Temple

A temple (from the Latin word "templum") is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A ‘’templum’’ constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word “ template,’’ a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Though a templum, technically speaking, is not a “house of the gods” but a diagram that for the Romans linked the geometries of heaven and earth, it was also indicative of a dwelling place of a god or gods. This tradition, of course, dates back to prehistoric times. For the ancient Egyptians, the word "pr" could refer not only to a house, but also to a sacred structure since it was believed that the gods resided in houses. [Monroe, Edgar, Temples of Egypt, http://touregypt.net/featurestories/temples.htm , website accessed August 30, 2006.] The word ‘temple’ (which dates to about the 6th century BCE), despite the specific set of meanings associated with the religion of the ancient Rome, has now become quite widely used to describe a house of worship for any number of religions and is even used for time periods prior to the Romans. Stated differently, temple was once a species of sacred structures; today it is, in the English language, often used as a genus.

Ancient Near East

The oldest known temple seems to be that found at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey, dating from the 10th millennium BC.

Jewish synagogues and temples

In Judaism, the ancient Hebrew texts refer not to temples, the word having not existed yet, but to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". (The Jerusalem temples were called "Beit Hamikdash", the Holy House. The Greek word "synagogue" became current during Hellenistic times and it (along with the Yiddish term "shul") remained the convention until the middle of the nineteenth century when the word ‘temple’ began to be used, almost exclusively by the followers of Reform Judaism, as in Temple Emanu-El, or the Temple Beth-El. The word referred not to Roman temples, but to the Temple of Solomon. Orthodox Judaism considers this inappropriate as it does not consider synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the high priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamic shrine, the Dome of the Rock (c. 690).

Greco-Roman temples

Though today we call most Greek religious buildings "temples," the ancient pagans would have referred to a temenos, or sacred precinct. Its sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, was more important than the building itself, as it contained the open air altar on which the sacrifices were made. The building which housed the cult statue in its naos was originally a rather simple structure, but by the middle of the 6th century BCE had become increasingly elaborate. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions.

The rituals that located and sited the temple were performed by an augur through the observation of the flight of birds or other natural phenomenon. Roman temples usually faced east or toward the rising sun, but the specifics of the orientation are often not known today; there are also notable exceptions, such as the Pantheon which faces north. In ancient Rome, only the native deities of Roman mythology had a "templullm"; any equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called a "fanum".

Indian religions

Hindu temples

These may also be called by other names, including "mandir" or "mandira", "koil" or "kovil", "devasthana" and "devalaya", depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificent Hindu temples have been built in various countries of the world including India, Great Britain, the United States, Australia and South Africa.

Buddhist temples

They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist Temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. [ [http://www.kadampanewyork.org/temple/ New York Buddhist Temple for World Peace] ]

ikh temples

Jain temples

Jain idols of Tirthankaras are worshipped in Jain temples. Usually they are built from Marble stone. Some famous Jain temples are located in Palitana, Shankeshwar, Shikharji, Vataman, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.Usually Jain temples have many marble pillars which are carved beautifully with Demi god posture. The main vestibule usually contains the statues of 3 of the thirthankars: Parshwanath, Rishabdev and Mahavir. The Jain Dilwara temples at Mount Abu are considered the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world.

Ayyavazhi temples

Zoroastrian temples

Zoroastrian temples may also be called the " [darb-e meh" and "atashkada".

Christian temples

The word is rarely used in the Western Christian tradition, and very frequently used in Eastern Orthodox Church. The principal words for Western Christian architecture are: basilica, cathedral and church, while in Eastern Orthodox Church, principal words are: "temple" and "church".

In the Eastern Orthodox Church the use of the word temple comes from the need to distinguish building of the church vs. church as Body of Christ. For example Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. See also: Orthodox church (building) and catholicon.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment, some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word "temple" to distinguish these spaces from a Catholic church. Evangelical and other Protestant churches will make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as Tabernacle, Temple, etc.

Temples in the Latter Day Saint movement

According to Latter Day Saint tradition, in 1832, Joseph Smith, Jr. received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship, in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter Day Saint movement and the only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death. The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims.

Temples of LDS church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of "Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. LDS Temple status Latter-day Saint temples are reserved only for the most holy and sacred of the covenant for performing special ordinances, and are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The Temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and not to be defiled, thus, strict rules for entrance.

Other Denominations that split from the LDS Church

Various other Latter Day Saint denominations also have temples. An example is the Independence Temple at Independence, Missouri that was built by the Community of Christ by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith. The Community of Christ also currently owns the original Kirtland Temple, which it operates as a historic site.

Masonic temples

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals. Freemasons meet as a Lodge. Lodges meet in a Masonic Temple, Masonic Center or a Masonic Hall, such as Freemasons' Hall, London. Some confusion exists as Masons usually refer to a Lodge meeting as being "in Lodge".

Other religions

Though the word "temple" is used broadly, one should use it with discretion in the context of some religions. A mosque for example, should never be called a temple.Convention allows the use of temple in the following cases:
*Bahá'í temple (Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs or ‘Houses of Worship’).
*Mankhim, the temple of the ethnic group the Rai , located at Aritar, Sikkim.
*Confucian temple or Temple of Confucius.
*Shintoist jinja are normally called shrines in English in order to distinguish them from Buddhist temples (-tera, -dera).

Temple as Metaphor

The word 'temple' can be interpreted as metaphorical in English translations of the Bible, synonymous with GodheadFact|date=September 2007. Two examples in the New Testament are: 1) Jesus and the money changers and 2) description of the rending of the veil covering the temple (in advance of his resurrection as the Christ) at the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:51.

ee also

*List of Buddhist temples
*List of Hindu temples
*Temple (Latter Day Saints)
*List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*List of Masonic temples
*Temples of Tamilnadu

Partial list of temples

In Republic of China:
* Long-shan Temple (龍山寺, Long Shan Si)
* Chung-Tai Buddhist Temple (中台禪寺, height: 136 m [ [http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=2945 SkyscraperPage - Chung-Tai Buddhist Temple] ] )
* Fo Guang Shan (佛光山)
* Chung Tai Shan
* Bao-an Temple (大龍峒保安宮)
* Edakkunni Temple, one of the 108 durga temples built by ParasuramaIn Cambodia:
* Angkor WatIn China:
* The Temple of Heaven, a Taoist temple in BeijingIn Egypt:
* Abu Simbel
* Karnak
* Ramesseum
* Temple of Kom OmboIn Greece:
* Parthenon
* OlympeionIn Guatemala:
* TikalIn Iran:
* The Anahita TempleIn Italy:
* PantheonIn Korea:
* Bulguksa
* Jogyesa
* Haeinsa
* Tongdosa
* BeomeosaIn Japan:
* Hōryū-ji
* Kihryuzan Senjo-ji temple
* Sensō-ji
* Ryōan-ji
* Tokyo Japan Temple In Malta:
* GgantijaIn Turkey:
* Temple of ArtemisIn Thailand:
* Wat Phra Kaew
* Wat Pho
* Wat ArunIn the United States:
* Independence Temple
* Mount Ecclesia
* Nauvoo Temple
* Salt Lake Temple
* Washington D.C. Temple In Mexico:
* Guadalajara Jalisco La Luz del Mundo Sede International
* México City México Temple In India:
* Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh
* Akshardam Temple in New Delhi
* Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai
* Meenakshi Temple, temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
* Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata
* Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai
* [https://www.bihariji.org/ Banke Bihari Temple] in Vrindavan
*NandnimataTemple in Banswara(Barodiya),Rajasthan

Around the World:
* Swaminarayan temples

Additional reading

Hani, Jean, "Le symbolisme du temple chrétien", G. Trédaniel (editor); [2. éd.] edition (1978), 207 p., ISBN 2-85707-030-6

References

External links

* [http://www.greattemples.com/ Greatest Temples in India, Andhra Pradesh Indian Hindu Temples]
* [http://www.divyadesamonline.com/ Sri Vishnu Temples in India, Indian Hindu Temples]
* [http://www.patalbhuvaneshwar.com/ The ancient Hindu cave temple in the Himalayas]
* [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=temple&searchmode=none|Etymology online – distinct for the religious and anatomical terms]
* [http://www.pariharam.com/ South Indian Temples History and Images]
* [http://www.planetnepal.org/cgi-bin/view/Main/HinduTemples Nepali Hindu Temples]
* [http://www.atmajyoti.org/vi_temple_elephants_medium.asp Temple Elephants in India] – A short video in Quicktime format.
* [http://www.sriparashakthi.org Sri Guru Parashakthi Mutt, Marakada, Mangalore] , The official site.
* [http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1157070762-7960.html The term "temple" in Judaism]
* [http://www.indians-abroad.com/pls/dir/dir.show?cat_id=1899 Hindu Temples outside of India]