Amalaka

Amalaka at the top of the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar

Banners at the top of the amalaka of the Jagannath Temple in Puri

An Amalaka, is a stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits atop a temple's main tower (Shikhara). According to one interpretation, the amalaka represents a lotus, and thus the symbolic seat for the deity below. Another interpretation is that it symbolizes the sun, and is thus the gateway to the heavenly world.

According other sources, the shape of the amalaka has been inspired by the fruit of the myrobolan fig tree Phyllanthus emblica (ou Mirobalanus embilica).

The amalaka itself is crowned with a kalasam (finial), from which a temple banner is often hung.

See also

• Shikhara

External links

• Khajuraho Architecture
• The Hindu Temple - Stella Kramrisch - Google Livres