HINDUISM AND TEMPLES

Hinduism  is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. With its foundations in the Vedic civilization, it has no known founder, being itself a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. It is considered the world's "oldest extant religion", and the temples scattered over the Indian subcontinent are the sacred worship places of the Hindus.

Hindu Temples is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A temple, technically speaking, is not a “house of the gods” but a diagram that linked the geometries of heaven and earth, it was also indicative of a dwelling place of a god or gods. This tradition, of course, dates back to prehistoric times. The word ‘temple’ dates to about the 6th century B.C.A temple is usually dedicated to one primary deity, called the presiding deity, and other subordinate deities associated with the main deity. However, some temples are dedicated to several deities.

The main focus of temple architecture in Vedic India was to blend the temple with its natural surroundings. A major consequence of this style of temple design, was the construction of several cave temples across the Indian subcontinent. The 5th century caves of Ellora are one of the most magnificent example of Indian rock cut architecture in the world. Most of the early Hindu cave temples were carved out of a single large rock. A prominent feature of these cave temples was the elaborate sculptures of various Hindu deities.

By the 10^th Century, stylized pyramids became a crucial component of Hindu temples. These pyramids represented sacred Himalayan mountain peaks. It was during this period, that two major styles of temple architecture: the Dravidian-style and the Naagra-style developed. While Dravidian-style temples featured stepped pyramids, the Naagra-style temples featured slightly curved pyramids. Most of the temples in southern India follow Dravidian style of temple architecture. The gopuram is a distinctive temple tower and is an integral part of all Dravdian-style temples. Gopuram or gopura, a prominent feature of the Hindu temple architecture of South India, is the rising tower at the entrance of a temple. Gopurams are exquisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings and painted with a variety of themes derived from the Hindu mythology, particularly those associated with the presiding deity of the temple of which a particular gopuram is.

Most priests take elaborate measures to maintain mental and physical purity of the temple. While most devotees cannot maintain such regimens, there are some basic rules that must be followed in all Hindu temples:

1.Anybody entering the temple must be barefooted. People usually leave their footwear in stalls dedicated to the purpose,the stalls can found near the temple.

2.Wear appropriate clothing.

3.Photography of the images is prohibited.

4.Some areas of the temple are accessible only to hindus,

5.The garbhagriha,where the image of worship is kept, is accessible to the priest only.

6.One should also avoid talking loudly,like in other places of worship.

7.And devotees usually sit down for a minute or two after near the entrance of the temple after they finish praying.