INDIAN TEMPLES

TEMPLES - A spiritual place where people worship their god in Hindu Mythology. It is not only a place to worship but also a place to earn knowledge.According to puranas a temple is a external layer that houses the physical manifestation of the invisible divine spirit just like the human body is an external layer that houses the invisible soul.

RITUALS OF TEMPLE

1] We worship a god by offering sandalwood , food , camphor and by chanting prayers.

2] According to Gita that if a devotee offers even a leaf , flower , fruit or just water with devotion it reaches to him.

3] Involving all our five senses into ritual of puja, those are touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.

EDUCATION THROUGH TEMPLES

In ancient times the children's secure their elementary education from temples. The teachers who taught were called "GURU". They emphasized on the practical knowledge rather than theoretical knowledge.The students were writing on the leaf , land etc rather than the modern day papers which we use today.

BASIC ARCHITECTURAL PLAN OF HINDU TEMPLE.

1. Directional orientation -

a. Most temples in the India face eastern direction with some

exception. East direction is sacred in vastu because sun rises from

this direction, and the sun is the sole energy giver. Therefore, deity

and main entrance faces east direction in most of the temples.

Example : Specialty of Gopuram of Padmanabhaswamy temple

Temples of India are living testimonies of a past where spirituality

found stunning expressions through art and architecture. The Sri

Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram is a classic

example of this. The temple stands in seven acres of land with four

main entrances facing the prime directions. The principle deity of the

temple is Sree Padmanabha Swamy.

2. Pitha or Adhisthana-

a. It is the base of the temple on which temple stands. It gives height

and stable base to the construction of the temple.

3. Vedibanda-

a. The horizontal layers between adhisthana or base and mandovara or

the external wall of the temple are collectively called Vedibandha

4. Mandovara-

a. Above the vedibandha lies the main wall of temple- garbhara and

mandapa. This wall is called as Mandovara.

b. the lower half of the

mandovara has projections and recesses with sculptures of gods and

goddesses and the scenes epic carved on them.

c they are arranged

in such a way that there are alternate projections and recessions in

the wall for the depth and three dimensional effect.

5. Gavaksa

a. Typical windows on the wall of mandovara.

b. Windows can be circular, rectangle or square.

c. They are meant to allow in diffused light and air inside the temple.

REASONS BEHIND THE LOSS OF TEMPLES

The period of destruction all over the world lasted between 315 AD

to 1500 AD. Ideologies that hated other sacred spaces were highly

responsible for the destruction of temples. Temples destruction was

connected with the destruction of ancient civilization. Other reasons

being Invasions, conversions, epidemics and wars.

ANCIENTS TEMPLES IN INDIA

1. Martand temple – It was built by king Lalitadiyta, around 5th

century AD. It was destructed by the Muslim king Sikander

Butshikan. It was such a huge temple that it took many days for its

destruction. The temples now lie in the ruins near the district

Anantang.

2. Modhera temple – It is a Sun temple which was built around the

10th century under the Solankis. The Solankis were worshiper of

Sun God.

TEMPLES AS COSMIC BEING : VASTU PURUSH

According to the puranas, a temple is the external layer that houses the physical manifestation of the invisible divine spirit, just like the human body is the external layer that houses the invisible soul. The temple creators struggled to develop this thought in a concert form, and the layout of the temple pursues a geometrical design known as Vastu Purusha Mandala.