For You Only


TEMPLE      
              The Temple is the focus for all aspects of everyday life in the Hindu community – Religious, Cultural, and Social.  The temple is also the place where one can transcend the whole of man.  The temple is a place where God may be approached and where divine knowledge can be discovered.  All aspects of the Hindu temple focus on the goal of enlightenment and liberation – the principles of design and constructions, the forms of its architecture and decoration, and the rituals performed.  And all of these are determined by the ancient texts. 
          Our temples and images are the strong hold of our philosophy, religion and culture.  Temples are transmitters of tradition and cherished association.  It is an abode which in sorrow we seek refuge.  Temple is also called Kovil in Tamil which means the abode of God and signifies derivatively the idea of “   all round complete  absorption of mind”.  Not only  that but temple is also called as Alayam in Tamil means, a sanctum where the soul or the sprit which breathes as life in us feels in gathered and tranquil.  The Tamil word Koil2 also means the     home of the life, that is God.  It may be noted that Koil originally means the place of the king.  
        We may hold that temples are turbines of divine energy.  It has been said that the Temple is like a power station that stores electricity  and distributes among  the public.  It stores up divine power and makes it available for all who reside in the area in which it is situated Mr. C. W. Lead beater states that the general objective of rituals in temples is to bring down the divine power and grace from the higher world to the earth and radiate it for the benefit of the humanity after transferring it in suitable names.
The temple in the beginning was merely a place of worship (prasada).  In the temple God appears in various forms as imagined by the worshippers.  Later on, it became a stately monument of exquisite beauty renowned for its architectural marvel and creations of fine images in stone and metal.   Through the temple, man made their symbolic beliefs accessible emblem of their philosophy and religion. 
        The temples are mirrors, reflecting the times of their creation.  These valuable monuments reveal the contemporary life.  They have both intrinsic and extrinsic values.  Indian temples are chronicles replete with sculptures, paintings written and inscribed literatures, and many of these symbolically represent and some by inference the developing of Indian thought and life. 
Thus the temples of South India and particularly of Tamilnadu have retained their importance and popularity through the ages.  They were the centers of all cultural and social life.
          The word temple comes from the Latin word “Templum".  It is a place of worship and also is considered a seat or platform of God.  And also it is a structure reserved fro religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites.  A Templum constituted a sacred precineet as defined by a prest, or augur.  It has the same root as the word "Template" a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the grand by the angur.  Temple also became associated with dueling places of a God or Gods.  . 
          From the beginning the temples were built of perishable materials, later they were constructed of hard stone like granite.  Pallavas and Cholas are the greatest temple builders of south India.  Most of the temple in Tamilnadu were constructed by the Pallavas and Cholas.  Temples of TamilNadu are not only repository or culture but the very spring of all cultural activity.  It was the epicenter and hub around which all the social economic and cultural activities revolved.  Religious oriented to safety the spiritual needs of man, not only in India but also in the whole world.  We may say that the urge to adore the supreme God fined its fulfillment in Temples.  Hence, it has been said that both religion and Temple inspired the spiritual and cultural activities. 
          However, the important contribution of temple is to promote creative art and Architecture sculpture, painting, music, dance, cultural and religious activities etc.  Hence temples are the background of all the acuities which are related to the human being. 

          In our country the temple is the product of philosophy and religion – a spiritual center.  Pilgrimage to the sacred shrine is under taken by the devotee not only for the worship of the deities enshrined therein but also of spiritual bliss.  These sacred temples and theerthas are associated with several legends and myths and they are an integral part of our cultural heritage.  The temple is distinguished from a house hold shrine not only in its structure and organization but also in its ritual and forms of worship. 



           

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)