When a cyclone hit the Andhra Pradesh coast in 1984, survivors took shelter in temples.  And, more recently, when modern-day structures in Orissa's Coastal areas could not withstand the super-cyclone, the Jagannath temple at Puri, built centuries back, remained unscathed. Why do ancient temples survive natural disasters when modern-day structures come crumbling down? Is God's will or God's reach?

      "Neither.  It's not a miracle or divine will," says 55-year-old Hariprasad Sompura, an 11th generation temple architect, "but the traditional way of building temples - followed for generations which was saved the ancient structures."

      The construction of a traditional Hindu temple is an elaborate process involving skills passed on from father to son.  For generations, these skills have been associated with sthapathis (temple Architects), with each region developing its own individual style while maintaining identical forms.  The Somnath temple in Gujarat or the temple at Mahabalipuram in Tamilnadu or the Jagannath temple at Puri or the Mata Vaishnodevi temple in Himachal Pradesh - all follow the same principles of Vastushastra specified for the dev prasad (above of the Gods).

      Each region of the country has its community of temple architects the Dravid sthapathis of the south, the Sompuras of the west and the Mahapatras of East. the north had its own sthapathis but they do not exist any more.

      Brahmin by birth and originally from Gujarat, the Sompuras were known as acharyas (formerly sthapathi).  They derived their name from the famous Somnath temple of Gujarat which they helped to rebuild following periodic onslaughts from the marauding armies of Mohammad Ghaznavi and others.

      Around 200 families of these temple architects still exist in Gujarat, of which Mumbai-based Hariprasad Sompura is among the leading lights.  As Gujarat's rulers set up new capital cities, the Sompuras too moved from Somnath to Chapanar, Patan to Palitana.  It was in 1943 that Hariprasad's father, Hargovindas, left Palitana for Thane.  And ultimately settled in Mumbai.

      The senior Sompura built the Tembinaka Jain temple at Thane.  Son Hariprasad made his debut as a temple architect in 1969 with the construction of the Swami Nityanand Samadhi Temple at Ganeshpuri.  So far, he has built 27 Hindu and Jain temples.

      "The form may vary but Khagol sastra (ancient astronomy) has a great bearing on all structures.  The designing has much to do with the positioning, i.e. the longitude and latitude of the site selected," explains Hariprasad Sompura.

      A Hindu temple consists of garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum, kauli mandap (the place where the priest performs the puja), the guda mandap, an enclosed structure with walls, followed by the nritya mandap, an open place supported by pillars where dance performances were once held.  Finally, there's the pravesh Chauki or entrance.

      Devotees wonder how ancient temples survive even today despite not being constructed with modern-day requirements like cement and steel.  "Unlike the temples built in recent times, the earlier once lasted for over 800 years.  Each piece of the pillar is carved separately and is made to stand with the use of an intricate looking system," explain Sompura, who has renovated and reconstructed the 1,200-year-old temple dedicated to Lord Krishna at Una.  Each stone of the temple, which was assembled over the old one, was removed and numbered while leaving the main temple and the deity untouched.

      Iron is never used in the construction of a temple because, according to the shastras, it begins to rust, thus limiting the life of the structure to a maximum of 80 years. Even the application of cement is restricted.  Lime and mud was used earlier, with artisans making do with herbal juices or vanaspatiras before lime was freely available.

      Ever wondered why it's so pleasant inside a temple even if the sun is blazing hot outside? Well, the temperature in temples is controlled cool during the summer and warm during the winter.  Observes Sompura, "The sthapathi achieved this with the liberal use of sand for the purpose of insulation.  A layer of sand was used at the plinth at the entrance of the temple to stop the heat from entering the premises."