The land of mystics, deep spirituality and broad based cultures, India upholds the institution of secularism to the hilt. Churches, mosques and temples are found galore in this country of pied cultures and communities. However, Hinduism, having the major influence among people as far as statistics are concerned, has its evidences in the form of temples across the country. A temple tour in India will help one trace the variety of interpretations within the Hindu religion.
East to west, north to south, temples happen to be some of the tourist attractions in India - thronged by hundreds and thousands, some as pilgrims and some as sheer tourists and knowledge seekers. A temple tour in India can be started from the north. Garbhagriha, where the main deity is kept, happens to form the most important aspect of the north India temples. The prominent roof called the shikhara which surmounts the top of the Garbagriha, resembles an upside down conical shaped structure that is adorned with smaller conical shikharas.
Start with the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated to Shakti. The journey, the major portion of which has to be covered by foot, is a tough trek and demands a lot of willpower and luck to get through. The Lotus Temple in Delhi is a manifestation of the Bahai faith and the structure of the temple in the form of a lotus is a major tourist draw as well.
A tour of the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh can be utterly satisfying for the tourist with an eye for artistic values. Built by the Chandela rulers from 950 to 1050, the sublime love scenes of Indian gods and goddesses are intricately carved giving art and architecture a new dimension. As a part of the temple tour in India, you must visit the Varanasi - the immaculate land of utter holiness and piety. Be there and you will know the meaning of self and its surroundings.Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Lord
A temple our in India through the southern belt will acquaint you with Vimana and the Gopurams - a tall pyramidal tower and the two storeys separated by a horizontal molding.
Badami Cave Temples, Guruvayoor Temple, ISKCON Temples, Jagannath Temple, Kailash Temple, Lingaraja Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Mukteswara Temple, Sabarimala Temple, Thousand Pillar Temple and Tirupati Tirumala Balaji are the main temples in the south each of which deserves a dekko. Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneshwar and Jagannath Temple in Puri are other of the excellent manifestations of architectural genius.
Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Meenakshi. In Tirupati Tirupati Tirumala Balaji dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara is another wonderful specimen of architecture.
On your temple tour in India you will agree to the statement that these temples are essentially visited by most enthusiastic travelers as they bear the essence of the respective religions, be it Hinduism or Jainism or Buddhism.
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