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The Hindu temple is unique amongst the religious structures of the
various faiths of the world. For, while all other places of worship
are essentially congregational in nature, the Hindu temple, no matter
how huge, is primarily designed to facilitate a one-on-one conversation
with God. This difference is fundamental and vital in appreciating
the nature of the temple. It is the core of a philosophical outlook
to worship that varies with all other faiths of the world, including
India's very own Buddhism.
India being a very
large country indeed, it should come as no surprise to find that
there are extremely diverse styles and forms of temples. The three
main architectural schools are Northern, Deccan and Southern.
These divisions are very loose and porous and are used more as
referential shorthand than anything else. The Vaastu (Indian architectural
style) philosophy also developed rapidly as it was increasingly
used to design temples. Elaborate rules evolved about the suitability
of sites and the choice of building materials as well as the many
regulations and practices concerned with building and sculpture.
This is far too copious to go into now.
It also seems odd
that India has very few temples which are older than a thousand
years. There are many reasons for this
state of affairs. Old structures used to be built in wood and
burnt-clay bricks. It was
when India finally began to build in stone instead of merely excavating
cave temples from hillsides, that the physical evidence begins
to appear.
The Indian temple
is a supreme aesthetic achievement. In it are found elements of
all the plastic and performing arts India ever knew. In fact when
classical dance was almost extinct in the early part of the 20th
century, the desperate people who sought to revive it finally
found what they were looking for, carved on the walls of a great
many temples. Clues about the musical styles abound too, for every
temple is built according to a particular musical note, which
is amplified fractally into beautiful shapes! We get information about the religious, scriptural
and mythological beliefs of the people as well as a fine idea
of their creative energy just by wandering around a temple complex.
In that sense an Indian temple is a literal living time machine,
transmitting culture across the centuries. It would be fair
to say that unless a person understands the Indian temple
he has no hope of understanding India.
It should not, come as in a surprise in the circumstances to learn therefore, that the temple used to
be the center of social life of the region, especially, South India
where a temple may still be an actual little town ship, self sufficient
unto itself. Worship was a private matter, but culture flourished in the
many halls and pillared corridors that surrounded the main shrine.
indiayogi will bring you some of the more interesting
temples of India from time to time. Most of them are live temples,
still in use for worship, but sometimes we will also cover a temple
that used to be of great religious or cultural significance. Background,
legends, beliefs and so on, will, of course be gone into. We trust
that you will have an illuminating time here.
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