Cosmology
You may have seen it written that the architectural design of temples in general is intended to represent a scale model of the cosmos (universe or created world), and that a temple is a conceptual (symbolic) micro-cosmos where the floor of the temple represents the earth, and the cover embodies the sky etc. Or that every aspect of Solomon's Temple was made to represent some aspect of heaven or earth. Cicero refers to the earth's place in the universe as "that sphere in the middle of the temple" (illum globum, quem in hoc templo medium). John Mitchell suggests that the temple is not so much a model of the cosmos itself (meaning the real world) as it is a model of the national cosmology. (cosmology =df. a conception of the cosmos). The most cherished possession of every ancient culture, he writes, was its sacred cannon of cosmology, and the inner secrets of that tradition were preserved in the principle temple, via schemes of geometry, symbols, number and proportions.
 Above we see a representation of the Hindu cosmolgy where elephants on the back of a turtle support the world mountain surrounded by a cobra. The square flat bottom of the turtle shell represents the surface of the earth, while its domed shell represents the heavens. * THE CROSSHOUSE OF MIRINGA TE KAKARA AND THE UNIVERSAL GEOMETRIC METHOD - Because of the tremendous importance placed upon retaining 'special knowledge', it was often encoded into the dimensions and angles of ancient "communal" or village structures as well, for ongoing mnemonic reference. An example of this coding is clearly demonstrated in the dimensions of the former Crosshouse of Miringa te Kakara, central North Island, New Zealand, which survived until 1983, when it was destroyed by fire.
 That is not to say that the temples weren't designed to represent the movements of the sun, moon and planets etc, its just that cosmogenies are not derived merely from the stars but are what JM calls 'extensions of alchemical (symbolic) language'. (cosmogeny = df. specualtion about the origins, genesis of the Universe.) Cosmology is part geometry (earth measure), part astronomy, and part mythology. National cosmologies are basically propoganda. The apparent goal was symbolic models which conform to scale.
There have been religious notions relating temples to the Creation for ever. In Egypt the pyramid symbolized the primeval hill, the first land to emerge from the waters of Nun on which creation began. The Temple shares the symbolism of the mountain as center and axis of the world. We are reminded of the 'verticality' of Gothic Cathedrals, Jacob's Pillar and the Djed.
 The Buddhist temple was built to symbolize the levels of "cosmology" (meditation) in Buddhism. The first level being the "world of desire" . As you move up the levels of meditation, you eventually arrive at the top level representing nirvana. This Wat or Buddhist temple is an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. In the mythology of Tibetan Buddhism, Mount Meru is a place that simultaneously represents the center of the universe and the single-pointedness of mind sought by adepts. Thousands of miles in height, Meru is said to be located beyond the physical plane of reality, in a realm of perfection and transcendence. The four-corner prang of Wat Arun, which house images of the guardian gods of the four directions, reinforces this mystical symbolism.
 Wat Arun - The Temple of Dawn Bromwell tells us that, "Masonry follows the order (of the Universe) itself, by beginning at the lowest and outmost and ascending and penetrting by the higher and inner to the highest and inmost, which is first in the lowest, thus tracing backwards the footprints of this order from the visible to the invisible - from the ultimate to the primary - which primary was all the time admited in its essence, but is thus demonstrated in its existence". You will rcognize this as the alchemical program as well. Greek temples were situated on a hill or on a three stepped platform (krepis). The steadily rising floor had the effect of rendering the sanctuary the highest point within the temple. As such, it represented the primeval hill. The three steps represent the physical, the mental and the spiritual realms. Many temple forms represent the mountain with stages of ascent. Babylonian and Sumerian ziggurats, the pyramidial Indian temple and the multiple-roofed pagoda are examples. This is an image of the cosmos, ascending through higher and higher levels of reality to the pure and absolute Reality. Often there would be seven levels, ruled by the seven planetary principles, like we see represented in the pulpit below.
 But not all cosmologies share this vertcal axis element. Below we compare the Mayan and Navajo cosmologies.
 In terms of Temple Typology we can say that the Temple: 1) provides a Cosmic Orientation, as it is oriented toward the four world corners, the cardinal directions, the sunrises and sunsets, the planets stars etc. Geometry and Astronomy, Observatory, Surveying etc. 2) presents a a Cosmogram (mandala in Sanskrit), or scale model of the universe, often focusing on the wedding of heaven and earth viewed as a circle and square. The notion of the temple as the place of the union of heaven and earth has been commonly held worldwide, and is the purpose of the temple. 3) is the architectural embodiment of the cosmic mountain and axis mundi (some cultures feature an axis or tree or pillars and columns that connect the earth to the heavens). Stability connection djed pillar. 4)With or without the idea of a mountain, temples express the idea of a successive ascension (approach) toward heaven, or a center point (object). South Indian Hindu temple architecture is laid out on a rectangular foundation, with concentric prakarams (boundaries) representing the various states of differentiation of the universe: the outermost being the material world to the innermost being Pure Consciousness. The square shape of the Mandala is symbolic of earth, signifying the four directions which bind and define it. A Mandala is a plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective. * In Pursuit of Sacred Science - An architectural survey of Borobudur.
 Hindu cosmology represents the surface of the Earth as a square, The earth is 'Caturbhrsti (four-cornered)' and is represented in the symbolic form of the Prithvi Mandala. Even astrological charts or horoscopes are represented in a square plan the ecliptic. The Vastu Purusha Mandala is the metaphysical plan of a building, temple, or site that incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and supernatural forces. It is symbolic and is the representation of cosmos in miniature. The Vastu Purusha represents the terrestrial world with constant movements. The grid made up of squares and equilateral triangles is imbued with religious significance; with each cell belonging to a deity. The positions of the deities is in accordance to the importance assigned to them .The central portion of the square (Brahma Sthana) is occupied by the presiding deity of the temple ; while the outer cells house deities of lower order.
 The Vastu Purusha Mandala * Space and Cosmology in the Hindu Temple - According to the Sthapatya Veda (the Indian tradition of architecture), the temple and the town should mirror the cosmos. The temple architecture and the city plan are, therefore, related in their conception. The Hindu temple, as a conception of the astronomical frame of the universe,serves the same purpose as the Vedic altar, which reconciled the motions of the sun and the moon. The temple construction begins with the Vastupurusha mandala, which is a yantra, mostly divided into 64 (8 x 8) or 81 (9 x 9) squares, which are the seats of 45 divinities. Here is an excellent review of the process of building this Hindu temple entitled simply Temple Layout.
 Vastu Floorplan * Indian Temple Architecture - The Brihat Samhita text (4th century CE) says the temple should reflect cormic order. To understand the uses of recursive geometrical forms involving self-similarity on different scales (fractals) in the Hindu temple complex we will need to explore some of these deep images and their uses.
 Vajradhatu Mandala
Angkor Wat * THE HEXAGON, THE SOLSTICE AND THE KIVA - In most cases, their binary axes were aligned with the cardinal axes, conforming to north-south and east-west directions.
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