Panchayatana (temple)

Panchayatana (Sanskrit: पञ्चायतन, romanized: pañcāyatana) is a Hindu temple layout where the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines.^[1][2] The origin of the name are the Sanskrit words pancha (five) and ayatana (containing), referring to a "five-shrined" layout.^[3][4]

Plan of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho.

Generally, Hindu temples are built along a west-east axis. The four subsidiary shrines are located at the north-east, south-east, south-west, and the north-west.

Panchayatana temples

• Shree Dev Vyadeshwar in Guhagar
• Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho
• Brahmeswara Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Jagdish Temple in Udaipur
• Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho
• Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar
• Arasavalli Temple near Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh near Visakhapatnam. Main shrine dedicated to Aditya. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu.^[5]
• Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh. It should be the oldest panchayatana temple in India.
• Nabaratna Temple in Pantchupi
• Shiva Panchayatana Temple in Tumbadi, Tumkur district. Subsidiary shrines dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha, Vinayaka, Parvati and Surya.
• Gondeshvara temple, in Sinnar, Maharashtra^[6]
• Panchayatan temple at Dronasagar, Kashipur, Uttarakhand is an archeological site, from 6th century AD.
• Rinmukteshwar Panchdevalaya, Ena situated in Ena Village of Surat district in Gujarat State.