The Textbook of Architecture

Glossary · G

Garbhagriha

Also called garbha griha, garbhagṛha, sanctum

“Womb-house”: the small, dark sanctum of a Hindu temple that houses the image of the deity.

See also: Shikhara, Vimana

Rules that use the word

The sanctum over the centre. Place the garbhagriha (the small dark chamber that houses the image) over the Brahmasthana, with its walls on the ring of the gods and its door on the axis, usually to the east.

Where it appears in the book

In the chapters South and Southeast Asia.

A feature of Hindu Temple: Nagara (North Indian) architecture.

Nearby in the glossary

Gable · Gablet · Gallery · Gambrel · Gardenesque · Gargoyle · Gavaksha · Geodesic dome