Hindu temple heritage-Pillars of culture, spirituality, art, literature, treasury, and research

Hindu temple heritage is a symbolic structure of the Vedic tradition. It acts as a medium between the seeker and God. Hindu temples, with their awe-inspiring architecture and profound spirituality, stand as eternal witness to India’s rich heritage.

It is known by names like Devasthal, Devsthan, Pura, Puri, Kovil. Sacred buildings are not merely places of worship; They are the real pillars of culture, spirituality, art, literature, treasury, dance and research.

In this exploration, a journey through the multifaceted world of Hindu temple heritage that has preserved its cultural, spiritual qualities through the ages. Where every stone hides one and every prayer resonates with history.

Don’t know how many Atatais (foreign invasion of india) looted it, destroyed it, burnt it. But he never forgot his heritage. Let us know in this article that Hindu temple heritage-Pillars of culture, spirituality, art, literature, treasury, dance, and research.

The temple makes the world understand the difference between good and evil by incorporating all the elements of the Hindu universe.

In ancient times, being ahead in life all the time, developing new technologies, creating cultural songs and dances, storing money (bank), creating literature, identifying inner strength with the power of spirituality, etc. were done for many arts and works. Hindu temple was established.

Historical Significance: Tracing the Footprints of Time

Hindu temple heritage has stood the test of time, their origins date back millennia. According to the Antiquities Department, remains of Hindu temples are found from Greece to Cambodia. Recently an 8000 year old Hindu temple was discovered in Saudi Arabia.

They are the living repositories of history. It is an organization that makes all living beings comfortable, which protects like a mother. Each temple echoes the heritage of its era. From the grandeur of the Chola temples to the complexity of Khajuraho.

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The world’s largest temple (Ankor Wat Mandir) in Cambodia. All these temples are witnesses to the development of art and culture through the ages.

The historical roots of Hindu temple heritage and their evolution over centuries

The dignity of the temple declined after the arrival of different types of invaders, looters, Mughal rulers. In the material world, he used to associate the evil practices in temples with ‘Hindu communalism’.

This was the reason that they started considering temples as symbols of sect. Due to the seduction and fear of the Mughal ruler, animals were slaughtered in the temples. Which gradually became the practice of ‘sacrifice’.

To make Hindus lose faith in temples. The Atatais started keeping their priest in the temple, who started taking money, gold, silver etc. from the devotees. Which gradually started taking the form of ‘offering’ in the temple.

Saved people from looting the temple. The bank of the temple started running out of money. Later, people did not keep their money.

But the ancient one did not think so. The historical roots of Hindu temples and their development over the centuries are very old. Let us know the historical roots of Hindu temple heritage and how they developed over the centuries.

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Evolution over centuries

Hindu Temple have been the center of yagya, penance and meditation for millions of years. Many types of ancient Indian texts have been circulating through temples. Whose examples are as follows –

• During the Ramayana period, we get information about the temples of the Kosal Empire.
• Prevalence of text – It has been happening before the 4th century.
• Worship of many gods and goddesses – before the 5th century in the temple Sun, the source of energy, Agni, the master of the fire element, Indra, the god of rain, Varuna, the god of air, Moon (Soma), the symbol of coolness, Earth, the goddess of soil, the god of foster Rudra etc.
• All started being worshipped. If you look carefully, then at that time all of them used to worship nature.
• According to the Mahabhasya of Patanjali, Kubera was worshiped in the temple before the 2nd century – the god of wealth and finance.
• According to Mahabhasya, there are descriptions of worship of Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva etc. in the temple.
• Vedic and mythological gods– According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, there is a description of a city of temples. In which Vedic and mythological deities were worshipped.
• Decorations and designs of the temple – According to Jain and Buddhist literature, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, descriptions of the decorations and designs of the temple are available.

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• Material of the temple– Earlier temples were made of brick and wood. Later stone, metal etc. started being used.
• Basic structure of the temple – In the first millennium BC, the temple was constructed consisting of five basic structures.
• A– a raised platform with or without emblem
  B– a raised platform under a canopy
  C– a high platform under a tree
  D– a raised platform surrounded by railings
  E– A raised platform inside the pillared pavilion

The role of temples in preserving ancient cultural practices and traditions

The role of temples has been extremely important in the preservation of ancient cultural practices and traditions. Just as breathing is necessary for a living body, in the same way the temple is very important for the cultural values in Indian society.

Temples are not just centers of worship. Rather, the temple was used for many works like music, dance, Ayurveda, warfare, architecture, craft, sculpture, yajna, spirituality, culture, literature, research, place of depositing money etc.

Hindu Temple heritage has played a leading role in developing social and cultural values.

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Notable examples of historically significant Hindu temple heritage

Notable examples of historically important temples are as follows-

Classical music art, dance art

Classical music art, dance art developed in the temples only. Lord Shiva himself in the form of Nataraj gave the knowledge of dance to the world.

Music was created from the sound of the veena in the hands of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Considering music as a high art was possible only because of the spiritual aspects of Indian culture.

Glimpse of natur

The glimpse of natural worship in sculpture comes from the temple. Surya Temple of Odisha and Khajuraho Temple of Madhya Pradesh are examples of this.

Gurukulam- education and knowledge

In ancient times, there used to be a Gurukulam in the courtyard of the temple. In which our sages used to impart education and knowledge to children institutionally.

Center of warfare and self defense

Martial arts and archery were taught from the courtyard of the temple itself. An example is the Kalari Payattu temple of South India. Wrestling was taught in four ways in North India.

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• Jambuvanti teaches (Jambuvant inspired) techniques to make the opponent surrender.
• Hanumanti technique (Hanuman inspired technique) was focused on excellence with technology in front of the enemy.
• Jarasandhi teaches (Jarasangha inspired ) to cut the enemy’s body into pieces by technique.
• Bhimseni (Mahabali Bheem) shows the purely powerful and victorious technically.

Ayurveda Research

Medical science inspired by Ayurvedacharyas like Dhanvantari and Charak comes from the temple itself. An example of this is the temple of Mahabalipuram. Which are made by cutting rocks in the forest.

Sushruta was a great physician and surgeon of ancient India. He is the originator of Sushruta Samhita, the great text of Ayurveda. Sushruta is called the father of surgery.

He used to treat patients and perform surgeries with more than 125 self-made instruments in the temple itself. More than 300 methods and procedures for performing operations are knowning.

According to Sushruta Samhita, Sushruta was well-versed in plastic surgery, heart surgery, brain surgery, eye therapy, delivery, locating broken bones and joining them etc.

Research in temples

Maharishi Sandipani was a great scientist. Its ashram is in Ujjain. It was here that he discovered Sudarshan Chakra and gave it to Shri Krishna. Maharishi Kanada is considereding the father of atomic theory. He had received the knowledge of energy from the temple near Dwarka in Gujarat. Which later he gave the atomic theory.

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Knowledge of Architecture

Nagar and Dravidian style of architecture has developed from the temple itself. Rajarajeshwar Temple of Thanjavur is a unique example of South Indian architectural style.

Cultural functions

Hindu temple heritage itself used to be a community kitchen, a venue for marriages and a social and economic meeting center for festivals.

Production of literature

Mainly prose stories, dramas, poems were created in the art of literature from the temple. Around the 4th millennium BCE. The complexity of trade and administration in Mesopotamia was inscribed on stone. Panchatantra was written in Sanskrit in the temple itself around 200 BC.

Hindu temple heritage Spiritual Significance: Places of Divine Connection

At their core, Hindu temples are places of deep spirituality. They serve as bridges between the mortal and the divine, providing solace and guidance to countless devotees.

The serene environment of these holy places promotes introspection and devotion, allowing seekers to connect with the divine. Adi Guru Shankaracharya established 4 temples to bind India in the thread of spirituality.

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Which is knowning as Char Dham. It is situates in 4 corners of India. Badrinath (Uttarakhand) in the north, Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu) in the south, Jagannath Puri (Orissa) in the east and Dwarka (Gujarat) in the west.

अयोध्या मथुरा माया काशीकांची अवन्तिका।
वैशाली द्वारिका ध्येया पुरी तक्षशिला गया।।

Verse taken from Ekatmta Stotra

These 11 holy places are worthy of worship.
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Maya (Kolkata West Bengal), Kashi (Uttar Pradesh), Kanchi (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu), Avantika (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh), Vaishali (Bihar), Dwarka (Gujarat), Puri (Orissa), Takshashila (Gandhara India, currently Pakistan), Gaya (Bihar).

In Hindu temple heritage art and architecture: A Testament to Human Creativity

The art and architecture of Hindu temples is nothing less than breathtaking. Each temple is a masterpiece with intricate carvings, huge gopurams and majestic shikharas.

These architectural wonders are not only pleasing to the eyes but also convey religious and mythological narratives with astonishing accuracy.

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Let us know the names of some famous temples.

• Shree Jagannatha Temple (Puri, Orissa)
• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram, kerla)
• Shree Somnath Jyotirling Temple (Saurashtra, Gujrat)
• Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple (Rameswaram, Tamilnadu)
• Lingaraj Temple (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
• Kamakhya Temple (Guwahati, Assam)
• Yamunotri Temple (Uttar Kashi, Uttrakhand)
• Shri Laxmi Narayan Temple (Birla Mandir, New Delhi)
• Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple (Srirangam,Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu)
• Ekambaranathar Temple (Kilambi, Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu)
• Shrinathji Temple (Nathdwara Rajsthan)

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• Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga (Ujjain, Madhyapradesh)
• Arulmigu Thiyagarajaswamy Temple (Chennai, Tamilnadu)
• Omkareshwar Mahadev temple (Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh)
• Kailasanathar Temple (Karuppadithattadai, Tamilnadu)
• Sree Vadakkumnathan Temple (Thrissur, Kerla)
• Pashupatinath Temple (Kathmandu, Nepal)
• Lalji Temple ( Bishnupur, West Bengal)
• Ajgaibinath Temple (Bhagalpur, Bihar)
• Baidyanath Temple (Deoghar, jharkhand)
• Mahamaya Temple (Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh)
• Chamunda devi temple ( dharmashala, Himachal)
• Martand Sun Temple ( Jammu and Kashmir)
• Golden temple ( Amritsar, Punjab)
• Tirupati Balaji Temple (Andhra Pradesh)
• Shri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangapatna, Karnataka)
• Bhimashankar Temple ( Pune, Maharashtra)

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• Dronacharya Temple ( Gurugram, Haryana)
• Bhubaneswari Temple ( Gomati, Tripura)
• Parshuram Kund (Lohit, Arunachal Pradesh)
• Mahabali Temple ( Imphal, Manipur)
• Nartiang Durga Temple (West Jaintia, Meghalaya)

Money collection (Banking)in Hindu temple heritage

In ancient times the temple was using as a bank. People used to keep valuables like gold, diamonds etc. there. There was no sign of theft anywhere. But the time went on. The Mughal ruler looted the temples a lot.

Muslim rulers had demolished more than 4000 temples and built mosques or dargahs.

Some are such that even a respectable person can say that this mosque has been builts by demolishing a temple. Like Krishna temple of Mathura, Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The raiders destroyed the Somnath temple and looted its wealth several times.

Due to all these reasons, gradually the collection of money in the temple was abandoneding. And he took it as an offering.

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The concept of temple treasure. Which is often hiddens from public view, has historical significance. Generations of devotees have contributed to these treasures, which, in turn, support various social welfare and community development initiatives.

Contemporary Relevance: Adapting Modern Times

Hindu temples cannot be calling relics of the past. Yes, people have forgotten some virtues and deeds. They keep evolving and adapting to the demands of the modern world.

It is an active participant in social initiatives and community services. Hindu temples address contemporary challenges while remaining true to their heritage.

Conclusion of Hindu temple heritage: Embracing the Legacy

In conclusion, the Hindu temple heritage was a living testimony of India’s culture, spirituality, art, literature, treasury, dance, Ayurveda, martial arts and research. These temples are more than stone and mortar, wood, and metal. It is the soul of a nation and humanity.

Carrying forward is a legacy that enriches and inspires generations. As we explore the multifaceted world of Hindu temple heritage. We should make our temple comfortable.

Can it have all the qualities as before like Prachin. Can we enrich our heritage for humanity. May we also embrace the profound cultural, spiritual and artistic contributions they have made to our lives.

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