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Temple

Temple of Hephaestus,a DoricGreek templeinAthens with the

original entrance facing eas t, 449 BC(western face depicted).

Koneswaram Templea 6th CenturyBCETamil SaivatetempleinTirukonamalai , Sri Lanka

Amarnath Temple, attraction topilgrimages as early as 300 BCE.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Temples" redirects here. For the English rock band, see Temples (band). For other

uses, see Temple (disambiguation).

A temple (from the Latinword templum) is astructure reserved for religiousor spiritual

activities, such as prayerandsacrifice, or

analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred

precinct as defined by a priest, or augur.[1]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. Templa also became

associated with the dwelling places of a god or

gods. Despite the specific set of meanings

associated with the religion of theancient Rome,the word has now become quite widely used to

describe a house of worshipfor any number of

religions and iseven used for time periods prior

to the Romans.

Contents [hide]

1 Hindu temples

2 Buddhist temples

3 Jain temples

4 Mesopotamian temples5 Egyptian temples

6 Greco-Roman temples

7 Pagan temples

8 Zoroastriantemples

9 Sikh temples

10 Jewish synagogues and temples

11 Christian temples

11.1 Iglesia ni Cristo temples

11.2 Latter Day Saint movement

11.2.1 LDS Church11.2.2 Other Latter Day Saint

denominations

12 Masonic temples

13 Temple in Islam

14 Others

15 See also

16 References

17 Further reading

18 External links

Hindu temples [edit]

See also: List of Hindu temples

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Akshardham Tem ple, a Hindutemple in New Delhi, India.

Wat Phra Kaew, Buddhist temple

Ranakpur JainTemple, Rajasthan,India.

Main article: Hindu temple

These may also be called by other names,

including mandiror mandira, ambalam,kavu, koilor kovil, dul, raul, devasthanaand devalaya,

depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Yamunotri temple, a shrine dedicated to the goddess, Yamunotri is one of the holiest

shrines in Hinduism, and part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra circuit, dates around 11,000

BCE.[2]

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as

the Bronze Ageand later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificentHindu temples have been built in various countries of the world

including India, Nepal, Great Britain, the United States,Australia, South

AfricaandCanada.

Buddhist temples [edit]

Main article: List of Buddhist temples

They include the structures

called stupa,watand pagodain different regions

and languages. Temples in Buddhismrepresentthe pure land or pure environment of a Buddha.

Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to

inspire inner and outer peace.[3]

This s ectionrequires expansion .(February2011)

See also: Buddhist temples in Japan,Korean

Buddhist templesand List of Buddhist architecture in China

Jain temples [edit]

Main article: Jain Temple

A Jain templeis the place of worshipforJains,

the followers of Jainism.[4]Some famous Jain

temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain

Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple,Shravan

Belgola, Dilwara Templesand Lal Mandir. Jain

temples are built with various architectural

designs. Jain temples in North India are

completely different from the Jain temples in

South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West India. Additionally,

a Manastambha(meaning column of honor) is a pillar that is often constructed in front of

Jain temples.

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Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq

Luxor temple, Egypt

ParthenononAcropolis ,Athens

See also: List of Jain temples

Mesopotamian temples [edit]

The temple of Mesopotamiaderived from the cult

of gods and deities inMesopotamian religion. It

spanned several civilizations;

from Sumerian,Akkadian,Assyrian,

and Babylonian. The most common templearchitecture of Mesopotamia is the structure of

sun-baked bricks called Ziggurat, having the form

of a terraced step pyramidwith flat upper terrace where shrine or temple stood

Egyptian temples [edit]

Main article: Egyptian temple

Ancient Egyptiantemples were meant as places

for the godsto reside on earth. Indeed, the term

the Egyptians most commonly used to describe

the temple building, wt-nr, means "mansion (or

enclosure) of a god".[5]A god's presencein the

temple linked the human and divine realms and

allowed humans to interact with the god through

ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the

god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key

part of the maintenance of maat, the ideal order of nature and of human society in

Egyptian belief.[6]Maintaining maatwas the entire purpose of Egyptian religion,[7]and

thus it was the purpose of a temple as well.[8]Ancient Egyptiantemples were also of

economic significance to Egyptian society. The temples stored and redistributed grain

and came to own large portions of the nation's arable land (some estimate as much as

33% by the New Kingdomperiod).[9]

Greco-Roman temples [edit]

Main articles: Greek templeandRoman temple

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 altaron which

thesacrificeswere made. The building which

housed the cult statue in its naoswas 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 augurthrough 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 Pantheonwhich faces north.

In ancient Romeonly the native deities of Roman mythologyhad a templum; any

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The Yazd Atash Behram

Harmandir SahibinAmritsar

A model of Herod's Templeadjacent

to the Shrine of the Bookexhibit atthe Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called a fanum.

Pagan temples [edit]

The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a paganreligion as fanum; in some cases

this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also used the

word templum. In some cases it is hard to determine whether it was a building or an

outdoor shrine. For temple buildings of Germanic paganism, the Old Norseterm hofis

often used.

Zoroastrian temples [edit]

Main article: Fire temple

Zoroastriantemples may also be called thedarb-e

mehandAtashkadeh. A fire temple in

Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for

Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians revere fire in any form.

In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (Atar), together

with clean water (Aban), are agents of ritual

purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification

ceremonies is regarded as the basis of ritual life,"

which, "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple fire

is that of the hearth fire raised to a new solemnity.

Sikh temples [edit]

Main article: Gurdwara

A Sikh temple is called a Gurdwara, literally the

doorway to the Guru. Its most essential element is

the presence of the Guru, Guru Granth Sahib.

The Gurdwara has an entrance from all sides,

signifying that they are open to all without any

distinction whatsoever. The Gurdwara has a Darbar Sahibwhere the Guru Granth Sahib

is seen and a Langarwhere people can eat free food.[10]A Gurdwara may also have a

library, nursery, and classroom.[11]A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall

flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag.

Jewish synagogues and temples [edit]

In Judaism, the ancient Hebrew texts refer not to

temples, the word having not existed yet, but to a

"sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". Each of the two

ancient temples in Jerusalem was called Beit

Hamikdash, which translates literally as "the Holy

House."

The Temple Mountin Jerusalemis the site where

the First Templeof Solomon and the SecondTemplewere built. At the center of the structure

was the Holy of Holieswhere only the high priest

could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamicshrine, the Dome of the

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Cathedral of Chris t theSaviourin Moscow, Russia.

Basilique du Sacr-Coeurin Paris

Rock(c. 690).

The Greek word synagoguecame into use to describe Jewish places of worship

during Hellenistictimes and it, along with the Yiddish term shul, and the original Hebrew

term Bet Knesset("House of meeting") are the terms in most universal usage.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, the word "temple" began to be used for

Jewish houses of worship, almost exclusively by the followers of Reform Judaism, first in

Germany, then in other countries, especially in the United States, as in Temple Beth-El.

Orthodox Judaism considers this usage inappropriate, as it does not consider

synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem (there were local places of

worship contemporaneous with the existence of the Temple, e.g. the one that can be

seen at Masada).

Christian temples [edit]

The word templehas traditionally been rarely used in

the Western Christian tradition. The principal words

typically used to distinguish houses of worship in Western

Christian architecture arebasilica, cathedraland church.The Catholic Church has used the word temple in

reference of a place of worship on rare occasions. An

example is the Roman Catholic Sagrada FamiliaTemple

in Barcelona, Spain and the Roman CatholicBasilique du

Sacr-CurTemple in Paris, France.

The word temple, however, is used frequently in the

tradition of Eastern Christianityand particularly

the Eastern Orthodox Church, where the principal words

used for houses of worship aretempleand church. Theuse of the wordtemplecomes from the need to

distinguisha building of the churchvs. the church

seen as the Body of Christ. In the Russian

language(similar to other Slavic languages) while

the general-purpose word for "church" is tserkov,

the termkhram(), "temple", is used to refer

to the church building as a temple of God(Khram

Bozhy). The words "church" and "temple", in this

case are interchangeable; however, the term

"church" (Ancient Greek: ) is far morecommon. The term temple(Ancient Greek:)

is also commonly applied to larger churches. Some famous churches which are referred

to as temples include Hagia Sophia, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the

Saviour, or the Temple of Saint Savain 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 templeto distinguish these

spaces from Catholic churches. Evangelicaland other Protestant churches make use of a

wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as church, tabernacleortemple. Additionally some Breakaway Catholic Churchessuch as the Mariavite

Churchin Polandhave chosen to also designate their central church building as a

temple, as in the case of the Temple of Mercy and Charityin Pock.

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LDS temple in Sal t LakeCity, Utah, USA. Dedicated1893.

Iglesia ni Cristo temples [edit]

Main article: Iglesia ni Cristo

Iglesia ni Cristochurch buildings serve as places of worship and other religious functions,

are "vehicles for glorifying God." These are described by Culture and customs of the

Philippines, a book published by Greenwood Publishing Group, as structures "which

employ exterior neo-Gothic vertical support columns with tall narrow windows between,

interlocking trapezoids, and rosette motifs, as well as tower and spires." There are

multiple entrances leading to the main sanctuary, where males and females sit on either

side of the aisle facing a daiswhere sermons are made. The choir loft is located behind

the dais, and in larger churches, baptistrypools for immersion baptismare located at the

back of the church.[12]Meanwhile, Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita,

an anthropologistfromAteneo de Manila University.[13]The distinctive spires represent

"the reaching out of the faithful to God." Churches were started to be built in this style

during the late 1940s and early 1950s with the first concrete chapel built in Sampaloc,

Manilain 1948.

Latter Day Saint movement [edit]

Main article: Temple (Latter Day Saints)

According to Latter Day Saints, in 1832, Joseph Smith,

Jr.received a revelationto restorethe practice of temple

worship, in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland

Templewas the first temple of the Latter-day Saint

movementand the only one completed in Smith's lifetime,

although the Nauvoo Templewas partially complete at the

time of his death. The schismsstemming from

a succession crisishave led to differing views about the

role and use of temples between various groups withcompeting succession claims.

The Book of Mormon, which Latter Day Saints believe is a

companion book of scripture with the Bible, refers to

temple building in the ancient Americas by a group of

people called the Nephites. Though Book of Mormon authors are not explicit about the

practices in these Nephite temples, they were patterned "after the manner of the temple

of Solomon" ([14]) and served as gathering places for significant religious and political

events (e.g. Mosiah 1-6; 3rd Nephi 11-26).[15]

LDS Church [edit]

See also: Temple (LDS Church)and List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church) is a prolific builder of

"Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. There are 143 operating temples (which includes

2 previously dedicated, but closed for renovation), 13 under construction, and 14

announced (not yet under construction).[16]Latter-day Saint templesare reserved for

performing and undertaking only the most holy and sacred of covenants and special of

ordinances. They are distinct from meeting housesand chapelswhere weekly worship

servicesare held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not tobe defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including church membership and regular

attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before the temple is

dedicated, the temple is open to the public for tours.[17]

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A Typical Masonic Lodge

Example of a mos que : the Mosqueof Uqba(Great Mosque of Kairouan) isone of the most important mosques inthe Musl im West, Tunisia.

Other Latter Day Saint denominations [edit]

Various other sectsof the church founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., initially known asThe

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also have temples.[18]

Independence Templeat Independence, Missouriwas built by the Community of

Christby then-church prophet-presidentWallace B. Smith. The Community of Christ

also currently owns the original Kirtland Temple, built by LDS Church, in Kirtland,

Ohio, which it operates as a historic site.

YFZ Ranch Templewas built by The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter

Day Saints (FLDS)Church just outside of Eldoradoin Schleicher County, Texas.[19]

In 1990 or earlier a temple in Ozumba, Mexicowas built by theApostolic United

Brethren.[20]

A pyramid-shaped temple near Modena, Utahwas built by the Righteous Branch of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[20]

Masonic temples [edit]

Freemasonryis a fraternal organizationwith itsorigins in the eighteenth century whose

membership is held together by a shared set of

moral and metaphysicalideals. Freemasons meet

as a Lodge. Lodges meet in a Masonic Temple,

Masonic Center or a Masonic Hall, such

asFreemasons' Hall, London. Some confusion

exists as Masons usually refer to a Lodge meeting

as being in Lodge.

Temple in Islam [edit]

An Islamic temple is called a "mosque" or "masjid"

in Arabic, which means "the place for kneeling (to

God)."

Others [edit]

Gbekli Tepe, located in southern Turkey, was

built in 8th millennium BCE - 10th millennium BCE.

Convention allows the use of temple in the

following cases:

Bah'temple (Mashriqu'l-Adhkrsor Houses

of Worship).

Mankhim, the temple of the ethnic group the Rai, located atAritar, Sikkim.

Confucian templeor Temple of Confucius.

Shintoistjinjaare normally called shrinesin English in order to distinguish them from

Buddhist temples (-tera, -dera).

Taoisttemples and monasteries are called guanor daoguan(, literally "place of

contemplation of the Tao") in Chinese, guanbeing the shortened version of daoguan.

Shrines of the traditional Chinese Ethnic Shenismare called miao, or ancestral hallin

English. Joss houseis an obsolete American term for such kind of places of worship.

See also [edit]

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Chinese pagoda

Dravidian architecture

List of temples of Tamil Nadu

National Temple of Divine Providence

Place of worship

Temple (Chinese)

T

References [edit]

1. ^Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid . University of Notre Dame. 26 May 2009. Retrieved

24 July 2009.

2. ^"In Search Of The First Civilizations" By Michael Wood, p. 62

3. ^"New York Buddhist Temple for World Peace" . Kadampanewyork.org. 1997-08-01.

Retrieved 2012-06-20.

4. ^Babb, Lawrence, A (1996).Absent lord: ascetics and kings in a Jain ritual culture.

Published University of California Press. p. 66.

5. ^Spencer 1984, p. 22, 44; Snape 1996, p. 9

6. ^Dunand and Zivie-Coche 2005, pp. 8991

7. ^Assmann 2001, p. 4

8. ^Shafer, Byron E., "Temples, Priests, and Rituals: An Overview", in Shafer 1997, pp. 12

9. ^Andr Dollinger. The Ancient Egyptian Economy. pp. 5 [1] Retrieved June 19 2012

10. ^"The Gurdwara" . http://www.bbc.co.uk . BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2013.

11. ^"Gurdwara Requirements" . http://www.worldgurudwaras.com . Retrieved 18 March

2013.

12. ^Paul A. Rodell (2002). Culture and customs of the Philippines . Westport, Connecticut:

Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 86. ISBN0-313-30415-7. ISSN1097-

0738 . LCCN2001023338 . LCCDS664 .R63 2001 . Retrieved 2011-06-11.

13. ^"Fernando Zialcita, Ph.D." . Ateneo de Manila University School of Social Sciences.Retrieved 2011-06-11.

14. ^"The Second Book of Nephi Chapter 5 - 5:16" . Lds.org. 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2012-

06-20.

15. ^"Temples" . Achoiceland.com. 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2012-06-20.

16. ^"List of Temples" .

17. ^"Frequently Asked Questions" .

18. ^Utah Attorney Generals Office and Arizona Attorney Generals Office. The Primer,

Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities .

Updated June 2006. Page 23.

19. ^"FLDS temple nearly complete" . Provo Daily Herald(AP). 31 January 2006.20. ^ abAndrea Moore-Emmett. God's Brothel. Pince-Nez Press: June 1, 2004. ISBN 1-

930074-13-1

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Wikimedia Commons hasmedia related to Temple.

Further reading [edit]

Hani, Jean, Le symbolisme du temple chrtien, G. Trdaniel (editor); [2. d.] edition

(1978), 207 p., ISBN 2-85707-030-6

External links [edit]

online distinct for the religious and

anatomical terms

Comparison between Egyptian and Greektemples

All Temples In India

Categories: Temples Monument types Religious architecture Religious buildings

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