Indian Temple Traditions

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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.

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.

There has been a general tendency to ignore the textual prescriptions and traditional accounts while dealing with the Temples, and concentrate only the existing structures and conditions, that are prevalent. And while treating of individual Temples, the general idea of a Temple as a cultural detail is lost sight of. The present attempt to correct this error. The word must not be missed for the trees.

S.K. RAMACHANDRA RAO

Contents

 

	Introduction
l.	The Human need for Shrines	1
2	The Folk approaches	9
3	Maska, Mountains and Serpents	18
4	Mother Goddesses and Minor spirits	35
5	The Evolution of Temple	51
6	The Temple as a Structure and Enterprise	71
7	The Temple traditional perspective	85
8	The world of Icons	103
9	The value of Icons	128
10	Indian Iconography	140
11	Icons for Worship Rituals	165
12	Worship in Temples	180
13	Symbolism	210

 

Sample Pages