Indian Temple Traditions

Language: English
Pages: 225 (Throughout B/W Illustrations)


About The Book

A Hindu temple, is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism. A characteristic of most temples is the presence of murtis (Statues) of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, the presiding deity, and other deities associated with the main deity. However, some temples are dedicated to several deities, and others are dedicated to murtis in an iconic form. Many temples are in key geographical points, such as a hill top, near waterfalls, caves and rivers, as these are, according to Hinduism, worship places and make it easier to contemplate God.

The present book is dealing with 13 Chapters 1: The Human Need for Shrines. 2: The Folk Approaches. 3: Masks, Mountains and Serpents. 4: Mother - Goddesses and Minor spirts. 5: The Evolution of Temple. 6: The Temple as a structure and enterprise. 7: The Temple : Traditional perspective. 8: The World of Icons.9: The Value of Icons. 10: Indian Iconography. 11: Icons for worship Rituals. 12 : Worship in Temples.13: Symbolism worshipping in a temple. The present book deal with cultural detail of a temple.

 

Introduction

Several hundreds of Books on Indian Temples have appeared till today; and there seems to be scope of more books. There have been books dealing with Art and Architecture of Indian Temples, religious and historical aspects of Temples Legands and Myths concerning them, social significance and economic implication of Temple Organization. Very few Books, however, set out to recognize even the existence of a tradition in relation to Building, Conscrating and worshipping in a Temple. The present volume is modest attempt to delineate the traditional approach to subject of Temples.