Enlightenment is goal of every Hindu temple. Temples
of Hindu deities are present not only just in India but around the world. It is
surprising to see the ancient Hindu temples that are known for their enormity and amazing architecture. Even
today various religious institutions are planning huge and tallest temples. I
present before you a list of 10 largest temples across continents:
1. Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal
Pashupatinath Temple with the idol (inset)
Situated
on the banks of the Bagmati river, the Pashupatinath temple पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर is
the heart of the valley Kathmandu, Nepal surrounds about 24,60,000 sq mtrs of
land including 518 temples and monuments; and is regarded as one of the most
sacred temples of Hinduism. The temple functions as the chair of their central
deity, Lord Pashupatinath or the ‘ lord of animals’.
The architecture of the main temple is the Nepalese pagoda style
of architecture. All the features of pagoda style are found here like cubic
constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The
temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from
base to pinnacle.
The
priests or the pujaris are from India and have been heard reciting Sanskrit
Slokas. The Pashupati Nath temple is also crucial for India and Nepal
relationship.
2. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat (the city of temples) is the largest religious structure (temple
complex) in the world by land area, measuring 162.6 hectares
(1.626 km2; 402 acres), located in Cambodia. Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple in
the world, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Angkor Wat was originally dedicated to
Lord Vishnu and later, it became a Buddhist complex. It is one of the most important pilgrimage sites
for Buddhists in Cambodia and around the world. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and
icon of Cambodia.
Unlike other Hindu temples the main entrance of the Angkor
Wat faces the West and the temple stands on a raised terrace above the rest of
the city. The
tower above the central shrine rises 65 meters (213 feet) above the ground
surrounded by four smaller towers.
There is also a 3.2 meters high statue of Lord Vishnu made
of sandstone. The central complex of Angkor Wat is a three storey structure.
The temple has hundreds of images of Lord Buddha and the inner wall is
decorated with important scenes from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharta.
3. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam,Tiruchirapalli,India
Dedicated to Lord Ranganatha (a reclining form of Lord
Vishnu), the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam is an important shrine
that receives millions of visitors and pilgrims every year. With an area of 156
acres (6,31,000 m²), and with 81 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavillions, and many
water tanks integrate into the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple complex, making it
one of the largest Hindu functioning temple complex in the world. At a
height of 236 feet, the main gopura of the temple known as Rajagopuram. It is
the second tallest temple tower in Asian continent. There is also a
hall with thousand pillars and decorated with sculptures. Non-Hindus are not
allowed to enter the main sanctum of the temple.
4. Akshardham , Delhi
Located on the banks of Yamuna river in Delhi, the temple
was completed in 2005 by the spiritual organization BAPS. The building was
inspired and moderated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the current head of
Swaminarayan Hinduism.
The temple complex spreads across an area of 100 acres.
The central monument is 43 meters (411 feet) high, 96 meters (316 feet) wide,
and 110 meters (370 feet) long. It consists of 234 carved pillars and nine
domes, 148 full size elephants, 42 birds and 125 human sculptures carved in
Rajasthani pink sand stone and Italian Carrara marble, and has no support or
concrete.
The central part of this religious complex houses murtis ( idols) of Sita Ram, Shiv Parvati, Radha Krishan and Lakshmi Narayan.
5. Belur Math, RamaKrishna Temple, Howrah,India
The 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Hooghly includes temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sarda Devi and Swami Vivekananda. The Belur Math is a magnificent temple and international headquarters of Ramakrishna mission founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897.
The most interesting feature of Belur math is it looks like a temple,
church or a mosque from every angle. The temple reflects a fusion of Hindu,
Islamic, Buddhist, Rajput and Christian architectural styles. Belur math is
also considered as a
symbol of unity of all religions in the world.
6. Ekambareswarar Temple, Tamil Nadu, India
The Ekambareswarar Temple is the largest temple
in the holy city of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, dedicated to lord Shiva. The
temple is one of ‘panchabhoothasthalam’ that represent Earth or Prithvi, one of
the significant elements of nature. This enormous Shiva temple covers an area
of 23 acres. Standing at a height of 59 meters, the gateway tower of the
Ekambareswarar temple known as Raja gopuram. It is one of the tallest gopuras
in India.
Another attraction of the temple is a hall with thousands
pillars known as ‘Aayiram kaal mandapam’. It is also said to be a hidden
underground holy river flows under the temple.
7. Annamalaiyar or Aunachalesvara Temple, Tamil Nadu, India
Annamalaiyar temple in Thiruvannamalai of Tamil Nadu is
one of the grandest Shiva temples in India. This temple represents ‘Agni’, one
of main temple of pancha bhoota stalas. The main Shiva linga of this temple is
called as ‘agni linga’. The Annamalaiyar temple is also called as
Arunachaleswarar, one of form of Lord Shiva. The Goddess Parvathy is also
worshiped in this temple as ‘Unnamulai Amman’.
This temple complex covers
10 hectares of land and houses
many halls and four huge gateway towers. The tallest gateway tower in the
complex has a height of 217 feet. There is also a huge hall with 1000 pillars
built by King Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagar. The towers and pillars of the
temple also decorated with excellent sculptures.
8. Prambanan Temple, Java, Indonesia
Located 17
kilometres northeast of the city of Yogyakarta on the boundary between Central
Java and Yogyakarta provincePrambanan or RaraJonggrang is an
8th-century Hindu Temple compound in Special Region of
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as
the Creator ( Brahma), the Preserver ( Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
The
temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple
site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor
Wat.
Originally
consisting of 240 temple structures Prambanan temple is characterized by its
tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the
towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of
individual temples.
9.
Dakshineshwar Kali Temple,Kolkata,
India
Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu navratna temple
located at Dakshineswar ( a locality in the north suburban region of
Kolkata) situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding
deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, a form of Kali, otherwise known
as Adishakti Kalika.
The 20-acre (81,000 m2) plot was bought from
an Englishman by Rani Rashmoni. The temple compound contains a large courtyard surrounding the
temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. Close to the main temple is the
row of twelve identical Shiva temples built facing the East in the typical
Bengal architecture. A
flight of steps lead to the columned verandah and into the temple where a
silver throne rests with a 21+1⁄2-inch (550 mm) idol
of Lord Krishna and a 16-inch (410 mm) idol of Radha.
The temple stands
on a high platform with a flight of stairs, overall it measures 46 feet
(14 m) square and rises over 100 feet (30 m) high.
10. Laxminarayan Mandir or Birla Mandir, Delhi
The Laxminarayan Temple, also known as the Birla
Mandir is a Hindu temple, up to large extent dedicated to Laxminarayan,
located on Mandir Marg, west of Connaught Place in New Delhi, India. Laxminarayan usually
refers to Vishnu, Preserver in the Trimurti, also known as Narayan,
when he is with his consort Lakshmi. The side temples are dedicated
to Shiva, Ganesha, Krishna and Buddha.
Spread over an area of 7.5 acres (
30,000 sq mtrs) approximately,with a built up area is 0.52 acres ( 2,100 sq
mtrs), The highest shikhara of the temple above the sanctum sanctorum is about
49m( 160 feet) high. The temple faces the east and is situated on a high
plinth. The three storied temple is
adorned with carvings depicting the scenes from golden yuga. It also houses
Geeta Bhavan dedicated to Krishna, for discourses.
The famous temple is accredited to have been inaugurated by
Mahatma Gandhi in 1939. At that time, Mahatma Gandhi kept a condition that
the temple would not be restricted to the upper-caste Hindus and people from
every caste would be allowed inside.
So, friends, these
remarkable structures were constructed several hundreds of years ago without
any technical or mechanical provision, but still stand there to make us believe
the skill our ancestors had.
Pics
& inputs from Google, Wikipedia,turopia.com,Wikiwand.com
Please follow me on envigstraveldiary , envigstemplediary, medium , facebook, speakingtree
Comments
Post a Comment