Panchayatana (temple) explained

Hindu temples are built in the panchayatana layout: the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines.^{[1] [2]} The origin of the name are the Sanskrit words pancha (five) and ayatana (containing), referring to a "five-shrined" layout.^{[3] [4]}

Generally, Hindu temples are built along a west-east axis. The four subsidiary shrines are located at the north-east, south-east, south-west, and the north-west.

Examples of Panchayatana temples

• Shree Dev Vyadeshwar in Guhagar
• Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho
• Brahmeswara Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Jagdish Temple in Udaipur
• Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
• Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Arasavalli Temple near Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh near Visakhapatnam. Main shrine dedicated to Aditya. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu.^[5]
• Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh. It should be the oldest panchayatana temple in India.
• Nabaratna Temple in Pantchupi
• Shiva Panchayatana Temple in Tumbadi, Tumkur district. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha, Vinayaka, Parvati and Surya.
• Gondeshvara temple, in Sinnar, Maharashtra^[6]
• Panchayatan temple at Dronasagar, Kashipur, Uttarakhand is an archeological site, from 6th century AD.
• Rinmukteshwar Panchdevalaya, Ena situated in Ena Village of Surat district in Gujarat State.

References

1. Web site: Khajuraho, India | World Heritage Site . The-world-heritage-sites.com . 1986-11-28 . 2012-10-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140317051953/http://www.the-world-heritage-sites.com/khajuraho.htm . 2014-03-17 . dead .
2. Book: Tadgell, Christopher . The East: Buddhists, Hindus and the Sons of Heaven . 2015-10-23 . Routledge . 978-1-136-75384-8 . 889 . en.
3. Book: Asher, Frederick M. . Sarnath: A Critical History of the Place Where Buddhism Began . 2020-02-11 . Getty Publications . 978-1-60606-638-6 . 59 . en.
4. Book: Dalal, Roshen . The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths . 2014-04-18 . Penguin UK . 978-81-8475-396-7 . 906 . en.
5. Web site: Suryanarayana Temple at Arasavalli . Templenet.com . 2012-10-11.
6. Web site: Archived copy . 2012-10-30 . 2016-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214457/http://www.msc-sahc.org/upload/docs/new.docs/2008_SVardia.pdf . dead .