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Muthiah Sthapati, the Master Shilpi
Honored with a Padma Shri, the traditional temple architect and builder as well as idol maker has designed over 36 grand temples in America and has been associated with renovation of the Ganesh temple, NY. by Swathi A.K. ndia is known for its temples big and small in every nook and corner of the country. Now in our time, majestic temples have come up in North America too. Their beautiful architecture and divine idols have enamored hundreds of thousands of devotees and visitors from all over the world. One name behind the splendor of many of these temples is Muthiah Sthapati, the master architect from Chennai, South India. (Sthapati is a traditional temple architect and builder). His expertise, and unparalleled devotion to his work has earned him the credit of creation of 36 temples in North America and a host of temples in India and other Asian countries. Muthiah is the younger brother of V. Ganapathi Sthapati, perhaps the best known sthapati and head of the College of Architecture and Sculpture in the Vastu Shastra tradition at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu.SATimes interviewed Muthiah --who speaks Tamil--about his work during his visit to the US on the occasion of the Maha Kumbhabhishekam at the Ganesh temple in Flushing. What is a ‘Sthapati’? Muthiah Sthapati : Sthapathi is not my family name. A “design architect of a temple” is generally called by this name in Tamil Nadu. For how many years have you been working as a temple architect? Is this also your family occupation? MS: I have been working as a temple architect for the past 45 years. Yes, this is also my family occupation and can be traced back to the last three generations. My grandfather, my father and my brother have all been Sthapatis before me, and a lot of credit goes to them for having passed on their valuable knowledge and experience
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Muthiah Sthapati with Dr. Uma Mysorekar before the new sannidhi for Lord Kal Bairav during 2009 Kumbhabhishekam to me. I also received formal educa- Tampa, Florida, among others. Other tion in the art of sculpting and town than America, I have also designed planning way back in 1957 at the the “Murugan Temple” in East Shilpa Kalaikudam, a sculpture London, U.K., the “Mariamman school run by the Tamil Nadu gov- temple” in Thailand, a “Perummal” ernment in Mamallapuram, now temple in Africa and a “Kamakshi called the College of Architecture Temple” in Rangoon, Burma. In and Sculpture. The course required addition, we recently built an 18-feet us to study for five years and com- idol of Hanuman and a 70-feet sinprised 28 volumes, taught in gle-stone statue of “Buddha” in sitSanskrit. We became well-versed in ting position in Colombo, Sri Lanka. “Shilpa Shastra” (Science of This project took nearly 8 long years Sculpture), a specialized knowledge to complete. to construct temple towers (gopuWhat about India? rams) and make idols of different MS: In India, I have designed and deities in accordance with ancient constructed the granite stone religious treatises. Arupadai Veedu Temple complex in So far how many temples have Chennai; Sri Meenakshi you planned and supervised con- Sundareswra Temple, Uttaraswami struction of? Malai in New Delhi; Sri Utthara MS: First, let me start with tem- Chidambara Nataraja Temple in ples in North America. My brother, Satara, Maharashtra; and a 60-feetV. Ganapathi Sthapati, was working high granite carving of Lord on the Flushing temple before the Krishna at Birla Museum, Kolkata. project was taken over by me. My other outstanding projects in Gradually, I got involved with 36 India also include some of the other temples. My notable projects Hyderabad and Badrachalam teminclude the Sri Venkateswara ples in Andhra Pradesh; the ‘Kala Temple in Pittsburgh; temples in Bhairavi” Temple in Karnataka, for Memphis and Nashville in which nearly 350 Shilpis have Tennessee; Mahalakshmi Temple in worked under my direction for the Boston; Balaji temple in Los last nine years; Murugan temple in Angeles; Shiva Temple in Georgia; New Delhi; Nataraja Temple in Meenakshi Temple in Houston, Maharashtra; and the Texas; Perumal temple in Chicago; Pandaranganathan Temple in Kasi, and Satyanarayana Temple in which has been designed on the
lines of the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Apart from all these temples, most of the south Indian style temples from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have been designed and constructed under my supervision. Besides temple construction, I also serve as Advisor Sthapati for the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department in Chennai, which has 36 temples under its supervision and is run by the Tamil Nadu Government. Since 1990, I have also been involved in renovation work of several temples. At present, I am working on temples in Tiruvannamalai and Kanchipuram. How long you take to prepare the structural drawings and a temple plan? MS: I first discuss the budget plans with the temple trustees and then start designing and planning the layout. But a sthapati's work does not end here. I also test the ground for its robustness and suitability to lay the foundation and then execute the plan. Then, we perform a few rituals, before presenting it to the Temple board and functionaries. However, the process is different in America. Owing to some license regulations, the construction work is supervised by a modern architect, who follows the designs finalized by me. However, I step in again in the final stages of the project to finish the traditional part of the work. What factor you keep in mind in designing the gopuram - temple tower? Also, please tell us about the intricate art of sculpting the idols of deities? MS: The Rajagopuram (main tower) can vary from one storey to 60 storeys high, depending on the size of the temple. Huge temples have tall towers and compact temples have smaller towers. Above the Sanctum Sanctorum, there is the
Vimana, which varies based on the presiding deity. For Ganapati Temple, it is square and for Shiva temple it is round. We follow a method called ‘Prathimaal Lakshanam’ for idols, wherein every part of the deity’s body, from eyes, ears, stomach and legs, is in the right proportion. How many people work under you? MS: I run a sculpture shop called Swarnam Shilpakudam and have 50 sculptors and 100 workers under my guidance. I don't just employ them, but also train and nurture them to create the wonderful interior designs and decorations of the temples. I get them visas for one or two years for projects outside India and send them to different places to work. How long have you been associated with the Flushing temple's renovation work? MS: Nearly two years now. We have replaced the brick and stone idols with black granite to last for a 1,000 years. How has been your journey as Sthapati been so far? MS: Definitely quite enriching in the service of God. I have received several awards and honors from various temples and government organizations. I was also honored with the prestigious Padma Shri by the President of India in 1992. In the coming years, what is on your design table? MS: We have started work on the Shiva-Vishnu Temple and Ganapati Temple in Austin, TX. Back in Chennai, I will be starting a school of my own to train people to become Sthapatis with the help of Venu Srinivasan. The idea behind this school is to uphold the ancient tradition and share the knowledge I have gathered all these years with people who are interested in learning this art.