1Research Scholar, Department of History and Archaeology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhrapradesh, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of History and Archaeology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhrapradesh, India
Online published on 23 February, 2017.
Hindu temple (Sanskrit: Mandir, Prasada) is a house of god(s). It is a space and structure designed to bring human beings and gods together, infused with symbolish to express the ideas and beliefs of Hinduism. Broadly speaking, the images in the Hindu temples fall into three groups: Saiva, Sakta and Vaisnava respectively belonging to the three cults of Siva, Sakti and Visnu. The Gupta period was marked by the rapid development of temple architecture. Earlier temples were made of wood, but freestanding stone and brick temples soon appeared in many parts of India. During the next thousand years (from 600 to 1600 A.D.) there was a phenomenal growth in temple architecture both in quantity and quality. Pattadakal another capital of the Chalukya empire, was a major site of temple building by Chalukyan monarchs in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Pallavas laid the foundations of the Dravidian school which blossomed to its full extent during the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijayanagar kings and the Nayakas. In Hindu tradition, there is no dividing line between the secular and the sacred. In the same spirit, Hindu temples are not just sacred spaces, they are also secular spaces. Their meaning and purpose have extended beyond spiritual life to social meaning. It is the sacred duty of all the leaders of the Hindu society to make every effort in this direction. The present article is examining the an analysis of Hindu Temples in India.
Hinduism, The Gupta period, Architecture, Traditions, Sacred spaces
