FAMOUS TEMPLES

Golden Temple

The Golden Temple, or Golden Gurudwara is the holiest shrine of Sikhs. It was built in late 16th century by Guru Arjan Dev, and a copy of the Sikh scripture was placed inside the Gurudwara in 1604. Its sanctum walls were covered in marble and the dome was decorated with gold foil by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 19th century.^[2] More than 100,000 people visit this monument every month.

Sri Harmandir Sahib is the official name of the Golden Gurudwara.^[1] It is in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Gurudwara is surrounded by a sacred pool and group of buildings important to the Sikh religion. The Gurudwara is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God. The four entrances (representing the four directions) to get into the Harmandir Sahib also symbolise the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions.^[3]

Badrinath temple

The history of the Badrinath Temple is vague. There are many tales associated with the Badrinath Temple. According to one legend, Lord Vishnu performed penance at this place and during his deep meditation, he was unaware of the harsh weather. His consort, Goddess Lakshmi, turned into a Badri tree and protected the lord. He was pleased by her efforts and therefore, named the place, Badrikashram. The temple came under the British rule when the state of Garhwal was divided. The Badrinath Temple has gone through several renovations. In the 17th century, it was expanded by the Kings of Garhwal. In 1803, it was destroyed in a major earthquake and was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur. 

Due to its elevation and location, Badrinath Temple opens to the devotees for six months. The end of April or beginning of the month of May is chosen for the opening of the portals of this sacred Hindu shrine in Uttarakhand. The temple closes right after Diwali and its deity is brought to Joshimath to rest for next six months of winter. Therefore the best time to visit Badrinath Dham is between April and November with April to mid-June and October to mid-November being the ideal most.

Meenakshi Aman Temple

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi ). The complex houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted.

The temple’s shrines, pillars, sculptures, and paintings are populated with a dazzling quantity of divine beings who engage in various activities, can manifest in multiple guises and places simultaneously, and are subject to dissolution and rebirth

The exact time of the temple’s origin is not confirmed but the structures that are standing today date mostly from the 12th to the 18th century. The present temple standing today was built in the 17th century A.D. by the Nayak rulers. The temple is a superb example of sculpture and magnificent architecture.

Sun Temple Konark

The name Konark comes from the combination of the Sanskrit words Kona (corner or angle) and Ark (the sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun God, Surya. The Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Hindu temple dedicated to the Sun God. Shaped like a giant chariot, the temple is known for the exquisite stone carvings that cover the entire structure. Frequently referred to as the Black Pagoda, the Konark Temple was constructed in the mid-13th century by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty. The temple is unique in its architecture and is built in the form of a chariot driven by seven horses on 12 pairs of decorated wheels.

It is the best-known tourist destination in Orissa and has been a World Heritage Site since 1984. It is located in the village of Konark, which is 35 kilometres north of Puri on the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Puri Jagannath Temple, Puri

The Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of lord Maha Vishnu , located on the eastern coast of India, at Puri in the state of Odisha. The temple is an important pilgrimage destination.

The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha yatra, or Chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Idol is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or nineteen years by an exact replica.^[2]

Akshardham Temple

Swaminarayan Akshardham at New Delhi is a Mandir. Akshardham’ means the divine abode of God. It is hailed as an eternal place of devotion, purity and peace. Timeless Hindu spiritual messages, vibrant devotional traditions and ancient architecture all are echoed in its art and architecture. The mandir is a humble tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781- 1830), the avatars, devas and great sages of Hinduism.

It is One of the most popular and amazing tourist attractions in the Indian nation. The entire area of Akshardham spreads over 23 acres and it includes parks, rides, lakes, sculptures and shrines flooded over the complete area of the temple. All these things collectively describe the entire experience of India’s rich heritage and culture. This monument based on authentic and modern techniques present the perfect impression or imprint of Indian architecture with religious culture. The architecture comprises of pink sandstone that comes from Rajasthan. The artists and builders have not used cement or metals like steel so that monument lives for years to come.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Trivandrum

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and the Tamil style (kovil) of architecture associated with the temples located in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century Gopuram.^[1][2] While the Moolasthanam of the temple is the Ananthapuram Temple in Kumbala in Kasaragod District, architecturally to some extent, the temple is a replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple located inThiruvattar, Kanyakumari District.^[3]

The Supreme Principal Deity Para brahman, Maha Vishnu/Adi Narayana is enshrined in the “Anantha Shayanam” posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan.^[4] Sree Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. The titular Maharaja of Travancore Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma is the trustee of the temple. In line with the Temple Entry Proclamation, only those who profess the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple and devotees have to strictly follow the dress code.^[5] The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to “The City of Lord Ananta”,^[6] referring to the deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Several extant Hindu Texts like the Brahma Purana, Matsya Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata mention this shrine.^[7] The Temple has been referred to in the (only recorded) Sangam Period of literature between 500 BCE and 300 CE several times.^[8][9][10] Many conventional historians and scholars are of the opinion that one of the names that the Temple had – “The Golden Temple” – literally was in cognizance of the fact that the Temple was already unimaginably wealthy by that point.^[8][9][10] Many extant pieces of Sangam Tamil literature and poetry, and even the later works of Ninth Century Tamil poet-saints like Nammalwar, refer to the Temple and even the city as having walls of pure gold.^[11]At some places, both the Temple and the entire city are often eulogized even as being made of gold, and the Temple as Heaven.^[12][13]

The temple is one of the 108 principal Divya Desams (“Holy Abodes”) in Vaishnavism, and is glorified in the Divya Prabandha. The Divya Prabandha glorifies this shrine as being among the 13 Divya Desam in Malai Nadu (corresponding to present-day Kerala with Kanyakumari District).^[14] The 8th century Tamil poet Alvar Nammalvar sang the glories of Padmanabha.^[15] The Ananthapuram Temple in Kasaragod is believed to be the ‘Moolasthanam’ of the Temple.^[16][17]

It is believed that Parasurama consecrated the idol of Sree Padmanabha in Dwapara Yuga. Parasurama entrusted ‘Kshethra karyam’ (Administration of the Temple) with seven Potti families – Koopakkara Potti, Vanchiyoor Athiyara Potti, Kollur Athiyara Potti, Muttavila Potti, Karuva Potti, Neythasseri Potti and Sreekaryathu Potti. King Adithya Vikrama of Vanchi (Venad) was directed by Parasurama to do ‘Paripalanam’ (Protection) of the Temple. Parasurama gave the Tantram of the Temple to Tharananallur Namboothiripad. This legend is narrated in detail in ‘Kerala Mahathmyam’ which forms part of ‘Brahmanda Puranam’.

Another version regarding the consecration of the Main Idol of the Temple relates to the legendary sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar. Swamiyar, who resided near Ananthapuram Temple in Kasaragod District, prayed to Lord Vishnu for his darshan or “auspicious sight”. The Lord is believed to have come in the guise of a little boy who was mischievous. The boy defiled the Idol which was kept for Puja. The sage became enraged at this and chased away the boy who disappeared before him. Realizing the boy was no ordinary mortal, the sage wept for forgiveness and asked for another darshan as a sign. He heard a voice say “If you want to see me come to the Anathavana (the unending forest or ananthakadu). After a long search, when he was walking on the banks of Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady warning her child that she would throw him in Ananthankadu. The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu he was delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady of whom he enquired. The Sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy. There he saw the boy merging into an Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became Anantha Sayana Moorti (Vishnu reclining on the celestial snake Anantha). But the edifice that the Lord assumed was of an extraordinarily large size, with His head at Thiruvallom, navel at Thiruvananthapuram, and lotus-feet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur), making him some eight miles in length. The Sage requested the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion that would be thrice the length of his staff. Immediately the Lord shrank to the form of the Idol that is seen at present in the Temple. But even then many Iluppa trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The Sage saw the Lord in three parts – thirumukham, thiruvudal and thrippadam. Swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven. The Swami offered Rice Kanji and Uppumanga (salted mango pieces) in a coconut shell to the Perumal which he obtained from the pulaya woman. The spot where the Sage had darsan of the Lord belonged to Koopakkara Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households a Temple was constructed.^[18] The Ananthankadu Nagaraja Temple still exists to the north west of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Samadhi (final resting place) of the Swamiyar exists to the west of the Padmanabha Temple. A Krishna Temple was built over the Samadhi. This Temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs to Thrissur Naduvil Madhom.^[3]

Khajuraho Temple, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho Temples History : Madhya Pradesh is land of great antiquity. Madhya Pradesh is the home of monuments representative of various periods of history. Among most popular world heritage sites of Central India like Rock paintings, Buddhist Stupas and Temples, Khajuraho is known for its ornate temples that are a spectacular piece of human imagination, artistic creativity, magnificent architectural work and deriving spiritual peace through eroticism. 

The sculptures in Khajuraho are not chiselled but are mobile and liquid, representing the people who exult in the joy of living, with all its fascinating variety. In fact, there is hardly any other place like Khajuraho where sculptures portray all kinds of human emotions with such great excellence. These temples also seem to celebrate women in her varied forms. They are depicted as yawning, scratching, disrobing, removing a thorn from feet, playing with babies and pets like a parrot, looking at the mirror to do make-up etc.

Khajuraho Temples are among the most beautiful medieval monuments in the country. These temples were built by the Chandella ruler between AD 900 and 1130. All Khajuraho Temples are not constructed by any single Chandella ruler but Temple building was a tradition of Chandella rulers and followed by almost all rulers of Chandella dynasty. All these temples are scattered over an area of about 9 square miles. 

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Kedarnath temple

Kedarnath is famous shrine for Lord Shiva devotees. As per mythology and legends, there are various stories associated with Kedarnath Temple. Legend 1: Legend goes that Nara and Narayana – two incarnations of Vishnu performed severe penance in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand, in front of a Shivalingam fashioned out of earth. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in front of them and said that they may ask for a boon. Nar and Narayan requested Shiva to take up a permanent abode as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath so that all people who worship Shiva shall be freed from their miseries.

There are various versions about the origin of the Kedarnath temple. Some say it was built by Hindu seer Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th Century. Other versions claim it was built by Raja Bhoj of Malwa in 2nd Century. But what inspired them? Again, there are multiple stories.

One of them leads on from the Mahabharat. Legend has it that following the Kurukshetra carnage, the Pandavas sought to meet Shiva to seek his forgiveness for the sins of the war. Shiva, unhappy with them, refused a meeting and left Kashi, his abode. He appeared as Nandi the bull in Guptakashi. But the Pandavas found out, and tried to catch hold of Nandi. Shiva escaped and this time, reappeared in five different parts in different places—the face at Rudranath, arms at Tungnath, navel and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, the locks at Kalpeshwar and the hump at Kedarnath.

The second tale is Nara-Narayan, a Hindu deity, went to worship Parvita, and Shiva appeared. Nara-Narayan asked him to stay there in his original form for the welfare of humanity. Lord Shiva granted his wish and Kedarnath became his home.

Geologists claim that the temple of Kedarnath was under snow for nearly 400 years, some time around 1300-1900 AD, a period known as the Little Ice Age. Scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, say the several yellow lines on the temple walls point to glacial activity in the region. The temple not only survived being under the snow for 400 years but also escaped any serious damage from glacial movement, as per this report.

Scientists say that even the inside of the temple shows signs of glacial movement and the stones are more polished. The report further adds that scientists studied the architecture and concluded that the those who designed the temple not only kept in mind the terrain but also the formation of snow and glaciers, and ensured that the structure was strong enough not only to withstand natural disasters and the passage of time.

Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi

The history of the temple starts with a legendary story. Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu got into an argument that broke into a fight about their supremacy. As a moderator, Lord Shiva took a form of light that pierced through three worlds. Shiva demanded them to find the tip of the light and the one who finds the tip of the light would be considered supreme. Vishnu took the form of a pig and dug down to find the tip and Lord Brahma rode up to find the tip. The place where Shiva’s light pierced through the earth are the 12 jyothirlingas and this temple is one among those.

The year of construction of the building is unknown. This temple has been mentioned in many ancient scripts and myths. In 2nd AD, the temple was destroyed by invaders and was again rebuilt by a Gujarathi merchant. In 15thcentury, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt during the reign of Akbar, in 16th century. Since Raja Man Singh, father-in-law of Akbar, built the temple. Hindus boycotted the temple as the King let a Muslim marry into his family. In 17th century, the temple was destroyed by Aurangazeb and a mosque was built in the spot. The remains of the ancient temple can be seen right behind the mosque.

Many rulers tried to destroy the mosque and build back the temple, but failed. Later in 18th century, the temple was built adjacent to the mosque. Many kings from different parts of the world donated fund and statues to the temple. The temple was managed by the kings of Varanasi and now is under the control of Indian Government.

Sanchi Stupa

The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the most important Buddhist monuments reflecting gem of Buddhist art and architecture. Located at Sanchi Town, Madhya Pradesh, India, this Stupa is the oldest stone structure in India that was built during the Mauryan period. Originally commissioned in the third century BCE by Emperor Ashok this huge hemispherical dome with a height of 12.2816.46 m (54.0 ft) consists of a central chamber where the relics of Lord Buddha are placed. Four ornamental gateways facing four directions and a balustrade surrounding the Stupa were later added in the first century BCE. A typical example of a Stupa and an excellent illustration of the development of Buddhist art and sculpture starting from the third century BC through the twelfth century AD, the Sanchi Stupa attracts hundreds of visitors from across the world. Enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989, it is counted among the best conserved ancient Stupas of central India.

Foundation of the Stupa

The foundation of the Buddhist vihara at Sanchi that includes the great Sanchi Stupa was laid by one of the greatest Indian Emperors, Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty who reigned over almost the entire Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. He commissioned construction of the Stupa here after redistributing the mortal remains of Lord Buddha so as to build several Stupas in different locations across India to spread Buddhism. The present hemispherical edifice is double in diameter of the original brick structure built by Ashoka, consisting of the relics of Lord Buddha. A chatra that is an umbrella like structure made of stone crowned the hemispherical brick structure that was surrounded by a wooden railing. Queen Devi, wife of Ashoka and daughter of a merchant of Vidisha, who was born in Sanchi, supervised the construction of this monument. A sandstone pillar, inscribed with Schism Edict by Ashoka as also with ornate spiral Brahmi characters from the Gupta period resembling conch shells referred as ‘Shankhalipi’ or ‘shell-script’ by scholars, was erected in the site. While the lower portion of it is still grounded, the upper portions are kept under a canopy.

The Senapati or General of the Maurya Empire, Pushyamitra Shunga killed Brihadratha Maurya, the last Mauryan Emperor in the middle of an army review in 185 BCE and laid the foundation of the Shunga Empire in North India. Going by the Indian Sanskrit-language text titled ‘Ashokavadana’ that describes the birth and reign of Ashoka, assumptions crop up that the Stupa was probably destroyed during the second century BCE, an incident which many believe to be associated with the rise of the power of Pushyamitra. Later it was re-constructed by his son, Agnimitra.

During the Shunga dynasty, expansion of the Stupa, nearly double its original size with a more flattened dome was undertaken using stone slabs that entirely covered the actual brick Stupa. Three superimposed umbrella-like structures were built to crown the dome. It symbolised the Wheel of Law or ‘dharma’. A high rounded drum that can be reached through a double staircase became the seat of the dome enabling one to circumambulate the sacred dome.

Wat Thai Temple