https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=DhvajastambhaDhvajastambha - Revision history2026-07-31T16:00:33ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dhvajastambha&diff=496974&oldid=prevVijaykumar96 at 09:15, 17 October 20252025-10-17T09:15:00Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Flagstaff, a common feature of South Indian Hindu temples}}<br />
[[File:Thanjavur - Brihadisvara Temple (54).jpg|thumb|[[Brihadeeswarar Temple]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]].]]<br />
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The '''dhvajastambha''' (ध्वजस्तम्भ) refers to the flagstaff erected in front of the ''mukhamaṇḍapa'' (front pavilion) of a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temple. The ''dhvajastambha'' is usually built within the temple walls (''prākāra''). They are traditionally built of wood and stone, where the wooden variety is often finished with a metal covering (''kavaca''). The dhvajastambha is a common feature in [[South India]]n temples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2017-05-29 |title=Dhvajastambha, Dhvaja-stambha: 6 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dhvajastambha |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><br />
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Two other objects that are grouped together with this flagstaff are the ''[[Bali Pitham|bali pitham]]'' (altar for offerings) and the vehicle ([[vahana]]) of the deity to whom the temple is dedicated. Symbolically, these three objects are shields that protect the sanctuary of the temple from the impure and undevoted.<ref>[[Alf Hiltebeitel|Hiltebeitel, Alf]] (1991). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=diPh4qYtjPUC The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 2: On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess]''. University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN|0226340473}}. pp. 91-92.</ref><br />
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==Churches in Kerala==<br />
[[Image:St. Joseph's Cathedral, Trivandrum panorama.jpg|thumb|Dwajasthambam in front of [[St. Joseph's Cathedral, Trivandrum]], [[Kerala]]]]<br />
Dwajasthambam are a common element in front of churches in [[Kerala]], India, often with a cross at the top.<ref>Frost, Christine Mangala (2017). ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Human_Icon/qtLYDwAAQBAJ The Human Icon: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Orthodox Christian Beliefs]''. James Clarke & Company Ltd. Page 44.</ref><br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[Dhvaja]]<br />
* [[Gopuram]]<br />
* [[Vahana]]<br />
* [[Hindu temple architecture]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{commons category|Dwajasthambams}}<br />
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{{Worship in Hinduism}}<br />
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[[Category:Hindu temple architecture]]<br />
[[Category:Religious flags]]<br />
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{{Hinduism-stub}}</div>Vijaykumar96