Lakshmi Narayani Golden Temple of Vellore. Astrology and architecture, art and design: astrological considerations on a golden temple or temple of gold.
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The Golden Temple of Vellore
The Golden Temple of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India is dedicated to the goddess Sri Lakshmi Narayani the wife and female aspect of Vishnu the god of light in his form as Narayana which represents the supreme aspect of the god and goddess.
The 30 m long temple is fully covered with gold. It was built as the center of a larger spiritual park area and inside a walled area in the shape of a hexagram.
Consecration
The consecration of the temple and image of its main deity, Sri Lakshmi Narayani or Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, was held on 24 August 2007.
- the consecration was celebrated with a conjunction of Saturn the indicator for stabilization, state cult, traditions, history and of factual reality and Venus the planet of income, wealth, agriculture, food, market places in its Taurus related aspect and of harmony, balance, beauty, symmetry, decoration, relationship, marriage and love in its Libra related aspects of resonance.
- Saturn at 28°Leo was exactly conjunct the astrogrographical resonance coordinate of the main shrine of the temple indicating that the consecration is to be examined and understood as an act of stabilization of the worship, goddess statue and temple institution at the site.
- the position of Venus at 20°Leo fell on the resonance position at the western limits of the temple park area.
The design of a hexagram
The hexagram has a larger number of possible implications:
A —- an allusion to the symbolical implications of star hexagrams in mystical studies and practical magic.
The oldest known scriptures in which hexagrams have been described appear to be Tantric (magical) and early Buddhist texts from around 700 B.C..
I suggest that an investigation of hexagram stars from an astrological perspective has to consider the resonance of the 6 – fold star with the self-protective, exclusive symbolisms of earth sign Virgo. This is because astrology is aimed at holistic investigation of cycles. Therefore the numbers 1 to 12 along with their abstract meanings are taken as representatives of the sequence of the 12 stations o the Sun in the solar year in the same way as the 12 internal steps and stages between the number 1 and 12.
The symbolical and technical (magical) functions of hexagram stars have therefore to be investigated as representations of the functions of earth sign Virgo: protecting places, reason, health care, self-healing, herbal medicine, psychology, gardening, science of agriculture, protection of plants and nature, spiritual entities of plants and protected places, virginity, celibacy, monkhood, yoga culture.
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B —- a simplification or particular aspect of the Sri Yantra – a magical (tantric) symbol derived from the “Sri Vidya” or “Goddess School” of Shaktism and frequently used in Hinduism. SRI is an earlier name for the great goddess, for Lakshmi and for her aspect as the Shakti (divine energy) out which the form of Lakshmi developed. Therefore an intended allusion to the Sri Yantra has to be assumed here in any way.
In India the Sri Yantra with the star hexagram in its center is extensively used in everyday life as a magical symbol that is supposed to attract income and flow of money, wealth and plentitude.
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- C —- an allusion of the temple park to classical European bastion forts. This is because the hexagram star has the function of separating and protecting the temple park from the surrounding areas.
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- D —- an allusion to the global significance of Jewish religion as part of the human perspective on oneness.
Since the 6-star hexagram has become the central symbol of the Jewish State and state cult its political meaning as the representation of core issues of the Jewish religion cannot be ignored esp. in temples built since the foundation of modern Israel on 14 May 1948.
It is not my intention to answer the question at which stage of human history or in which of the global cultures or territories the hexagram star as such was first discovered, explored, used or even “invented” because putting territorial claims on issues of geometry is by any means an attempt to overwrite the holistic perspective on form and content.
I think it has to be understood that the use of the hexagram star for however long it may or may not have been used in various cultures is not the actual property of one or the other assumed territorial or cultural inheritance.
Anyway allusions to symbols of the world religions are frequent in the Nirguna school of Hinduism and are important for mystical perspectives of Jainism where the spiritual origin of life as such is taken as the original formless quality of god and not the forms or names of demi-gods.
Astrogeographical resonance coordinates:
Field level 4 (exact position of the temple building only):
The site of the central temple building has one coordinate in service orientated, aristocratic air sign Libra the sign of angels, harmony, balance, symmetry, naive painting, justice, equality, beauty, decoration, relationship, marriage and love. Female sign Libra relates to a temple dedicated to the female aspects of the deity, her beauty and her (relative or not) openness, empathy and readiness to help.
The 2nd coordinate is located in creative, innovative air sign Aquarius the sign of the sky, heaven, paradise, revolution, self-finding, emancipation, castelessness, sannyas and of leaving the past behind. Aquarius also stands for the re-connection with the fuller dimension of human potentials.
Field Level 3 (surrounding area of a building)
The position for field level 3 n this case identifies the energetical qualities of the whole park area.
One coordinate of the park area is in royal fire sign Leo the sign of the sun, light, gold, glamour, magnificence, the heart, power stations, self-centering, self-esteem and of self-expression.
The 2nd coordinate is in highly alert, defensive water sign Scorpio the sign of mental perception, sculpting, imaging, visualization, photography, alchemy, metal working, fusion of elements and of construction, building and art work as such.
The combination of Leo with Scorpio has to be examined as an aspect that deals with reflexes and issues of profile neurosis.
The famous Golden Buddha statue at the temple of Wat Traimit in Thailands capital Bangkok is an example for the position of a temple of gold in the astrogeographical combination of Leo with Scorpio
