About Indian Temples

The Temple (Mandir) is a place of worship or prayer for Hindus. It is an extraordinary tradition that dates back many millennia. It is built according to the principles of ancient Indian Shilpashastras. The murtis and rituals of arti and worship in the Mandir form the very core in elevating the soul to the pinnacle of God-realisation. For centuries, the Indian Mandir has remained a centre of life a common community place where people forget their differences and voluntarily unite to serve society. The basic plan of a Hindu mandir is an expression of sacred geometry where the mandir is visualized as a grand mandala. By sacred geometry we mean a science which has as its purpose the accurate laying out of the mandir ground plan in relation to the cardinal directions and the heavens. Characteristically, a mandala is a sacred shape consisting of the intersection of a circle and a square. No description of the Hindu mandir can be complete without a mention of the tall, often pyramid-like structure shooting up the landscape and dominating the skyline.This element of Indian architecture is known as ‘shikhara,’ meaning peak (mountain). It marks the location of the shrine room and rises directly above it. This is an expression of the ancient ideal believing the gods to reside in the mountains. Indeed, in South the mandir spire is frequently carved with images of gods, the shikhara being conceived as mount Meru, the mythical mountain-axis of the universe, on the slopes of which the gods reside. for more details: please visit: http//:www.indiatempleinfo.com