A Hindu temple, or mandir, is a house of worship for followers of Hinduism. They are usually specifically reserved for religious and spiritual activities.

A Hindu temple can be a separate structure or a part of a building. A feature of most temples is the presence of murtis of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. They are 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, and some have symbols (yantras) instead of a murti.

Etymology

Hindu temples are known by different names in different parts of the world, depending upon the language. The word mandir or mandira is used in many languages, and is derived from a Sanskrit word, mandira, for the house (of God by implication). Temples are known as Alayam or Kovil in Tamil, as Devasthana or Gudi in Kannada, as Gudi, Devalayam or Kovela in Telugu and Puja pandal in Bengali, as Kshetram or Ambalam in Malayalam.

Architecture

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 examples 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.

 

 

The Vishnupad Temple in Gaya, Bihar, an example of Naagara style

 

By the 10th century, stylized mountains became a crucial component of Hindu temples. It was during this period that two major styles of temple architecture, the Dravidian and the Naagara, developed. While Dravidian style temples featured stepped pyramids, the Naagara style temples featured slightly curved spires. The Naagara style is mostly used in northern India while most of the temples in southern India follow the Dravidian style of temple architecture. Most of the major Hindu temples are constructed as per the aagama shastras The gopuram is a distinctive temple tower and is an integral part of all Dravidian-style temples, and may also be used in gateways and entrances to temple compounds.

 

Frontal-right view of the Brihadeshwara temple of Dravidian style

 

 

Elements of Worship

Most priests take elaborate measures to maintain mental and physical purity of the temple. While many devotees cannot maintain such regimens, there are some basic rules that must be followed in all Hindu temples; this include being barefoot within the temple, and being dressed and behaving with decorum. The innermost sanctums may be accessible only to priests, or only to worshippers.

Prana Pratishta

Prana Pratishta is the ceremony to invoke the divine spirit-energy into the statue made in the god's form. Once this ceremony has been performed the murti must be worshipped daily.