India takes pride in the country’s rich customs, cultural and religious history.It is a land where people of different religious beliefs live in harmony and brotherhood. Hinduism is believed to be the world’s oldest religion. As one traverses the length and breadth of the country, one finds a rich India that is home to an incredibly beautiful diversity of food, colour, smells, sights and architecture, while for many it is also a symbol of religious significance and history.
Apart from these factors, 1000-year-old temples in India are also one of the factors for which India is famous. Listed below are a few of them :
1. Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
The Shore Temple, located in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, is a structural temple and an architectural marvel. It has three shrines- 2 dedicated to Lord Shiva and one to Lord Vishnu. Built during 700- 728 A.D. using blocks of granite, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple gets its name as it overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal.
2. Sun Temple, Konarak, Odisha
The temple is located 60 kms from the state capital Bhubaneswar and is a site of the 13th century ‘Sun Temple’ dedicated to the Sun God “ Surya”. The temple complex has the appearance of 100 ft tall sun God ‘Surya’s chariot with immense wheels & horses, all carved in stone. The twelve pairs or the 24 wheels symbolize the 12 months and each wheel is a sundial and accurately reads time observations.
3. Cave Temples, Badami, Karnataka
The Cave Temples of Badami, located in Badami- a town in North Karnataka, are a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples. The temples are important examples of Indian rock-cut architecture and the earliest date from the sixth century A.D. There are a total of five caves in the temple –cave I is dedicated to Lord Shiva, cave II & III is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and cave IV is dedicated to Jain saints. The fifth cave used to be a Buddhist shrine. These beautiful red sandstone temples are candidates for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
4. Kailasa Temple, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
The Kailasa Mandir (Temple), Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, built in AD 760, to represent Mt Kailasa ( Kailash), Lord Shiva’s abode, is a structure that can never be built once again on earth. The largest Monolithic Structure of the world is164 feet long, 108 feet wide, and 100 feet high. The mandir was cut out from solid basalt bedrock and was made only with chisels & hammers. First of all three huge trenches were bored into the sheer cliff face, which resulted in the removal of 2,00,000 tonnes of rock by hammer and chisel, before the temple could take shape.
5. Lingraj Temple, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
A Hindu temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva is one of the oldest and largest temples in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, it is
the most prominent landmark of the city and one of the major tourist attractions of the state.It was built by King Jajati Keshari in the
10th Century and completed by King Lalatendu Keshari in the 11th
Century. The central tower of the temple is 180 ft high. The temple compound is
not open to Non- Hindus.
The sculptures adorning the
temple are said to have been inspired by Kamasutra, the world’s original sex guide. These
temples with erotic art are eminent because of the recognition from UNESCO and
the ASI.
6. Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
Tirumala Tirupati VenkateswaraTemple, situated in the seventh peak of Venkata Tirumala Hill, Andhra Pradesh, and dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). The 8 feet tall statue decorated with various types of gemstones is placed under a gold-gilded dome. The temple one of the oldest Hindu pilgrimage sites in the country was made by Pallava queen Samavai in the year 966 CE, and is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received as crores of devotees come for worship here every year. Currently, it stands at a worth of over 900 crores (as of last year) and has 52 tonnes of gold ornaments.
7. Badrinath Temple, Uttrakhand
The Badrinathtemple situated at 10,279 feet and located in Garhwal hill tracts along the banks of the Alaknanda River in Chamoli district in Uttrakhand is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Religious
texts as far back as the Vedic period mention Badrinath. It is not only one of the
four Dhams of the Char Dham pilgrimage in India, but it
is quite beautiful as well and is one of the most
visited pilgrimages in India.
The temple remains closed for six months from November to April each year due to immense snow.
8. Sri Jagannathpuri Temple,
Puri, Odisha
The
Shri Jagannath Temple, said to have been completed in 1161 CE, is situated in
Puri, Odisha, and is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a
form of Lord Vishnu. Famous for its ‘Annual Rath Yatra’ or ‘chariot festival’ in which three principal deities are pulled on huge
elaborately decorated raths(chariots). The festival is so famous that even
people from all around the world gather around Puri to witness it.
The temple holds an important
place of importance for devotees and is one among the ‘ Char Dhams’ ( Holiest of the holy places in India) pilgrimage
sites in India, but Non-Hindus are not allowed in the temple.
9. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of
the most famous Hindu temples, dedicated to Lord Shiva or Vishwanath ‘ruler of the Universe’, is located in Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh, India and stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It
is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas or Jyotirlingams, the holiest of Shiva temples, and regarded among the holiest and important places of worship in the Hindu
religion. The temple has more than 800 kg of gold plating on its tower.
It is said that the temple was
built several times. The latest structure standing here dates back to the 18th century. Besides its
religious significance, the temple is also an architectural marvel.
10. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatnam
Dedicated to Lord Ranganatha (a reclining form of Lord Vishnu), the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam is an important and a beautiful shrine that receives millions of visitors and pilgrims every year. It is one of the largest Hindu functioning temple complexes in the world. At a height of 236 feet, the main gopura of the temple is known as Rajagopuram. It is the second tallest temple tower in the Asian continent. There is also a hall with thousand pillars decorated with sculptures. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the main sanctum of the temple.
11. Kedarnath Temple, Uttrakhand
Kedarnath, one of the most sacred Hindu temples is located in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, and is a part of Chhota Char Dham Yatra. Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, the protector, and the destroyer, and it's believed that a journey to this sacred land opens up doorways to "Moksha" or salvation. The temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva is said to be more than 1,200 years old and is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas dedicated to Shiva. This abode of Lord Shiva can only be reached from Gaurikund through a trek and remains closed for the six months of winters due to heavy snowfall. Kedarnath was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods in North India.
12. Meenakshi
Temple
Arulmigu Meenakshi
Sundareshwarar Temple popularly known as Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple,
dedicated to Goddess Parvati, is one of the oldest and most beautiful Hindu
temples located in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. The early texts imply that a
temple existed in Madurai by the mid 6th century.
Nine hundred eighty-five pillars decorate the entire temple, and every one of them has been carved quite differently. Renowned for its astonishing architecture and beautiful carvings, Meenakshi Temple was nominated as one of the ‘wonders of the world’ but unfortunately could not make it to the ‘Seven wonders of the World’, however it is definitely one of the ‘wonders of cultural India’.
13. Mundeshwari
Temple, Bihar
The MundeshwariDevi Temple (also spelled as Mundesvari) is located at paunra pahad, Ramgarh village in Kaimur district in the state of Bihar, India on the Mundeshwari Hills. It is believed that rituals and worship have been performed here without a break; hence Mundeshwari is considered one of the most ancient Hindu temples in India as Hindu inscriptions dated 635 CE were found in the temple.
The worship of Shakti in the form of Devi
Mundeshwari in the temple is also indicative of the tantric cult of worship,
which is practiced in Eastern India.
Indian history tells us that temples in ancient times were once social
hubs where people congregated. They were also sites where the arts of dance,
music, and combat were honed. Today, these temples remind us of our past and the
architectural brilliance of craftsmen in those days.
Pics and Inputs Google, Navbharat times, Unsplash
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