A journey through the mystic land Bharat as old as human civilization; Hindu temples house our rich ancient culture and heritage. A humble attempt to recapture something here…
Downloaded from FB Pages Lost Temple, etc . The architectural splendour of ancient India. Now this is history. This is pedigree. This is culture. This is civilization.
And this is what still remains after 800 years of barbaric islamic terror reign of India under the turks/moguls/persians/arabs when tens of thousand more architectural marvels were razed to dust, and after 300 years of looting and pillage under the British. Otherwise just think, what India still could be. No way can we accept or ever come to respect invaders. We live with a bruised heart. We can come to terms with reality. Forgiving may be possible, forgetting, impossible. What a glorious nation is my Bharat! Taj Mahal will always be the most despised monuments for most Hindus. To us, it will always be our Shiva temple, Tejo Mahalaya.
Arunachaleshwara temple, Tiruvannamalai
Kedharnath
Dilwara temple, Mount Abu, Rajasthan
Angkor wat. Cambodia
Hoysala
Thanumalaiyan temple, Suchindram
Ganga Aarthi
Jambukeshwara temple, Thiruvanaikkaval
Murugan temple, Tiruchendur
Papanashini Shiva temple, Orissa
Jain temple, Gujarat
Achyutaraya temple, Hampi
Chausath Yogini temple, Madhya Pradesh that is the inspiration for the architectural design of Indian Parliament is
Chenna kesava temple, Hoysala
Chennakesava temple
Chennakesava temple, Karnataka
Hampi
Hoysala
Hoysala temple, Halabedu, Karnataka
Hoysala
Hosaleswara temple
Jain temple,
Jambukeshwara temple, Trichy
Kailasanatha temple, Kanchi
Pashupathi nath temple, Kathmandu, Nepal
Kiradu, Khajuraho of Rajastan
Kiradu ruins
Kumbalgarh fort, Rajastan
Lakshmi narayan temple, Chamba
Nakoda jain temple, Rajastan
Jagannath temple, Puri
Rama temple, Gollala Mamidada near Kakinada, Telengana
HINDU NATION HINDU SOUL : A PICTORIAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE SPANNING MILLENNIA – A POETRY IN GRANITE
Punya bhoomi Bharath is my motherland. The southern state of Thamizh Naad is my home. This is where I grew up: amidst a surviving ancient civilization of Vedic culture and Hindu temples with a millennial past. Proud of my distinct native Thamizh Hindu culture and heritage. This page will be updated periodically. This is just a milli-micro fraction … like some 0.000000001 or even less of what India is all about. This is pure pedigree. Rare, precious thing in the world. This is also what that has survived the mindless psychopathic destruction-devastation that saw razing of thousands and thousands more by the Mogul, Turk, Arab, Persian invaders for about eight hundred years before the British took over for another two hundred. India is the last heaven on earth of the natives.
Photo Credits: Madhu Jagadesh, Sculpture enthusiast’s FB page (hope that’s okay), Dr Narayanan Harimohan‘s FB page, Google Images and My personal (cell phone and old digicam)
Meenakshi temple, Madurai
aerial view of Meenakshi temple, Madurai
1000 pillar hall in Meenakshi temple, Madurai
Arunachaleshwara (Shiva temple), Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
Arunachaleshwara Temple, Thiruvannamalai
Annamalai temple
ornate carvings at the entrance to Arunachaleshwara temple, Thiruvannamalai, my cell phone click
Pillared Hall of Ekambareshwara temple, Kanchipuram
Uppiliappan Temple, Kumbakonam
World famous temple for Saturn at Thirunageswaram
Satellite image showing the well planned layout of Kailasanatha (Shiva temple) of Pallava period, Kanchipuram, over 1000 years old, complete with temple tank for ablution. No Hindu temple without a water tank in front
Valleshwara temple, Mylapore – my umbilical cord connection
Adhi Kumbeshwar temple with its famous Mahamaham tank, Kumbakonam
Brahadeshwara temple, Kumbakonam
Brahadeshwara in a different angle – photo from Madhu Jagadesh, sculpture enthusiast, FB page
Brahadeshwara (Shiva) temple over 1000 years old at Thanjavur
Ekambareshwara temple, Kanchipuram
Ekambareshwara temple
Ekambareshwara
Ekambareshwar (Shiva ) temple, Kanchipuram
Kabaleeshwar (Kapali) temple, Mylapore, Chennai
Kamakshi temple, Kanchipuram
Murugan temple, Thiruchendur
Murugan temple, Thiruchendur
Thiruchendur temple
Varadarajaswamy temple, Kanchipuram. view from entering the temple
Varadaraja swamy temple with tank, Kanchipuram
pillar carvings at Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram
Varadarajaswamy temple, Kanchipuram – in my Samsung Note i
Vadakkunathan temple, Thrissur, Kerala in Pooram festival with Elephant procession
Traditional Kerala Hindu temple playing of Pancha Vadya (5 classical music instruments including native drums and percussions)
Vadakkunathan temple, Thrissur
Vadakkunathan (Shiva) temple, Thrissur
Vadakkunathan temple, Thrissur for Onam festival with Pookkolam (floral carpet), a local custom & tradition
Vadakkunathan temple, Kerala
Kalpathy Heritage Temple Complex, Palakkad
Thiruvalathur-randu-moorthy-temple-palakkad
Sri Emoor Bhagavathy Temple, Kallekulangara, Palakkad
Sri Ramaswamy Temple (Dakshina Ayodhya), Karimpuzha, Palakkad
Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple, Kumbidi, Palakkad
Mallikarjuna temple, Sri Sailam
Mallikarjun temple, Sri Sailam
Sri Chinakkathoor Bhagavathy Temple, Palappuram, Palakkad
Sri Nellikulangara Bhagavathi Temple, Nemmara, Palakkad
Sri Ayyappan Kavu Temple, Cheruppulasseri, Palakkad
Sri Manappulli Bhagavathi Temple, Yakkara, Palakkad
Sri Thirupurakkal Bhagavathi Temple, Puthur, Palakkad
Sri Thirupurakkal Bhagavathy Temple, Vadakkanthara, Palakkad
Sri Thirupurakkal Bhagavathy Temple, Vadakkanthara, Palakkad
Thiruvegapura Shiva Temple, Palakkad
Sri Parakkat Bhagavathy Temple, Palakkad
Kachankurichi Maha Vishnu Temple, Kollengode, Palakkad
Ongallur Taliyil Shiva Temple, Pattambi, Palakkad
Vidyashankar (Shiva) temple, Sringeri
Sharadhamba temple, Shringeri
Ganesh temple (Pillayar temple), Pillayar Patti, Tamil Nadu
Ganesh temple. Anagudde, Karnataka
Praharam of silver at Anagudde temple
Bala Murugan temple, Siruvapuri
Chidambaram temple
Nataraja temple, Chidambaram
Thillai Nataraja temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
Chidambaram Nataraja
Govinda Perumal temple, Chidambaram
Sun temple, Konark, Orissa
Manjunatheshwara temple, Dharmastala
Bahubali (Jain) at Shravana Belagola
Jain temple, Shravana Belagola
Shravana Belagula, Karnataka
Triambakeshwar temple
Shiva and Nandi temples, Nashik, Maharashtra
Triambakeshwar, Rishikesh
Triambakeshwar temple
Gajanan temple, Nashik
Siddhi Vinayak temple, Mumbai
Sharadhamba temple and Vidyashankar (Shiva temple), Shringeri
Shringeri temple
Subramanya temple, Haripad
Eri Katha Rama temple, Madurantakam (my cell)
Vaishno Devi, Ahmedabad, UNESCO World Heritage temple
Vaishno Devi, Jammu (Kashmir)
Jwalamukhi temple
Poonkunnam Shiva temple
Vilvadrainath (Shiva) temple, Kerala
Thiruvembadi temple
Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram
Guruvayur temple
Kodungallur Bhagavathy temple, Kerala
Ammathiruvadi temple
Padmanabhaswamy temple, Trivandrum
Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram
Padmanabhaswamy (Vishnu) temple
Padmanabha swamy temple
Padmanabhaswamy temple
Jagannath temple, Puri
Jagannath temple, Puri
Sabarimala Aiyappa temple
Parthasarathy temple, Chennai where Lord Krishna sports a mushtache
Durga temple, Kateel, Karnataka
Durga Parameshwari temple, Kateel, Karnataka
Narasimha vanam, Sringeri
Patteeshwar temple, Tamil nadu
Jambukeshwara temple, Trichu
Krishna temple, Dwarka
Dwarka temple
Dwarka temple
Triambakeshwar temple, Nashik, Maharashtra
Guruvayur temple
Guruvayur temple, Kerala
Mural at Shri Guruvayurappan (Krishna) temple, Palakkad, Kerala
, Konark, Orissa – with sundial sculpted thousands of years back to precision
Konark Sun temple, Orissan
aerial view of Konark sun temple
Shiva temple, Thrissur
Aiyappa temple, Mahalingapuram, Chennai
Peralassary temple tank, Kerala
Monolithic rock temples from 7th century CE Pallava architecture at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Chennai
aerial view of the Ramanathaswamy temple layout at Rameshwaram
Train on Pamban bridge to Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Ramanathaswamy temple, Ramewshwaram
Ramanathaswamy temple
Rameshwaram temple
world record holder for the longest pillared aisle in the world: Ramanathaswamy temple, Rameswhwaram
Rameshwaram
Rudraprayag: Prime Minister Narendra Modi after offering prayers at the Kedarnath Temple, the portals of which were opened for devotees after a six-month long break, in Rudraprayag on Wednesday. PTI Photo(PTI5_3_2017_000051B)
Kedarnath (Shiva) temple, Himalayas (Uttarkhand)
Kedarnath temple, Uttarkhand
Badrinath (Shiva temple), Uttarkhand, Himalaya
Hindu pilgrims trekking to Amarnath, Kashmir, India
Amarnath Shiva Ling, forms every year same time and dissolves same time
Shiva as Amarnath – the swayambu Amarnath Shiva Linga
Kashi on the banks of river Ganga
Kashi Vishwanath temple
Ganga Aarthi for Ma Ganga
Hindus performing the Aarthi (worship) ritual for Ma Ganga, the Mother Ganges. Hindus are the only race in the world who ‘worship the life source called River by culture. Indian courts have listed river Ganga as a living entity
Veera Raghava Perumal, Thiruvallur, near Chennai
Kailasa
Kailas Temple in Ellora, Maharashtra state in India
Kailasa temple carvings , Ellora
Ellora caves entrance
Kailash temple, Ellora
Kailasa temple
The Kailasa temple, cave 16 in Ellora complex. A UNESCO world heritage site in Maharashtra, India
Kamakhya temple, Assam
Kamakhya temple
Kamakhya
Taratarini, Odisha
Sri Villiputhur Andal temple
Andal temple, Sri villiputhur
Ranganatha temple, Sri Rangam
Ranganatha temple, Sri Rangam
Padalathri Narasimha temple, Singa Perumal Kovil, Tamil Nadu
Golden temple, Amritsar
Sikh temple: Golden temple, Amritsar
Sikh temple: Amritsar Golden temple
Ambaji temple
Ambaji Shakthi temple, Gujarat
Atulya Nadeshwara temple
Parthasarathy temple, Aranmula
Saranath stupa
Saranath capital: the Ashok Chakra from Saranath, the national emblem of India
Buddha at Saranath
Buddha temple, Saranath
Buddha at Bodh Gaya
Where Buddha attained Nirvana – Bodh Gaya, India
Bodh Gaya
Ethamanoor Shiva temple, Kottayam
Shiva temple, Ambernath
Nandi at Airavatheshwar temple, Darasuram, Tamil Nadu
Starting my first post on an auspicious note: with Temple Tanks of Chennai and that of a few famous towns and cities close by.
Temple Tanks are our unsung heroes – the lifeline of the otherwise concrete jungles that our metros have turned into; they are our cities’ very lungs. A brimming temple tank means, water-table is high in adjoining areas. A dry temple tank has a direct adverse effect in our neighbourhood with the water-table receding accordingly sometimes to as deep as 70-80 feet in peak summers when monsoons fail for continuous years… The catchment areas to these temple tanks have since been taken over for development which is a chief concern. Entirely rain-dependent today, it is therefore imperative that these tanks are weeded out for undergrowth and bushes when they run completely dry. Upkeeping the temple tanks is in the larger interests of the society. Earlier meant for ablutions to be carried out by devotees before entering Hindu temples, today the temple tanks serve to be those few rare breathing spaces that have won out against indiscriminate urbanization.
Please feel free to notify me of more temple tanks. Will be a pleasure to add them up here. Temple Tanks: Best Rain Harvest System of Chennai. Simplest means to recharge our fast-depleting ground resources.
Chitrakulam, Kesava Perumal temple tank, Mylapore, Chennai
vijiravindran's 