VII - Virtual India Index » Indian Temples

Mahabalipuram Temples

Virtual India Index — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:00:57 +0000

A place that is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu is known as Mahabalipuram. You will come across some of the best pales that will take you to the time of ancient Hinduism. Mahabalipuram temples are one of those places that can take you to the journey of the past and the more you will explore it the more will be your desire to stay and find out something extra. That’s the beauty of Mahabalipuram temples as it can accommodate all the visitors from all over world with the different desires and objectives. It is almost 58km away from the city of Chennai and you can easily get to the place.

The Shore Temple is perhaps the most beautiful place to start your journey as it is situated at the Bay of Bengal. The sea is really something that has a large influence on this temple. You can also find a lot of shrines in this temple, few of them are more beautiful as the faces the sea.

Another temple that will fascinate you a lot is the temple which is given the name of Sthalasayana Perumal. You will certainly like the whole scene when the waves from sea come to the very start of the temple.

The most amazing and interesting thing about India is festivals and the religious festivals are one that you can find at every corner of India. There are different festivals which are celebrated in temples, so, you will certainly be up for a treat if you will go to visit Mahabalipuram temples in the month of December as it is the time when you can come across some great dancing festivals. There are quite a lot of dance forms in India and you will be amazed to see the skill of dancers. Along with this dance festival, the place is also considered to be the main point for Pallava Arts and Culture which certainly is something that you will love to learn about. It’s something that you will certainly like and will take with you when you will be going to home.

Konark Sun Temple

Virtual India Index — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:00:10 +0000

Konark Sun Temple is the one that was made for the Sun God or Surya. When you will be in Orissa, this is certainly something that worth a visit. It is supposed be a place that has to be visited by the people of India to complete their pilgrimage.

The tales are the things which are associated with all of the places in India and you will come across a new one after every short while. The legend about this temple is that the king of Krishna and Jambavati intrude the bathing champers of the wives of Krishna and Krishna cursed him with a disease of skin known as leprosy. He was told to worship Surya to get out of this curse and Samba who was cursed with the disease found an image of Surya and he worshipped it to get rid of the curse. That is the place of temple actually. However, despite the fact as what was the story behind the creation of the temple, the architecture is something that can’t be compared with anything else.

Sculptures that you will find in there are so complicated that you will not take you eyes away from them. The temple is actually made in a way that it gives the picture of a chariot that has 24 wheels. These wheels are then made even more beautiful with some specific use of carvings. The erotic style of craving is something that you can again find in here which are quite like the way that you will find in Khajuraho Temples. Along with these cravings you can also find pictures of animals and warriors which are again carved in the walls and you can easily associate a story with them as they are so systematically designed. You best chance about learning the ancient Indian art is in this temple. Although, the most of the temples are ruined, but still, it has a lot to tell you about the ancient history and culture. Also, if you want to see the true festivity, you must visit the place at the time of Konark festival.

Khajuraho Temples

Virtual India Index — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:00:10 +0000

Have you ever been wondered that the information you are having about the temples of India is nothing mire than some scant information, then you must not waste any more time and book a ticket to India. The temples of India are something that has been a thing of constant attraction for the tourist from all around the world. You will certainly find your visit a delightful one. You can start your journey from the state of Madhya Pradesh. You will be able to find a village named Khajuraho and this is the destination for you to get close to those fascinating temples.

India has been a place of many empires and it was the time of Chandel Empire when these temples were constructed. When you will be in the village, you will find around 22 temples. However, a worth mentioning fact is that there were as many as 85 temples but time has played a major role and there are only 22 temples. But today, there is a special emphasis on their protection and preservation and tourists from all over the world are getting to the place to learn a little more about the remaining ones. The best thing about these temples is the carvings that are directly done on the walls of the temple and they tell the whole story for which these carvings were done. In these carvings, you will also come across some of the distinctive sexual poses which are carved on the wall. The sophistication and the charm that these temples have was the reason that they were used in different Indian films as well. These carving are certainly something that will provide you some food for thought along with the great enjoyment that can expect from a tour.

Another thing that you will also like about the whole thing is that you can now get to the place without much ado as there is now available in the village. This actually confirms the fact that India is aware of its cultural heritage and doing utmost effort to preserve it and to make it noticed by providing all sorts of facilities.

Jagannath Puri Temple

Virtual India Index — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:00:43 +0000

Raja Ananta Varman was the name who was behind the great Jagannath Puri Temple. You can get to the temple easily reach to the temple from Orissa as it is situated in a town named as Puri. As the name implies, the temple is associated with Jagannath or commonly referred as Krishna, a Hindu God, who is supposed to be the lord of the universe in Hinduism.

You will certainly be fascinated to see the images of Jagannath Balabhadra and Subhadra, also, you experience will be enhanced when you will find them to be build with margosa wood. That is perhaps the first thing that will tell you the story of the exceptional artistry that surrounds the whole temple. The beautiful architecture has a great influence of the Orissa culture or the present culture of Orissa is under the influence of the temple, whatever that is, the architecture is something that will give you a great value for your money.

The temple is not just amazing to watch because of the great bit of architecture but it has a lot for the people who want to learn something about Indian culture and traditions. If you wan to be a part of the festivity that is the part of Indian culture, then, you can easily find some of the great festivals that are celebrated in the temple of Jagannath. Krishnana janma is one of those festivals and it is celebrated as the Krishna was supposed to born on the day. Along with this, you can be a part of some of the yatra that are known as Jhulan yatra, Sneha yatra and many others can also be found. Rath yatra is perhaps the most popular as in this yatra the three deities of the Jagannath temple are taken to the Gundecha temple and whole of the journey is covered by putting them on chariot or rath. The temple is considered to be the adorned with the largest kitchen as it can accommodate as many as 100,000 people who are supposed to be here during the festivals. The festivity is the feature of the temple and you can witness it through out the year.

Golden Temple

Virtual India Index — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:00:59 +0000

When you will be in India, the amalgamation of some of the world’s largest religions is something that will provide you a great picture to enjoy. You will certainly feel jovial to see the way with which these people are living their lives according to their beliefs and thoughts and that is one of the thing that has earned a great deal of respect for India. It’s not just about respect, but, it has really helped people from all over the world to come and see the diversification of the culture by them. It’s truly amazing to see some of the best mosques in here, along with the churches and temples. All this is enough to mesmerize someone one who may never have come to India or any diverse cultured place. Temples in India have been the center of attraction for the tourists and they come in great number to see them. Why shouldn’t they be, after all there is a great resource of these temples in India. If you are planning to come to India, you must pay a visit to Golden Temple which is situated in Amritsar.

Amritsar is in the state of Punjab, where most of the people are follower of Sikhism. So, if you want to have an insight about this religion, then Golden temple is the perfect choice. The temple is also known as Harmandir Sahib and it stands on a platform which is about 67ft high. You will find four doors which are in the each direction, i.e. east, west, north and south. Door panes, however, are something that depicts a great deal of skill as the decoration is impressive. When you will look to learn about the architecture, you will find it a unique one. The reason behind that is that the style is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim art of architecture and it’s been used so artistically that it gives a really sophisticated look.

A worth mentioning fact about Golden temple is that it is regarded as one of the most popular places in Sikhism, but, it is not a place that is rated as a must to visit to complete your pilgrimage.

Dwarka Temple

Virtual India Index — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:00:01 +0000

Dwarka is the place that has a staggering importance in the India; this is the place that is associated with Lord Krishna, in fact, most of the tales that are associated with Lord Krishna will ultimately take you to this place. Also, the place is considered importance as Lord Krishna stayed at the place for around 100 years in this place. It is because of this association that a large number of Hindus come to visit this place as it is more of a pilgrimage place for them. The city has another importance and amazing fact that will amaze you a lot and will bring you a step closer to the culture and thoughts of Hinduism. The city of Dwarka is the one which is supposed to be created by Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma is supposed to be the architect that is from heaven. Also, the place is considered to be really important and holy in the sense that it is the very place where Lord Krishna killed a demon that was named as Shankasura. In the center of Dwarka, you will come across a temple that is named as Dwarkadhish Temple which has a great deal of importance.

Dwarkadhish Temple has a tower, that has as many as five storeys and it is the one that was built by the grand son of Lord Krishna. The whole of temple is built with sand, along with sand there is a good use of limestone. As this is the place where people come with the objective a pilgrimage, there are certain ways which are adopted by the people in the temple to welcome the pilgrims. For instance, a flag is hoisted for about four times in the whole day to greet the pilgrims. When you will get there, you will come across two of the doors, one of the doors is to enter and the other one is to exit. The door from which people enter the temple is called the Swarg Dwar which means the door to heaven. The other door from where people get out of the temple is given the name of Moksha Dwar.

Brihadisvara Temple

Virtual India Index — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:00:37 +0000

If you want to see the number of amazing temples, then you must pay a visit to Tamil Nadu that is a state in India. In Tamil Nadu, you will come across a town Thanjavur which is the house of the most ancient temples in India. Although, there are some of the very best masterpieces of art but you won’t find something better than Brihadisvara Temple. The temple is also known as the temple of Tanjore. The temple is the creation of a king named as Rajaraja who was the part of the Chola dynasty.

The first thing that is so amazing about the temple is its tower that has as many as 13 storeys. The height of the tower is said to be around 61m and the beauty of the tower gets even more enhanced with a single stone which is at the top of the tower. The tower is called Vimana and it has gold covered ornament to enhance the beauty of the final part of the tower. The shape of this monolith is like a bulb which feels so exquisite when you see the whole tower from a distance. The whole of the temple is situated inside a fort. If you have a taste and knowledge about the temples of India, you must have a close interaction with carvings and sculptures. This temple is certainly no different as you will never feel the temple to be short of the carvings and the sculptures. These carvings are used in a delicate way to decorate the entire temple. There are certain holy places within the temple which are designed with the highest level of architectural skills and one can only think about the artistry and the skill that those people were having at the time when there wasn’t an outside help available. The architecture that is used in here is the beautiful example of Dravidian style of architecture that is specially used for the temples to bring that spiritual look. Granite is the main ingredient used in its construction.

All in all, the temple is a beautiful blend of art and the creativity, also, you can visit the temple to be a part of the celebrations that are done at different times of year where you can enjoy other forms of arts, dancing is the most popular one.

Akshardham Temple

Virtual India Index — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:00:59 +0000

The one of the reason to fly to India is the culture and that culture can easily be experienced by everyone in the temples that are in different states of India. These temples are so ancient that you will certainly be awestruck after seeing these temples. However, amidst of these ancient temples, you can also feast your eyes with some of the great architectural masterpieces that are just recently been added in the enormous resource of temples. Akshardham Temple is one of the temples that are a recent addition for the visitors to come and experience the great Indian culture. It is situated in the eastern part of Delhi. It was built in merely two years and was built by an organization that is known as Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS.

First of the thing that you will fancy watching is the collection of the statures. There are around 20,000 statues and all of them have a great visual feel as special care have been taken to enhance and raise the artistic feel and beauty of the statues. Along with these statues, you will see beautiful carved pillars which are actually to make this temple look like the other temples of India where carvings are most frequently witnessed. However, it can also be trusted to get a feel of the Hinduism as the resources that you will find here are certainly amazing; also, these things are maintained by the people, so, you can expect most recent additions in these things which will give you a clear understanding of Hindu culture and traditions.

Total area that the temple covers is around 100 acres, so, it will give you a complete satisfaction as you can understand as what might be the things that you will be watching in the temple of this volume. There are specially designed fountains that actually play an important role to beautify the whole temple. As it is a temple, so, how is it possible that you don’t find the deity in here? In fact, there are a number of them, for instance, you will come across Shri Radha Krishna Dev, Shri Laxmi Narayan, Shri Sita Ram and many others can also be seen inside the temple.

VII - Virtual India Index » Indian Temples

Mahabalipuram Temples

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Konark Sun Temple

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Khajuraho Temples

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Jagannath Puri Temple

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Golden Temple

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Dwarka Temple

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Brihadisvara Temple

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Akshardham Temple

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