The Krta also known as the Satya Yuga was called the golden age or the age of truth where there was no malice, deceit and had only righteousness. They all believed that there was only one god who lived among the humans. Then came the Treta Yuga where righteousness deteriorated by one fourth and here the main virtue was to acquire knowledge.
They considered that god was a scarce entity and would descend to earth only when men invoked them in rituals and sacrifices. During the third division of time called the Dvapara Yuga, righteousness existed only in half the amount and eventually misery, disease, caste came into existence. The presence of god multiplied and each individual started forming groups and having their own images of god.
However Kaliyuga is the present age of mankind. It is said that this age began at midnight between February 17 and 18, BC with righteousness being only one tenth. It is the time of anger, lust, pride, discord and there is very little room for true worship and sacrifice.
Individuals are more involved with materialistic satisfaction and sexual desires. Temples appeared during Kali Yuga. During this phase temples were built and icons were installed however, the gods ceased to come down. In contrast to the previous periods where the gods were available to all the individuals equally, in Kaliyuga only the priests who belong to the traditional hierarchy of professional worshipers and at the same time competent individuals could compel the presence of the almighty.
At the end of it all we have eventually lost the divine who resided amongst us during the Krta Yuga which is the same as saying that once man was divine himself.
In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it.
This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life. Most of the temples also called as Mandirs are built in accordance to the ancient scriptures by skilled Indian architects.
The ideal temple has certain features like a central sanctum that enshrines the main deity. Antarvedi Temple in Tamil Nadu Large temples usually contain many shrine-rooms and courts. The shrines usually have an altar were prasad offerings are left. Many temples have a sacred pool and tanks filled with water.
Water is regarded as an important elements in making temples attractive to deities. Large temples often have a religious school. Indian architecture is known for its highly decorative style. Their exteriors are often covered by multitudes of carved imagery, sculpted images of deities, narrative reliefs from mythology and rich decorative carvings. Panels, niches and friezes contain images of plants, of monkeys and elephants, and of men and women in all conceivable postures.
The exteriors are generally more highly decorated than the interiors which are usually relatively plain. As the worshiper moves from the outer part of the temple towards the sanctuary the amount of decorations declines. Around the sanctuary the amount of decoration is minimal so as not to take anything away or divert attention from the icon in the central shrine. Subjects including nagas mythical multi-headed cobras that protect sacred places , representations of Hindu gods and scenes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.
The gods can often be identified by attributesVishnu with a conch and Shiva with a tridentor by the their mounta lion for Durga or a mouse for Ganesh. Many Hindu temples feature phallic lingams in the sanctuary and images of asparasdancing, bare-breasted women considered the epitome of female beautyon the walls. Some have sexually explicit images. Some towers have rows of lotuses or lotus buds or mythical and heroic figures. The amalak is an architectural form found on the upper part of some towers.
It is derived from the gourdlike myrobalan fruit. Thus, if one speaks of Indian architecture without taking note of the lavish sculptured decoration with which monuments are covered, a partial and distorted picture is presented. In the Hindu temple, large niches in the three exterior walls of the sanctum house sculpted images that portray various aspects of the deity enshrined within. The sanctum image expresses the essence of the deity. Metropolitan Museum of Art].
For instance, the niches of a temple dedicated to a Vishnu may portray his incarnations; those of a temple to Shiva, his various combative feats; and those of a temple to the Great Goddess, her battles with various demons.
Regional variations exist, too; in the eastern state of Orissa, for example, the niches of a temple to Shiva customarily contain images of his family-his consort, Parvati, and their sons, Ganesha, the god of overcoming obstacles, and warlike Skanda. The exterior of the halls and porch are also covered with figural sculpture. A series of niches highlight events from the mythology of the enshrined deity, and frequently a place is set aside for a variety of other gods.
In addition, temple walls feature repeated banks of scroll-like foliage, images of women, and loving couples known as mithunas. Signifying growth, abundance, and prosperity, they were considered auspicious motifs. Steven M. Kossak and Edith W. Their typical form emulates the cosmic mountain that is the abode of the deity honored and housed in the temple.
As the devotee circles the temple exterior in the proscribed direction, he or she worships the various gods portrayed on the walls, particularly the deity honored within. These images are arranged to aid the viewer on the path to spiritual release. Worship is usually individual rather than congregational, and only at times of religious festivals do crowds throng the temple compounds.
A porch and gathering chamber lead to the inner sanc- tum, which lies beneath the central tower of the temple and contains the image of the main deity, usually made of stone. Merit gathered through sight is called darshan. Viewing a temple itself accrues merit to the pilgrim who comes to see the god and makes offerings in the hope of receiving divine blessings.
Hindus believe that the image of a god contains the actual living god, and that the god can see the devotee and thus bestow blessings upon him or her. Consequently, the eyes of the image are open. Puja, the offering ritual before the image of a god, involves the other four senses as well. Through the intermediary of a priest, worshippers present flowers, food, and pour libations of water and milk over the image as they ask for its blessings.
Mantras are chanted and bells rung. They were equipped with rings and carrying bases so they could be carried in processions on festival days. Like a living king, they could view and be viewed by their followers.
Within the temple, statues of deities were bathed, fed, clothed, and entertained by singing and dancing. Whether in a temple or a home, daily acts of devotion include waking the image in the morning, washing, dressing, and feeding it. The image is honored as a guest would be. In this way, the devo- tee develops a close and loving relationship with his or her god. Seeing the image of a god in a Hindu temple is a very different experience from viewing sculpture in a museum gallery: although sculptural figures of the gods are depicted with luxurious jewels and diaphanous garments that fall in delicate folds, in daily pujas they are covered with real clothing and garlands of flowers, and the carved details of the sculpture would be seen only by the priests.
This Temple is well known around the world because of the many miraculous happenings here and the Temple is today a popular pilgrim centre in India. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter some temples or some parts particularly the inner sanctum of temples.
Sometimes there are signs indicating where non-Hindus are not allowed. Sometimes there are not. People should avoid entering a temple with items made from leather since cows are regarded as sacred. Women are not supposed to enter Hindu temples when the are menstruating. Some temples have two doors. One is for menstruating women and people from lower castes. The other is for ordinary Hindus. Hindu temples that allow non-Hindus generally require visitors to remove their shoes and headwear.
Short pants and skirts are often regarded as inappropriate dress. Men wearing shorts are sometimes given a sarong or robe at the entrance. Women should have their knees and arms covered. It is important to step over the threshold not on it when entering a temple. The temple acts as a preserver of the religion in all its glory and tradition. The temple is seen as the dwelling place of God and so is considered the place to receive darshan : a glimpse of God. Temple murtis are considered far more significant than home murtis.
They are consecrated and so considered to have God dwelling in them. This means that the temple provides a place for people to dwell in the presence of God and to be a part of his glory in a far greater way than is possible with home puja. The temple is highly symbolic and might even be considered a giant murti. It enables the worshipper to focus on God and to access a relationship with him.
The priest led worship further strengthens this relationship by acting as a mediator between the worshipper and God allowing them to unite. This is not to say that the only place to meet with God is the temple, Hindus believe God is everywhere and in everything, as such one can meet with him at any time. However, the temple is a place where the only focus is on God, it allows the worshipper to be free of the distractions of their everyday life.
It is built according to vedic plans and thus even the shape is symbolic. The high central tower over the central area is often symbolic of Mount Kailash, a part of the Himalayas considered the home of the Gods.
The floor plan is often considered to be symbolic of God lying down whilst the vertical building is God standing. This furthers their potential as murtis. It is felt that God is consecrated in the walls, especially in the garbha-griha making it a highly holy and spiritual place.
They are kept holy by worshippers and treated with great respect for example the shoes are removed before entering because leather is considered impure, thoughts are purified before approaching the inner sanctum to ensure nothing but God is the focus.
Furthermore, there are often myths attached to the sacred places increasing their importance. However, some might consider the home shrine to be more important than the temple. The home shrine is used every day and from it the worshipper is able to uphold a personal and private relationship with God.
Here, the woman leads the worship and is able to bathe and feed the murtis — something she would be unable to do in a temple. This makes home shrines far more intimate. The home shrine is also important as an educational tool to pass on the traditions through the family and to unite the family within one religion and under their istadeva.
This highlights still another reason why the home shrine might be considered more important than the temple; not only is the vernacular language used for home puja but it is the istadeva worshipped rather than the more generic gods at the temple. Yet, on the contrary, home shrines are often considered temples in their own right.
If this is considered to be true than the importance of home shrines further highlights the role and significance of temples. Temple is a place where people believe that God exists. It is the reason why God manifests Himself in temples for the sake of his devotees. Some temples attract large number of devotees and miracles of those temples are widely talked about. In India there is a tradition of pilgrimage of 4 dham main pilgrimage centers - Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram.
The devotees take all kinds of trouble to go to such distant places. The hardships make their will stronger and they march ahead with a clear focus. In the Indian tradition, lakhs of people go to the Kumbh Mela for taking bath in holy rivers and offering worships at Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik.
The Kumbh Melas are the largest known human gatherings in the world where the individual identity of the devotee gets completely drowned in the sea of humanity. The devotee worships in a state of trance. Even in a neighborhood temple, the environment for worship is different from the environment of the home because services of competent priests are available in the temple to guide devotees in performing rituals.
The utensils utilized in worship are mainly of copper and brass which are considered beneficial.
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