Temples of India: from antiquity to the present day

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

A country with an ancient history, deep national traditions, many religions and rituals - India today is considered one of the most interesting places on the planet. The Indian culture of antiquity gave rise to a number of wonderful, completely unique temples, among which there are buildings with a thousand-year past and temples built during the Middle Ages. There are quite modern masterpieces built in the second half of the 20th century. Without exception, all the temples of India have an enduring religious value, they contain shrines revered by the Indian people.

Undoubtedly, all the temples of India begin with the Taj Mahal Palace-mausoleum, built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan for the untimely deceased wife, whom he loved more than life itself. Allah gave the Shah and the beautiful Mumtaz 17 happy years of marriage, but the woman died at the birth of the last child. For more than twenty years, the palace in Agra was built from expensive translucent marble, precious stones and pearls. Huge hinged doors were made of pure silver, the inner chambers breathed oriental luxury. After his death, Shah Jahan was buried next to his beloved Mumtaz. Taj Mahal -the main temple in India, but there are many more masterpieces worthy of attention.

In the Indian city of Armitsar, right in the middle of the holy lake with the same name, stands the golden temple of Harmandir Sahib - the shrine of the Sikhs. Approached pilgrims, before entering, perform the obligatory ritual of immersion in the waters of Armitsar. Sikhs are religiously tolerant enough, so a representative of any religion is allowed to enter their temple, but only after washing their feet. You must also wear a hat when entering. The temple is richly decorated with golden slabs and many precious stones both outside and inside.

A stunning temple complex is located in the Indian village of Ellora in the state of Maharashtra. The temples of India in Ellora united as many as three religions: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In total, there are 34 monasteries in the complex, in which monks have lived for centuries. And the most significant in the Ellora complex has always been and remains common to all religions, carved in a monolithic rock, the temple of Kailasanath - the abode of Shiva. This temple has been carved for a hundred years by several generations of stonemasons.

In the Indian state of Orissa, in the city of Puri, there is a temple of Jagannath, a deity personifying Krishna. This temple is extremely isolated, the entrance to it is possible only for Hindus. A Hindu of any other religion cannot enter, and Europeans even more so. Hindus have a suspicion that people of the white race have long dreamed of stealing a wooden statue from the templeJagannath. In order to see this unique landmark, it is enough to climb onto the roof of a nearby building. And the deity of Jagannath and other gods from the temple can be observed during the days of the chariot festival, which takes place in Puri every year.

Temples of India are also reflected in the state of Madhya Pradesh - a wonderful complex called "Khajuraho". It consists of 22 buildings, some of which are dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of the temples - Kandarya-Mahadeva - began to be built in the 9th century and was built for about a hundred years. It so happened that after two hundred years the temple was forgotten and for a long 700 years it disappeared into the dense Indian jungle. When the European colonialists discovered the temple, they tried not to advertise their find, since all the walls of the building were covered with sculptures of a frankly erotic nature. However, Kandarya Mahadeva is currently one of the most visited temples.

The Vishwanath Kashi Temple (which means the Golden Temple) is located on the banks of the Ganges in the city of Varanasi. The temple houses one of the shrines of the god Shiva. All the Hindus of the country dream of getting into the Kashi temple, it is impossible for a non-Hindu to get into the temple, this is very strict. Hindus consider bathing in the Ganges, followed by a visit to the temple, an opportunity for complete purification of the soul. Kashi Vishwanath is very richly decorated with real gold. About a ton of precious metal was spent on numerous domes.

And the magnificent Lotus Temple, a prayer house in Delhi. Sacred masterpiecearchitecture of the second half of the 20th century. It is a huge lotus flower of 27 petals, built of white marble. The temple is surrounded by 9 pools. At the entrance, each visitor is seized by a feeling of peace, I want to talk in a whisper, even the thought does not arise to get a camera and click the shutter. One feels the harmony of unity with the Lotus Temple. I want this feeling to last as long as possible. The temples of ancient India do not end there, but more than one article will be required to fully describe them.