A temple is a place of worship as opposed shrine, which is a sacred place for praying. Temples attract large crowds during festivals or if they are famous but otherwise a fairly quiet. They are often sought as places for quiet meditation, with most acts of worship and devotion being done in front of an altar at home. Hindu temple architecture is one of the most important forms of Hindu architecture. Hindu temple architecture has many varieties of style, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same. Hindu temple architecture reflects a synthesis of arts, the ideals of dharma, beliefs, values and the way of life cherished under Hinduism. Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries, places to venerate relics, and shrines or prayer halls, which later came to be called temples in some places. Buddhist temples are generally a cluster of buildings-whose number and size depends on the size of the temple-situated in an enclosed area. This valuable book is an essential guide for students and working professional.

Amish Khamavant is Lecturer in the Department of Buddhist Art and Architecture, Nitishwar Singh College Sarmastpur, B.R.A. Bihar University, Muzaffarpur. He participated in many national and international seminars. His several articles have been published in reputed journals.

A temple is a place of worship as opposed to a shrine, which is a sacred place for praying. Temples attract large crowds during festivals or if they are famous but otherwise a fairly quiet. They are often sought as places for quiet meditation, with most acts of worship and devotion being done in front of an altar at home. In the Vedic period, there were no temples. The main object of worship was the fire that stood for God. This holy fire was lit on a platform in the open air under the sky, and oblations were offered to the fire. It is not certain when exactly the Indo-Aryans first started building temples for worship. The scheme of building temples was perhaps a concomitant of the idea of idol worship. As the race progressed, temples became important because they served as a sacred meeting place for the community to congregate and revitalize their spiritual energies. Large temples were usually built at picturesque places, especially on river banks, on top of hills, and on the seashore. Smaller temples or open-air shrines can crop up just about anywhere - by the roadside or even under the tree. Hindu temple architecture is one of the most important forms of Hindu architecture.

Hindu temple architecture has many varieties of style, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same. Hindu temple architecture reflects a synthesis of arts, the ideals of dharma, beliefs, values and the way of life cherished under Hinduism. Hindu temples are of different shapes and sizes-rectangular, octagonal, semicircular -with different types of domes and gates. Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries, places to venerate relics, and shrines or prayer halls, which later came to be called temples in some places. Buddhist temples are generally a cluster of buildings-whose number and size depends on the size of the temple situated in an enclosed area. Large temples have several halls, where people can pray, and living quarters for monks. Smaller ones have a single hall, a house fore a resident monk and a bell. Some have cemeteries. There are essentially three kinds of Buddhist structures: 1) stupas, bell-shaped structures that contain a holy relic or scripture; 2) temples, place of worship somewhat similar to a church; and 3) monasteries, which contain living quarters and meditation cells for monks. Stupas are solid structures that typically cannot be entered and were constructed to contain sacred Buddhist relics that are hidden from view (and vandals) in containers buried at their core or in the walls. Temples have an open interior that may be entered and in which are displayed one or more cult images as a focus for worship. Although this simple distinction between Stupa and temple is useful, the distinction is not always clear. There are stupas that have the external form of a stupa but are like a temple with an inner corridor and multiple shrines.

This valuable book is an essential guide for students and working professional.

-Amish Khamavant