How temples started in India? This article gives information about the beginning of Hindu temples in India with its historical background.
In different states of India, the temple is known by names like Devalaya, Devkul, Devayatan, Kovil, Deval, Devgriha, Devasthanam, Prasad or Kshetram.
The first information about the temple is found in Shatapath Brahman. There were no temples in the Vedic period and the gods were worshipped not by idol worship but by Yagya.
Later in the epic and mythological period, the importance of Vedic gods started decreasing and idol worship replaced Yagya, due to which the construction of temples started.
The temples of the early period had flat roofs, but with time, due to the increasing influence of idol worship, architecture developed to make the temples beautiful. By the time of the Gupta period, temples started being built on a very large scale.
Kings have played a major role in the construction of temples. Several generations of kings used to construct temples as well as renovate and rebuild them.
The grandeur of temples is believed to have started from the Vaishnav tradition because the early Shaiva and Shakta temples used to be in open courtyards, such as under a tree or on the boundary of a village.
With time, temples and pilgrimage sites started being established near forests, mountains, rivers, apart from cities.
See also Main parts of Nagar style temples
Author
Ramesh Sharma {M Pharm, MSc (Computer Science), PGDCA, MA (History), CHMS}
Disclaimer
The information given in this article has been taken from various online and offline sources, whose accuracy and reliability is not guaranteed. Readers should take this information for educational purpose only. Apart from this, the responsibility for any use of it will be on the user himself.
Tags:
Short-Blog