A stambha () is a pillar or a column employed in

Indian architecture Indian architecture is rooted in the History of India, history, Culture of India, culture, and Indian religions, religion of India. Among several architectural styles and traditions, the best-known include the many varieties of Hindu temple a ...

. A stambha sometimes bears inscriptions and religious emblems.

Religion

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

, a stambha is believed to be a cosmic column that functions as a bond, joining heaven (

Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is reg ...

) and earth (

Prithvi Prithvi (Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, ', also पृथिवी, ', "the Vast One", also rendered Pṛthvī Mātā), is the Sanskrit name for the earth, as well as the name of the goddess-personification of it in Hinduism. The goddess Prit ...

). A number of Hindu scriptures, including the ''

Atharva Veda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...

'', feature references to stambhas. In the ''Atharva Veda'', a celestial stambha has been described as an infinite scaffold, which supports the cosmos and material creation. In the legend of

Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...

, an avatara of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

, the deity appears from a stambha to slay the

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

Hiranyakashipu. The stambha has been interpreted to represent the

axis mundi In astronomy, is the Latin term for the axis of Earth between the celestial poles. In a geocentric coordinate system, this is the axis of rotation of the celestial sphere. Consequently, in ancient Greco-Roman astronomy, the is the axis of ...

in this myth by Deborah A. Soifer.

Architecture

Stambhas are popularly employed in

. Different stambhas serve different purposes, including the following: * A dhvaja stambha (''flagstaff tower'') is placed opposite the main shrine, on an axis with the main deity. * A kirti stambha (''glorious tower'') and vijaya stambha (''victory tower'') are erected to commemorate victories. * The most well-known stambhas of India are the Ashoka Stambha (

Pillars of Ashoka The pillars of Ashoka are a series of Monolith, monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected—or at least inscribed with Edicts of Ashoka, edicts—by the 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, who reigned from to ...

) — erected during the reign of

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

, spread across the subcontinent, bearing different types of royal edicts. * The '' Adi Purana'' — a huge '' manastambha'' — stands in front of the '' samavasarana'' of the

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

s, which is regarded to causes entrants to a ''samavasarana'' to shed their pride.

Gallery

File:Tower of victory.jpg, Vijay Stambha at

Chittorgarh fort Chittorgarh (literally Chittor Fort), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls ove ...

File:Hutessing Temple3 Ahmedabad.JPG, Kirti Stambha of Hutheesing Jain Temple File:Ashoka pillar at Vaishali, Bihar, India.jpg,

Ashoka Pillar The pillars of Ashoka are a series of Monolith, monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected—or at least inscribed with Edicts of Ashoka, edicts—by the 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, who reigned from to ...

File:Stambha of Parshwanath Jain Mandir, Belgachhiya 13.jpg, The stambha of Parshwanath Jain Mandir, Belgachhiya

Religion

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links