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Hindu Temple

Part 1 Project 2021
Michael Bursch
University of Notre Dame | USA
This Hindu temple was an exercise in designing a sacred building in the Hindu tradition using architectural styles and materials local to Mumbai and the surrounding regions. The design emphasizes several features sacred to temple design, including an eastward orientation and basic geometric shapes and proportions. Strong axes throughout the site and surrounding context create a hierarchy of space and views that direct and orient the viewer.

The temple is surrounded by an arcaded courtyard with two pavilions for community gatherings and religious processions, a votive oil lamp tower for individual prayer offerings, and a stepwell for rainwater collection. The temple itself is composed of two main parts: the mandapa, the main gathering space, and the garbhagriha, the holy inner sanctum beneath the spire.

Standing tall as an iconic monument, this Hindu temple creates a sequence of spaces that draws the visitor into the tranquil, sacred, and beautiful design created through the use of traditional style and geometric forms. Multipurpose in use, the temple invites worshipers and community members to participate in the vibrant life of the neighborhood. The temple stands as a beacon in stone, a symbol of the rich architectural and religious heritage of the region.


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2021
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