Temple History

Ancient Indian architecture The Great  Chaitya  in the Buddhist  Karla Caves ,  Maharashtra, India , c. 120 CE. Kailasa temple, Ellora , the largest  rock-cut   Hindu temple . [1] Ancient  Indian architecture  is the architecture of the  Indian subcontinent  from the  Indian Bronze Age  to around 800 CE. By this endpoint  Buddhism in India  had greatly declined, and  Hinduism  was predominant, and religious and secular building styles had taken on forms, with great regional variation, which they largely retained until and beyond the great changes brought about by the arrival of first Islam, and then Europeans. Much early Indian architecture was in wood, which has almost always decayed or burnt, or brick, which has often been taken away for re-use. The large amount of  Indian rock-cut architecture , essentially beginning around 250 BCE, is therefore especially important, as much of it clearly adapts forms from contemporary constructed buildings of which no examples remain. There are als

A  Buddhist temple , or  Buddhist  monastery  is the  place of worship  for  Buddhists , the followers of  Buddhism . They include the structures called  vihara ,  chaitya ,  stupa ,  wat , and  pagoda  in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a  Buddha . Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. [1]  Its structure and architecture varies from region to region. Usually, the temple consists not only of its buildings, but also the surrounding environment. The Buddhist temples are designed to symbolize 5 elements: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and  Wisdom . [2] India The design of temples in India was influenced by the idea of a place of worship as a representation of the universe. For Buddhist temple complexes one tall temple is often centrally located and surrounded by smaller temples and walls. This is symbolic of Buddhist imagining of the universe with  Mount Meru  at the center surrounded by oc

Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple  or  Srisailam Temple  is a  Hindu temple  dedicated to the deities  Shiva  and  Parvati , located at  Srisailam  in  Indian state  of  Andhra Pradesh . Temple entrance It is significant to the Hindu sects of both  Shaivam  and  Shaktam  as this temple is referred to as one of the twelve  Jyothirlingas  of Lord Shiva and as one of the eighteen  Shakti Peethas  of goddess  Parvati . Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna, and is represented by the  lingam . His consort  Parvati  is depicted as Brahmaramba. It is the one of the only three temples in India in which both Jyotirlinga and Shaktipeeth is revered. The legend is that Kumar Kartikeya, the younger son of Lord Shiva once got angry and came to the Kronch Hills from Kailash. Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati came here and stayed on with the name Arjun and Mallika. Thus the place and the temple were called Mallikarjun. [1] When  Shiva  and  Parvati  decided to find suitable brides for their sons, 

Akshardham or  Swaminarayan Akshardham complex  is a  Hindu temple , and a spiritual-cultural campus in  Delhi , India. [1] [2]  Also referred to as  Akshardham Temple  or  Swaminarayan Akshardham , the complex displays millennia of traditional  Hindu  and  Indian culture , spirituality, and architecture. Inspired by  Yogiji Maharaj  and created by  Pramukh Swami Maharaj , it was constructed by  BAPS . [3] The temple [4]  was officially opened on 6 November 2005 by  Pramukh Swami Maharaj  in the presence of Dr.  A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ,  Manmohan Singh ,  L.K Advani  and  B.L Joshi . [5] [6]  The temple, at the centre of the complex, was built according to the  Vastu shastra  and  Pancharatra shastra . In Akshardham Delhi, similar to its predecessor  Akshardham Gandhinagar ,  Gujarat , the main shrine is the focal point and maintains the central position of the entire complex. There are various exhibition halls which provide information about the life and work of  Swaminaray

The  Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple  or  Thiruvarangam  is a  Hindu temple  dedicated to  Ranganatha , a reclining form of the  Hindu deity  Maha  Vishnu , located in  Srirangam ,  Tiruchirapalli ,  Tamil Nadu , India. [4]  Constructed in the  Dravidian Architecture , this temple is glorified by  Alvars  in their  Divya Prabhanda [5]  and has the unique distinction of being not only the foremost among the 108  Divya Desams  dedicated to Vishnu. [4] , but also the largest functioning  Hindu  temple in the world. It is one of the most illustrious  Vaishnava  temples in  South India  rich in legend and history. The temple has played an important role in  Vaishnavism  history starting with the 11th-century career of  Ramanuja  and his predecessors  Nathamuni  and Yamunacharya in Srirangam. [8]  Its location, on an island between the Kollidam and  Kaveri  rivers, [4]  has rendered it vulnerable to flooding as well as the rampaging of invading armies which repeatedly commandeered the