Hindu temple

Frontal-right view of the Brihadeshwara temple

A Hindu temple , Devalayam , Devasthanam or Mandir or kō-yil (Sanskrit: देवालयः, Tamil: கோயில், Telugu :దేవాలయం, Kannada: ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ, Hindi: मन्दिर, Gujarati: મંદિર, Konkani:दॆवळ / देवस्थान, Marathi: देऊळ, Oriya:େଦଉଳ ,ମଦିର, Bengali: মন্দির, Malayalam: അമ്പലം, Punjabi: ਮੰਦਰ) is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism. A characteristic of most temples is the presence of murtis (images) of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, the presiding deity, and other subordinate deities associated with the main deity. However, some temples are dedicated to several deities, and others are dedicated to murtis in an aniconic form. Many temples are located in key geographical points, such as a hill top, near waterfalls, caves and rivers, because some believe the Puranas mention that ""the gods always play where groves are near rivers, mountains,and springs""

Nomenclature, orthography and etymology

Many Hindu temples are known by different names in different parts of the world, depending upon the language. The word mandible or mandible is used in many languages, including Hindi, and is derived from a Sanskrit word, mandible, for 'house' (of a deity by implication). Temples are known as Audi, Devasthanamu, Kshatriya, Mandible, Kshetralayamu, Himalaya, Devastation, Hypothalamus, Punyakshetram, Punyakshetralayamu or Novella in Telugu, as Devastating or Gui in Kannada and Mondrian (মন্দির) in Bengali, as Kshatriya or Jambalaya in Malayalam. Temples are known as kō-ail - கோயில் (and occasionally, especially in modern formal speech, Malayan - ஆலயம்) in Tamil. The etymology is from kō - கோ, or lord, and IL - இல் - home (note that besides meaning a deity's home, this term could also mean a king's home, since the term kō - கோ is used interchangeably for royalty and divinity).

Hindu temples are generally divided into three main architectural styles: the Dravida style of South India, the Nagara style of North India, and the mixed Vesara style.

History

The Akshardham temple in Delhi is the largest comprehensive Hindu temple complex, according to Guinness World Records.

The oldest temples that were built of brick and wood no longer exist. Stone later became the preferred material. Temples marked the transition of Hinduism from the Vedic religion of ritual sacrifices to a religion of Bhakti or love and devotion to a personal deity.

Temple construction and mode of worship is governed by ancient Sanskrit scriptures called agamas, of which there are several, which deal with individual deities. There are substantial differences in architecture, customs, rituals and traditions in temples in different parts of India.

During the ritual consecration of a temple, the presence of the universal all-encompassing Brahman is invoked into the main stone deity of the temple, through ritual, thereby making the deity and the temple sacred and divine.

Customs and etiquette

The customs and etiquette when visiting Hindu temples have a long history and are filled with symbolism, solemn respect and veneration of Brahma's creation.

Worshipers in major temples typically bring in symbolic offerings for the prayer or 'puja'. This includes fruits, flowers, sweets and other symbols of the bounty of the natural world. Temples in India are typically surrounded by small stores called 'dukan' (Hindi) which offer them typically wrapped in organic containers such as banana leaves.

When inside the temple, it is typical to keep both hands folded together as a sign of respect. The inner sanctuary, where the murtis reside, is known as the garbhagruh. It symbolizes the birthplace of the universe, the meeting place of the gods and mankind, and "the threshold between the transcendental and the phenomenal worlds." It is in this inner shrine that devotees offer prayers and salutations to the presiding deities. Devotees may or may not be able to personally present their offerings at the feet of the deity. Usually in most South Indian temples, only the pujaris are allowed to enter into the garbhagruh. In North Indian temples, however, it is more common for devotees to be allowed entrance.

The mantras spoken are typically "Om Namo Narayana" or "Om Namah Shivaya" which mean "Obeisance to Narayana( vishnu)" or "Salutations to Shiva". These are followed by a series of shlokas or verses from the holy texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads or Vedas. Upon the conclusion of prayer, devotees get down on their knees or even fall flat on their stomach and bow before the symbol of the deity. If a priest or 'Pujari' is present, he is likely to provide sacred symbolically blessed food called 'Prasad' to the devotee. He may also apply a holy red mark called ' Tilak ' to the forehead of the devotee symbolising blessings.

Finally the worshiper or visitor would walk clock-wise around the sanctum sanctorum, stop once on each side, close their eyes and pray to the All Loving Being. The worshipper may receive a sprinkling of the water from the holy river Ganges while the 'pujari' states "Om Shanti" which means "peace be unto all".

During religious holidays, temples may be swarmed with devotees chanting and praying loudly. There may be facilitators called 'paandaas' who help visitors navigate through the crowds and complete the 'puja' or prayer rituals quickly.

Temple management staff typically announce the hours of operation, including timings for special 'pujas'. These timings, due to the vast diversity within Hinduism, vary from temple to temple. For example, some temples may perform aarti once or twice per day, while other temples, such as those part of Swaminarayan movement, may perform aarti five times per day. Additionally, there may be specially allotted times for devotees to perform circumambulations, or pradakshina, around the outside of the temple. There are also timings for devotional songs or music called bhajans,which are accompanied by a Dholak or Tabla soloist an/or Harmonium soloist. There are also dates and times for devotional dances such as the classical Bharata Natyam dance performed by accomplished dance performers.

Visitors and worshipers to Hindu temples are required to remove shoes and other footwear before entering them. Most temples have an area designated to store footwear. Additionally, it may be customary, particularly at South Indian temples, for men to remove shirts and to cover pants and shorts with a traditional cloth known as a lungi.

The Hindu religion teaches that all life-forms are created by Brahma and that humankind needs to share the world with the animal kingdom. It is common to see stray dogs, cows, monkeys, and various species of birds congregated at temples.

North Indian temples

Kedarnath Temple dedicated to Shiva, in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

Hindu temple at Tilla Jogian, Pakistan

Unlike South India, it is rare to come across an ancient temple that has not been reconstructed. Most ordinary temples in North Indian rituals are very simple in stark contrast to South Indian temples which have elaborate rituals. Also North Indian temples often tend to be less orthodox and in many cases everybody are permitted to enter the innermost sanctum of the deity and worship the deity personally. In such cases, the deity is not adorned with valuable jewelry. The innermost heart of the temple is the sanctum where the deity (usually of fixed stone) is present, followed by a large hall for lay worshipers to stand in and obtain "darshan" or divine audience. There may or may not be many more surrounding corridors, halls etc. However there will be space for devotees to go around the temple in clock wise fashion circumambulation as a mark of respect. In North Indian temples, the tallest towers are built over the sanctum sanctorum. The reason for lack of huge temples and elaborate rituals as in the South Indian temples may be the continuous waves of invasions by Muslim armies plundering and sacking temples in the medieval times.

South Indian temples

Temple in Kerala

File:Tirumalatemple.jpg

Balaji temple of Tirupati

Many large bannabs (grand stone temples) still stand in South India. Ritual tends to be orthodox and elaborate especially in the large vedic brahmincal temples, which follow the pan-Indian Sanskrit agama scriptural traditions. Apart from the main fixed stone deities, processional deities made of panchaloha (an alloy of five metals - gold, silver, copper, zinc and tin) are bathed, dressed, decorated with valuables and taken out in processions for various festivals throughout the year. The richer the temple, the more elaborate the festivals. However, many ancient temples in small villages with great architectural and historical heritage value languish for lack of funds for maintenance. Famous south indian temples are Thiruppathi temple-Andhra, Mookambi temple-Karnataka, Chennakesava temple, Belur (Karnataka), Sabarimala temple-Kerala, Guruvayoor temple-Kerala, Kodungallor temple-Kerala, anikkattilammakshethram-kerala Kanyakumari temple-Tamilnadu (TN), Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple -Tamilnadu, Srirangam Ranganathar temple and Thiruvanaikaval temple of Trichy (TN), Brihadeshwara temple, Tanjore (TN), oldest temples such as Kailasanathar temple, Varatharajaperumal temple, Kamakshi temple and Ekambareshwarar temple of Kanchipuram (TN), Thirukadiyur Abirami temple, (TN), Andal temple, Srivilliputhur (TN), Natarajar temple, Chidambaram (TN), Kumbeshwara, Kumbakonam (TN), Thiruvannaamalai temple, Tamil Nadu, Palani temple-Tamilnadu, Kodungallor temple-Kerala, Chettikulangara Devi temple-Kerala, Aranmula Parthasarathy temple-Kerala, Tripunithura sree poornathrayeesa temple-kerala.

Temples in other parts of India

Yameshwar Temple near Bhubaneswar,Eastern India

Temples often greatly vary in their appearance, rituals, traditions, festivals and customs from region to region. Temples in eastern state of Orissa and Western India also have their distinctions. In the south, Kerala temples are very different from temples in the other three states.

The temple architecture of Goa is quite unique. As part of Inquisition of Goa,Portuguese demolished more than 1000 temples on Island of Goa.The deities were thus shifted by the devotees and new temples were later built in the areas in Goa which were not parts of Portuguese kingdom,and were under reing of Hindu princely states.Thus these temples are not more than 500 years old,and are a unique blend of original Goan temple architecture Dravidian,Nagar,Hemadpanti temple styles with a touch of Islamic and Portuguese architecture.

Hindu Temples outside South Asia

The BAPS Mandir in London

Many members of the South Asian diaspora have established Hindu mandirs outside India as a means of preserving and celebrating cultural and spiritual heritage abroad. Describing the hundreds of mandirs that can be found throughout the United States, scholar Gail M. Harley observes, “The temples serve as central locations where Hindus can come together to worship during holy festivals and socialize with other Hindus. Temples in America reflect the colorful kaleidoscopic aspects contained in Hinduism while unifying people who are disbursed throughout the American landscape.”

Numerous mandirs in North America and Europe have gained particular prominence and acclaim. The Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Utah, for example, attracts thousands of visitors each year for a variety of cultural and religious events. The B.A.P.S. organization has built over sixty mandirs in the United States, as well as numerous temples in Europe. The BAPS Mandir in London, for example, has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest traditional Hindu temple outside India, and was constructed according to traditional Vedic architectural standards.

Temples in West Bengal and Bangaladesh

Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata

In West Bengal and Bangaladesh, temple architecture has assumed a unique identity. Due to lack of suitable stone in the alluvial Gangetic delta, the temple makers had to resort to other materials instead of stone. This gave rise to using terra cotta as a medium for temple construction. Terra-cotta exteriors with rich carvings are a unique feature of Bengali temples. The town of Vishnupur in West Bengal is renowned for this type of architecture.

Usually a part of the intended total motif was carved by hand on one side of a brick and then baked. While under construction, these carved bricks were arranged to make up the entire motif.

The Bengali style of temple is not luxurious. Rather, most are modeled on simple thatched-roof earthen huts used as dwellings by commoners. This can be attributed to the popularity of bhakti cults which taught people to view gods as close to themselves. Thus, various styles like do-chala, char-chala, and aat-chala sprang up. However, there is also a popular style of building known as Navaratna (nine-towered) or Pancharatna (five-towered) in Bengal which is more luxurious than the Chala buildings. A typical example of Navaratna style is the Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

Temples in Indonesia

Balinese temple is designed as an open-air worship compounds

Hindu temples of ancient Java, Indonesia, bear resemblances with temples of South Indian style. However later ancient Javanese art and architecture developed its own style. The fine example of 9th century Javanese Hindu temple is the towering Trimurti temple of Prambanan in Yogyakarta. In Bali, unlike the common towering indoor Indian Hindu temple, Pura (Balinese temple) is designed as an open-air worship place within enclosed walls, connected with series of intricately decorated gates to reach its compounds. The design, plan and layout of the holy pura is followed the "Trimandala" concept, three mandala zone arranged according to the hierarchy of its sacredness.

Indonesia's Bank Mandiri is partly named after the Mandir.

Temple Management and erosion of Autonomy by control of states and Law

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago

The Archeological Survey of India has control of most ancient temples of archaeological importance in India.

In India, theoretically, a temple is managed by a temple board committee that administers its finances, management and events.

However since independence, the autonomy of individual Hindu religious denominations to manage their own affairs with respect to temples of their own denomination have been severely eroded. State governments of many states in India (and especially all the states in South India) have gradually increased their control over all Hindu temples. Over decades, by enacting various laws which have been fought both successfully and unsuccessfully up to the Supreme court of India, politicians of the ruling parties especially in the southern states control every aspect of temple management and functioning.

See also

• Hindu temple architecture
• List of Hindu temples
• List of Hindu deities