The tradition of painting Hindu temples in white and red is deeply rooted in a spiritual and scientific thought process. The Moola Sthanam, where the main God statue resides, is often referred to as Karuvarai (meaning uterus in Tamil). It came to our surprise when a video posted by Behindwoods been circulating around the social media platforms recently. This association is symbolic and has two main reasons:
Representation of Life: The red and white stripes painted on the temple walls symbolize the flow of blood cells in the human body. Red represents Red Blood Cells (RBCs), and white represents White Blood Cells (WBCs). This imagery signifies the presence of life within the temple, representing the divine presence of the God.
Symbolism of Reproductive Cells: Another perspective is related to the reproductive cells of humans. The male's sperm, depicted as white, and the female's ovum, depicted as red or pink, combine to form life inside the uterus. The red and white stripes coming together on the temple walls symbolize the creation of life within the temple's "uterus" or Karuvarai.
@sureshkupu199621147♬ original sound - Suresh Kupu
In Hindu philosophy, the union of male and female elements is significant, representing the creation of life, which, in turn, symbolizes the divine presence in the sanctum sanctorum. The temple becomes a sacred space where the divine unison is celebrated.
This practice extends to the concept of Brahmam or ParaBrahmam, where the unification of male and female elements results in a formless entity represented by the Linga. The Linga is genderless and signifies the divine essence before it decides to take on a gender after 7-10 days, mirroring the natural process of gender determination in human reproduction.
The symbolic white and red tones in Hindu temples essentially signify the interconnectedness of life, creation, and the divine force within the consecrated environment of the temple.
Source / Image Credit: Behindwoods , Flickr