Temple Beyond Form: A Phenomenological Reading
In architectural phenomenology, how a space feels is more important than how it looks. Our experience of architecture is shaped not only by form or surface, but by movement, texture, sound, shadow, and memory. Juhani Pallasmaa explains that touch, hearing, and even the passage of time affect how we understand buildings. Meaning does not come instantly through vision; it develops slowly as we move through space and become aware of our bodies. Christian Norberg-Schulz speaks of the spirit of a place—the atmosphere that grows when architecture responds to its location and to the people who use it. Buildings feel more meaningful when they are shaped by lived experience rather than by visual image alone.
This way of understanding architecture becomes very clear in sacred spaces. In traditional Hindu temples, experience is never sudden. Sacredness is revealed gradually through ritual movement, controlled light, enclosure, and pause. Walking matters more than seeing. Light enters gently, never all at once. Spaces slowly become tighter or more open, changing how we feel step by step. Meaning grows during the journey, not at the moment of arrival, and presence is created without relying only on symbols.
Studying four temples from different time periods shows how sacred architecture shapes human experience across history. The most recent example, the Temple of Steps, designed by Sameep Padora, reimagines the temple as a stepped landscape connected to water, greenery, and everyday use. Alongside it are three historic temples. The Brihadeeswara Temple (c. 1010 CE) expresses power through its massive scale and strict order. The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (1025–1050 CE) draws attention inward through compression and darkness. The Virupaksha Temple developed gradually over time as part of a living city shaped by daily rituals. Although these temples differ in size, form, and era, all use movement, spatial sequence, enclosure, and light to guide the body toward experiences beyond the ordinary.Seen together, these temples form a shared experiential journey. Over time, sacred architecture shifts from controlling the body through strict hierarchy and enclosure to inviting participation and lived presence. Yet movement, light, and spatial transition remain central to shaping experience. The Temple of Steps continues this tradition, not by copying old forms, but by translating sensory principles into a contemporary setting.
At the Brihadeeswara Temple, movement is direct and open. The worshipper crosses a vast courtyard toward a towering shrine, feeling small under the open sky. Strong thresholds clearly separate sacred space from the outside world. Light is bright and open, reinforcing authority rather than inward reflection. Enclosure appears mainly at the sanctum. Sacredness is expressed through scale, order, and control.
At the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, the experience becomes inward and intense. As one moves deeper, spaces narrow, ceilings lower, and light reduces. Doorways frame vision tightly, and shadows increase. The outside world slowly disappears. Enclosure sharpens bodily awareness, creating a quiet and focused sense of reverence.
In the Virupaksha Temple, sacred experience unfolds over time. Long streets, covered halls, and open courtyards repeat again and again. There is no single moment of entry. Light changes throughout the day, moving between bright courtyards and shaded interiors. Sacredness grows through repetition, shared rituals, and everyday use.
The Temple of Steps brings these ideas into the present. Movement is not linear but free and exploratory. Paths descend through terraces connected to land and water. Thresholds are felt through changes in level, depth, and shade rather than walls. Though open to the sky, the space feels contained through proportion and shadow. Time is flexible people can pause, sit, and stay. Sacredness emerges through presence and participation rather than fixed ritual paths.
Across all these temples, the relationship between open and enclosed space is key. What changes over time is not enclosure itself, but how tightly it is controlled. Earlier temples guide experience through strict order, while contemporary spaces allow choice and comfort. Still, all rely on bodily movement to shape meaning.
Over centuries, temple architecture changes in form and style, but its focus on human experience remains. Instead of monumentality and control, contemporary sacred spaces move toward openness and involvement. Meaning is created not by repeating old forms, but by rethinking how bodies move, pause, and feel within space. The Temple of Steps shows that sacred architecture remains relevant when it speaks to the body, not just to the eye.
Temple of Steps
Kandariya mahadeva temple
Virupaksha temple
Brihadeeswara Temple
