (metamorphic).
Stone, usually granite, which is good in compression is used for foundational purposes.
The walls are made of stone and wood which are alternatively stacked up, one over another. Wood which is good in compression and tension are interlocked in the corners with other wooden members. Deodar/Kali wood which is commonly available, is used as wall, flooring and roofing members.
Slate is used as a water proofing roofing material and is employed to protect the building from heavy rain and snowfall.
Wood
The availability of good quality local wood is the main challenge in construction of Kath-Kuni buildings in present time period.
From 1860s CE onwards, the forest department under British India began leasing land in the erstwhile princely states of present-day Himachal. Their purpose was maximising the extraction of deodar wood for railway sleepers. This caused rapid exhaustion of forests in Himachal & Uttarakhand. The colonial forest department also set about changing the very composition of Himachal’s forests. To fulfil its commercial objective, which was indeed its primary objective, the colonial forest department transformed Himachal’s mixed forests into conifer monocultures populated almost exclusively by fast-growing and commercially valuable though environmentally disastrous varieties such as pine. These trees took the place of much slower growing but locally important varieties such as deodar and environmentally vital trees such as oak (this policy of reforestation focused on fast-growing varieties such as pine was continued for decades by independent India’s forest department as well). This caused scarcity of deodar combined with loss of local community caretaking of the forests that ensured sustainable consumption of wood.
Slate
Slate can be sourced from multiple mines and transported to the construction sites. Locally available slate mines are usually economically favourable.
→ Himachal Black Slate is non-absorbent and non-porous, and is a popular natural stone used for interior and exterior applications. The one pictured below was mined from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: Himachal Black Slate Tiles, Slabs, Blocks ]
Decorative elements
Woodwork
A lot of temples in Himachal and Uttarakhand feature intricate woodwork
→ Floral motifs examples:
Woodwork in Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: Bhimakali Temple - Wikipedia]
→Animal motifs examples:
Woodwork over exterior of a temple in Shangarh, Sainj Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India — exterior carvings include carvings of elephants and haṃsas [Source: https://travelshoebum.com/2017/07/08/shangarh-in-sainj-valley-of-temples-and-meadows/]
→ Ornate wooden doors and doorframes examples:
Door and frame woodwork on Shangchul Mahadev Temple in Kullu Valley, Himachal, India [Source: Shangarh in Sainj Valley – Of Temples and Meadows]
Ornate doorframe in a temple in Shangarh, Sainj Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India — the outermost section features carvings of 10 incarnations of Viṣṇu, the 4th & 5th sections (from outwards) has Vināyaka carving on the top, and the innermost section has elephants caved at the top just below the Vināyaka carving. [Source: https://travelshoebum.com/2017/07/08/shangarh-in-sainj-valley-of-temples-and-meadows/]
→ Wooden sculptures examples:
Deity carvings in Kamaksha Temple in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/the-one-and-only-kamaksha-mata-temple-in-devbhoomi-himachal/]
Mahiṣamardinī Durgā sculpture at Manu Rishi Temple in Shanshar, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://travellingslacker.com/manu-rishi-temple-shanshar-a-fair-five-hitchhikes/]
Ornate doorframe in a temple in Shangarh, Sainj Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India — the outermost section features carvings of 10 incarnations of Viṣṇu, the 4th & 5th sections (from outwards) has Vināyaka carving on the top, and the innermost section has elephants caved at the top just below the Vināyaka carving. [Source: https://travelshoebum.com/2017/07/08/shangarh-in-sainj-valley-of-temples-and-meadows/]
Temples and Temple complexes
While the basic structure and techniques are usually followed, there can be great variation in superstructures, especially in the topmost sections. While some examples have already given above, others are as follows.
Many temples have integrated peripteros formed by eaves of the roof of lowermost storey being supported by a series of columns.
General types of temples:
Pent Roof type
Pent-roofed temples are indigenously styled circular or rectangular structures with slanting roofs made of rows and rows of slates, designed, in keeping with the climatic conditions of the region, to keep heavy rainfall and snowfall from covering these structures for more than short intervals. The roof extends over the covered veranda which serves the purpose of circumambulatory path around the temple. Wooden beams are laid at right angles of the walls, and intervening spaces are filled up with stone protects the inmates from harsh climatic conditions.
The temple may feature a cone shaped large finial over the sanctum.
Pyramidal type
Pyramidal style of roof temples are built on square plinths. In which, all the four lower eaves of the temple roof are of equal length and the roof goes on narrowing towards centre forming pyramid like roof in the centre. These type of temples, usually, either don’t have halls, or have halls identical, but in smaller scale, to the sanctum structure (prāsāda). Multiple receding roofs placed one over the other are also possible, giving a pagoda look. These may be classified as separate types of temples.
The topmost storey may have a cone itself supporting a finial.
Satluj Valley type
These combine pent roof and pyramidal type. The pent roof structures are placed such that they give a pyramidal look. Sometimes, a pent roof structure may itself support a pyramid/multi-pyramid structure.
A few other types of temples also exist, including a few examples of circular temples
Sanctum
→ Sanctum examples:
Sanctum of Lakshana Devi Temple in Bharmour, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India (7th century CE) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lakshana_Devi_temple_interior_(6133003259).jpg]
Sanctum of Mamaleshwar Mahadev Temple in Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/5-interesting-facts-about-mamleshwer-mahadev-temple/]
Sanctum of Chindi Mata Temple in Chindi, Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/charm-of-goddess-chandi-the-chindi-temple/]
Entrances
Temple Entrances and Entrance Porches
Entrances to temples can range from simple undecorated entrances to highly elaborate entrances with decorative carvings.
Smaller temples usually have the external entrance (i.e. entrance not leading to sanctum) continuous with the and formed by a pair of the series of pillars that form the peripteros.
Larger temples may feature entrance porches, usually a single distyle gable roofed porch. Entrance porches may be themselves decorated, and may feature sculptures on the pediment formed by the gable roof.
→ Temple Entrances examples:
Simple entrance of a small temple near Sarahan Royal Palace in Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Structure_Sarahan_2012.JPG]
Ornate doorframe forming entrance of Lakshana Devi Temple in Bharmour, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India (Built 7th century CE) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lakshana_Devi_temple_doorway_(6133000423).jpg]
Entrance of Manu Rishi Temple in Shanshar, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://travellingslacker.com/manu-rishi-temple-shanshar-a-fair-five-hitchhikes/]
Shangchul Mahadev Temple in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India — the entrance is formed by an ornate doorframe having a gable roof. The entrance is continuous with the peripteros. [Source: Shangarh in Sainj Valley – Of Temples and Meadows]
→ Entrance Porches examples:
Entrance Porch of Chindi Mata Temple in Chindi, Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India — the entrance consists of a gable roofed distyle porch with carving of Durgā on the pediment. A deer head shaped spout is placed at the upper terminal of the gable roof. [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/charm-of-goddess-chandi-the-chindi-temple/]
Distyle Entrance Porch of Tara Devi Temple in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India — the triangle sections above each entrance house deity icons (Built c. 1766 CE under king Bhupēndra Sēna) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Devi_Temple]
Sanctum Entrances
Some larger temples may feature separate entrance to the sanctum, especially in case a peripteros is built around the temple. In a few cases, the sanctum may be accessible only by the priest(s) of the temple.
→ Sanctum Entrances examples:
Sanctum of Lakshana Devi Temple in Bharmour, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India (7th century CE) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lakshana_Devi_temple_interior_(6133003259).jpg]
Sanctum of Mamaleshwar Mahadev Temple in Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/5-interesting-facts-about-mamleshwer-mahadev-temple/]
Gateways
Gateways of Kath Kuni Architecture Temple Complexes can follow any architecture style since they are subsidiary structures and may have been built much later than the temple complex.
→ Gateways examples:
Tōraṇa type gateway of Kamaksha Temple Complex in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India — features a Makara-Tōraṇa lintel and profuse carvings, and can be considered an influence of Nāgara architecture or Māru-Gurjara architecture [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/the-one-and-only-kamaksha-mata-temple-in-devbhoomi-himachal/]
Elaborate gateway of Chindi Mata Temple in Chindi, Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India — features a tiger sculpture on top, and lion and snake sculptures over pillar capitals. [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/charm-of-goddess-chandi-the-chindi-temple/]
Triple Gateway of Tara Devi Temple Complex in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India — the triangle sections above each entrance house deity icons (Built c. 1766 CE under king Bhupēndra Sēna) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Devi_Temple]
A simple temple model gateway of a temple complex in Chitkul, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://travellingslacker.com/chitkul/]
Gateway of Bhimakali Temple Complex in Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh, India — the gateway is contiguous with the surrounding wall and has Nāgara style temple shaped shaped niches on either side. [Source: https://travellingslacker.com/sarahan-bhimakali-temple-kinnaur/]
Associated structures
Large temple complexes can feature associated structures used for cooking, storage and other activities.
→ Associated building of Chindi Mata Temple in Chindi Mata Temple Complex in Chindi, Karsog, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India — the ground floor of the building consists of the kitchen area used to make prasāda (food offering) for the deity and also Dhām (feast) prepared during fairs and festivals for the devotees visiting the temple while the upper floor is used as a storage area for the religious stuff which belongs to the goddess like chariot, clothes and other important belonging of the deity. [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/charm-of-goddess-chandi-the-chindi-temple/]
Associated Subsidiary Shrines
Some temple complexes may feature small shrines besides the main temple and subsidiary temple(s).
→ A subsidiary shrine of Baṭuka Bhē̄rava in Tara Devi Temple in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India — the triangle sections above each entrance house deity icons [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Small_Temple_of_btul_bhairav_in_Tara_Devi_temple,_Shimla.jpg]
General Types of Kath Kuni Architecture Temples
Pent Roof type
Pent-roofed temples are indigenously styled circular or rectangular structures with slanting roofs made of rows and rows of slates, designed, in keeping with the climatic conditions of the region, to keep heavy rainfall and snowfall from covering these structures for more than short intervals. The roof extends over the covered veranda which serves the purpose of circumambulatory path around the temple. Wooden beams are laid at right angles of the walls, and intervening spaces are filled up with stone protects the inmates from harsh climatic conditions.
The temple may feature a cone shaped large finial over the sanctum.
→ Pent-roof type temples examples:
Lakshana Devi Temple in Bharmour, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India (Built 7th century CE) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lakshana_Devi_temple_(6133565074).jpg]
Shakti Devi Temple Complex in Chhatrari village, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: File:Shri Shakti Devi temple Chhatrari ,Chamba.jpg]
Mrikula Devi Temple in Udaipur, Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, India — hip-gabled roof [Source: Tourist Places in Himachal Pradesh, Hill Stations, Travel, Tourism]
Maheshwar Temple in Sungra, Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh, India — conical uppermost roof and hip-gabled roofs elsewhere [Source; http://devbhumi.in/maheshwar-temple/]
Pyramidal type
Pyramidal style of roof temples are built on square plinths. In which, all the four lower eaves of the temple roof are of equal length and the roof goes on narrowing towards centre forming pyramid like roof in the centre. These type of temples, usually, either don’t have halls, or have halls identical, but in smaller scale, to the sanctum structure (prāsāda). Multiple receding roofs placed one over the other are also possible, giving a pagoda look. These may be classified as separate types of temples.
The topmost storey may have a cone itself supporting a finial.
→ Pyramidal roof type temples examples:
1-storey with gable top : Bijli Mahadev Temple in Kashawri village, Kullu Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bijli_Mahadev_Temple.jpg]
1-storey with pyramid top: Banni Mata Temple in Chamba, Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India — features a gable roof entrance and peripteros [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Front_view_of_the_Mahakali_Banni_Mata_Temple.JPG]
1-storey with cone top : Temples of Hateshwari Temple Complex, Hatkoti village, Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: Jubbal Diary: The Hateshwari Temple of Hatkoti]
2-storey with pyramid top : Shangchul Mahadev Temple in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India — there is no cone top, but simply a spire. The peripteros is formed by the columns supporting the eaves of the lowermost storey’s roof [Source: Shangarh in Sainj Valley – Of Temples and Meadows]
2-storey with cone top : Prashar Temple in Mandi, Mandi district, Himachal, India — features 1st floor being much smaller than ground floor, and a relatively large cone (compared to 1st floor’s size) at the top [Source: Prashar Temple, Prashar Lake in Mandi Kullu Himachal Pradesh]
2-storey with gable & cone top : Bashik Temple in Mandrath, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_in_mandrath.JPG]
3-storey with cone top : Hidimba Temple in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India (Built 1553 CE under king Bahādur Siṅgh) [Source: Hidimba Devi Temple - Wikipedia]
4-storey with cone top : Manu Rishi Temple (back) and its associated pavilion (front) in Shanshar, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: https://travelshoebum.com/2022/08/22/a-rainy-afternoon-at-manu-rishi-temple-in-shanshar-valley/]
Multi-storey with multi-tiered cone top : Mahasu Devta Mandir in Hanol, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. The sanctum structure is joined with a room that acts as the sanctum’s extension, itself joined to audience hall leading to the entrance portico. (Built 9th century CE) [Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/487233253416296792/]
→ Multi-towered pyramidal temples examples:
Kamaksha Temple in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India — features two stepped-pyramid towers both having āmalaka+kalaśa finial [Source: https://www.thehimalayanarchitect.com/travel/the-one-and-only-kamaksha-mata-temple-in-devbhoomi-himachal/]
Mahasu Devta Temple in Bisoi, Chakrata, Uttarakhand, India is a large scale temple featuring multiple multi-tiered pyramidal structures [Source: http://euttaranchal.com/tourism/mahasu-temple-bisoi-village.php]
Satluj Valley type
These combine pent roof and pyramidal type. The pent roof structures are placed such that they give a pyramidal look. Sometimes, a pent roof structure may itself support a pyramid/multi-pyramid structure.
→ Satluj valley style temples examples:
Shri Bhima Kali Temple Complex in Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh, India [Source: http://devbhumi.in/bhimakali-temple-shimla/]
Tara Devi Temple in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India (Built c. 1766 CE under king Bhupēndra Sēna) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tara_Devi_temple_Shimla.jpg]
Other types of temples
→ Circular temples examples:
Circular ground floor with pyramidal top — Kalimath Temple in Kalimath, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, India [Source: Kalimath Shakti Peeth - Kalimath Temple Rudraprayag | Uttarakhand ]
Temple Floorplans
Most Kath Kuni Temples have square or rectangular floorplans - in case of attached halls, the floorplan usually consists of a series of square/rectangular structures.
→ Temple floorplans examples:
Floorplan of Mahasu Devta Mandir in Hanol, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India (Built 9th century CE) [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_of_lord_mahasu_temple,hanol,uttarakhand.png]
Temple Complexes
Traditional Kath Kuni Temple Complexes usually have wood-stone enclosure constructed in similar manner as the temples and associated structures themselves.
Later temple complexes may retain the traditional characteristics for temples and associated structures but the enclosing walls can be formed by bricks, concrete or other industrial materials.
→ Traditional Kath Kuni Temple Complexes examples:
Bhimakali Temple Complex in Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh, India — the gateway is contiguous with the surrounding wall and has Nāgara style temple shaped shaped niches on either side. [Source: https://travellingslacker.com/sarahan-bhimakali-temple-kinnaur/]
References
[1] Kath kuni architecture - Wikipedia
[2] Koti Banal architecture: How ingenuity of our ancestors conquered earthquakes
[3] The story of kath kuni: Preserving vernacular architecture in the Himalaya
[5] The story of kath kuni: Preserving vernacular architecture in the Himalaya
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kath_kuni_architecture
https://doi.org/10.17501%2Ficfow.2018.1102
https://www.euttarakhand.com/koti-banal-architecture-earthquakes
https://www.himalmag.com/the-story-of-kath-kuni-preserving-vernacular-architecture-himalaya-2021/