Our motherland India has rich cultural and historical heritage well preserved in its temple architecture.  From the majestic Himalayan ranges in the North, to Kanyakumari in the South, India is arrayed with thousand of shrines, temples, pilgrimage and worship places dating back to hundreds of years. Many theories have been formulated to explain the existence of these holy sites in such a huge number, paving the path to attain salvation or “nirvana”. The statuary and adornment in these ancient temples showcases one of the world’s foremost artistic heritages. The designs of major temples have augmented into enormous architectural splendor.

The temples of India are places where people burdened with thoughts and problems come to get blessings of the Almighty. Some also visit to entertain their     divine thoughts and to soothe and revitalize their nerves and to fulfill the need of sharing with someone who would    always be good to them and would never hurt them. The spiritual aura of the temple, the fragrance of incense sticks, the beautiful deities enshrined and the divine vibrations are enough to relax and make comfortable a true devotee. The various kings and dynasties of India that ruled over different regions of India at different periods of time, left their mark on the pages of history, in the form of grand   architectural designs in terms of temples.Temples are found every where in India from large monumental structures to small stone buildings, each having a certain significance and greatly influencing the lives of the people. Some famous temples of India are:-

Badrinath Temple:- It is situated on the confluence of the Alakananda and the Rishi Ganga. Being an ancient religious centre, Badrinath  attracts tourists because of its natural beauty. It is  296 km from Rishikesh and 301 km from Haridwar. The place derives its name from the word ‘badri’, meaning berries that once grew here abundantly.

Ancient Hindu texts categorically state that a visit to Badrinath is something of an absolute must to complete a pilgrimage. The importance of the place is evident from the Maha- bharata and the Puranas. The shrine of Badri nath in this city attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over India. The Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Vishnu.  The presiding deity of the temple is Badrinath, also called Badri Vishal or Badrinarayan. It was founded by Shankaracharya in the four quarters of India. The temple remains closed during winter.

Tirupati Temple :- Considered as the most sacred and the richest temple in the world, Tirupati temple is situated in the town of Tirupati. It is located 67 km away from Chittoor in Chittoor district of southern Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple, it is a major pilgrimage center of south India. Besides, Tirupati also focus on other attraction of this place, the ancient and famous shrine of Sri Venkateswara, the Lord of Seven Hills are worth a visit. The temple is located on a hill at Tirumala. It is a conglomeration of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam having a height of 853 m (2,800ft.) above the sea level. The temple boasts of a vibrant and colorful culture also speaking volumes about its grand past. It is an important pilgrimage center, where devotees stand for long hours waiting to get a glance of the presiding deity. The image of the temple deity represents both Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. The image is said to be installed by Parasurama and is made of blue stone.

Kedarnath  Temple:-The Holy Pilgrimage Centre of Hindus, the Kedarnath  Temple is situated at an altitude  of 3,581m on the banks of the Mandakini River in Uttarakhand. It is 42km from Badrinath and 228km from Rishikesh.  Kedarnath is one of the four main Hindu pilgrim centres. Though mainly famous as a religious centre, this place, surrounded by mountain ranges, also attracts tourists because of its beautiful landscape. Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is worshipped mainly in the form of a linga. The jyotirlinga in this temple is one of the twelve jyotirlingas throughout India.  The temple is very ancient, probably dating back to the pre-Christian era. The origin of the revered temple can be found in the great epic - Mahabharata. According to legend the Pandavas sought the blessings of Lord Shiva to atone their sins after the battle of Mahabharata. In the 8th century AD  the temple was reconstructed and renovated by Shankaracharaya.

Meenakshi Temple:- The Meenakshi temple complex at Madurai is a city temple. It has eminent and exquisitely carved towers enveloping the temple, dedicated to Goddess Meenakashi in Madurai. Considered as the south gateway, the Meenakshi temple consists of the twin temples of God Shiva and Goddess Meenakshi, each one as high as about nine storeys. The exact time of temple’s origin is not confirmed but the structures that are standing today date mostly from the 12th to the 18th century. The present temple standing today was built in the 17th century A.D. by the Nayak rulers. The Meenakshi temple has majestic stonewalls and towers rising out of the swarming streets of the city center. The image of Goddess Meenakshi is said to be carved out of a single emerald.

Konark Sun Temple :-The Temple of Konark is situated in the eastern state of Orissa at a distance of around 65 km from Bhubaneswar and 35 km from Puri. This Surya or the Sun Temple is a magnificent example of ancient Orissan temple architecture. The temple was built in 1250 AD, during the reign of the Eastern Ganga King Narasimhadeva-I (1238-640 AD). Carved out of black stone the Konark temple is the foremost specimen and one of the most vivid manifestations of Hindu architecture. It is called ‘Black Pagoda’. Though it is in ruins, the remaining porch area and other structures of this temple complex remain as a jewel in the crown of Orissan artistry. The word Konark is derived from two word KONA, means Corner and ARK, means the Sun. The ruins of this temple were excavated in late 19th century. The construction of the temple is in the form of chariot, the legend has it that the ‘ Sun-God’, use to ride on this divine chariot across the heaven. This huge temple chariot is drawn by 24 wheels and seven horses. Each wheel is about 10 feet in diameter, the majestic intricate carving on these massive wheels of the chariot is just beyond imagination and are the major attractions of the temple.

Jagannath Temple :-The abode of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) is at  Puri, located at 60 km from Bhubaneswar on the coast of Bay of Bengal. Long before one reaches Puri, the 214 feet (65 meters) spire of the temple can be seen towering over the countryside. The temple complex occupies an area of 10.7 acres and is enclosed by two rectangular walls, built during 15th century. There is a wheel on top of the temple made of an alloy of eight different metals (ashta dhatu), known as Nila Chakra (Blue Wheel) with a circumference of about 36 ft. In the central Jagmohan (sacrosanct), pilgrims to the temple can view the images of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. The curious images are carved from tree trunks in a child like caricature of a human face.

Khajuraho Temple:- The City of Khajuraho is situated in the forested plains of Madhya Pradesh in the region known as Bundelkhand.  Right through the Mughal invasion and the early British forays into India, Khajuraho temples in India remained unknown. Rediscovered in this century, they are fine reminders of India’s glorious past. To some, Khajuraho Temples are the most graphic, erotic and sensuous sculptures of India, the world has ever known. But Khajuraho has a significant contribution to the religious art of India – there are literally hundreds of exquisite images on the interior and exterior walls of the shrines. Architecturally  Khajuraho Temples are unique. They are all built on high platforms, several metres off the ground, either in granite or a combination of light sandstone and granite.  The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950 to 1050 AD during the rule of  the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10 th to the 12th centuries.

Kanyakumari Temple:- Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of India and the merging point of three seas; the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu. It is named after the virgin Goddess Kanyakumari whose temple is situated here on its shore. This temple is devoted to a manifestation of Parvati, the virgin goddess who performed penance to acquire Lord Shiva’s hand in marriage. The temple is a major tourist attraction with neighboring ghat, beautifully placed overlooking the shore. It is an eminent belief that the diamond nose-ring of the deity is so shiny that it is visible even from the sea. There are two rocks emerging out of the ocean, located southeast of the Kumari Amman temple. One among these is Sri Padaparai, where the footprints of the virgin goddess are believed to be imprinted on this rock. It is said that Swami Vivekananda sat in deep meditation here and therefore the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was built in 1970. Along with this there also a dhyana mandapam, which provides a tranquil atmosphere to meditate.

Pushkar Temple:- It is the only standing Hindu temple in India dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe. The structure around the temple was built in the 14th century and stands on a high platform near Pushkar lake, at Rajasthan. Although a very large number of temples can be found all over India dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, there are very few temples for Brahma, this being one of the holiest one. Marble steps lead up to the temple where a silver turtle lies embossed in the floor facing the sanatorium. The marble floor around the turtle is littered with hundreds of silver coins embedded in the floor, and so are the walls of the temple. Images of the peacock, the      vehicle of Brahma’s consort Saraswati, adorn the temple walls. Brahma here is shown in a life-size form with four hands and four faces, facing four different directions. A hans (goose, the official carrier of Brahma) spans the gateway to the temple which is crowned with a red spire. A small statue of the milk    goddess Gayatri (whom Brahma married) near Brahma’s idol is called Chaumurti.

Dilwara Temples:- Dilwara Temples are the famous Jain temples architecture at Dilwara, about 5km from Nakki lake at Rajasthan. The temples were built during the age of Jain supremacy and are one of the finest Jain temples India has to offer. Built between 11th & 13th century, the most outstanding feature of these temples are  their exquisite carvings in marble. Many experts consider them    architecturally superior to the Taj Mahal. The architecture is marked by carvings that are not just ethereally beautiful in form but are often presented in a highly poetic context. For instance, one of the marble nayikas (maidens) is depicted as having just emerged from her bath. Droplets falling from her long hair are shown being drunk by a swan sitting by her feet

Birla Mandir:- The Laxmi Narayan Mandir, famous as Birla Temple was  built  in the 20th century by industrialist  B.D. Birla over a period of six years from 1933 to 1939. It is a   modern Hindu temple dedicated to Laxmi and Narayana. It was inaugurated by Gandhiji with the stipulation that it should be open to all castes  and all faiths.  The whole temple was quite garish and noisy with chants over the loud speaker system, but it was also strangely peaceful. The highest tower in the temple reaches a height of 165 feet while the ancillary towers reach 116 feet.

Golden Temple:- The Golden Temple, situated in Amritsar, Punjab, is the most sacred temple for Sikhs.   This is an example of the spirit of tolerance and acceptance that the Sikh philosophy propounds. Guru Arjun Singh got its foundation laid by a Muslim Saint Hazrat Mian Mir of Lahore on 1st December, 1588.  It is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of the Sarovar (tank). The temple itself is 40.5 ft. square. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South.    It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width.

Lotus Temple:- It is a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith, located in Kalkaji, south of Delhi. Shaped like a half opened Lotus flower, this temple is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. It is opened to all faiths and is an ideal place for meditation and obtaining peace and tranquility.  The lotus flower signifies purity and peace.  The temple  representing the Bahai faith which is an independent world religion. Its founder, Bahaullah (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahais as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God.

Vaishno Devi:- The shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is one of the most visited pilgrim sites in India. The shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located in a cave, amidst the folds of the Trikuta Bhagwati hill at a height of 5, 300 ft., in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Katra, the town at the foot of the Trikuta hills is the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine.  Katra is 48 km from Jammu. This cave temple is at a  height of 13 kms from the base. The shrine is visited all through the year, but the path is difficult during the winters when the route is often blocked by snowfall. The temple of Vaishno Devi is dedicated to Vaishnavi, the human manifestation of Goddess Shakti. 

 The Kashi Vishwanath Temple :-  The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is situated in the city  of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The temple was destroyed in the various invasions and was rebuilt in 1776  by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore. Hundreds and thousands of pilgrims flock to Varanasi to offer homage and wash away their sins. Deeply and intimately implanted in the Hindu mind, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been a living embodiment of our timeless cultural traditions and highest spiritual values. The Temple has been visited by all great saints- Adi Shankaracharya, Ramkrishna Param- hansa, Swami Vivekanand,  Tulsidas, Maharshi Dayanand, Gurunanak and several other spiritual personalities.

Akshar Dham:-   Akshardham is not just a temple, but a place of education, entertainment and enlightenment. There are 73 richly patterned and 63 partially carved pillars. Spread across a 23-acres, this complex is flooded with shrines, sculptures, parks, lakes and rides. All these come together to create the most powerful experience of Indian culture ever to exist. Dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan and inspired by Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Akshardham  is a miracle worked by the service and devotion of thousands of volunteers. This  imposing 10 story high monument is made entirely of intricately carved, 6000 tons of pink sand-stone from Rajasthan, with no steel or cement used at all, ensuring that the monument will last for a thousand years. More than 12 million man hours of 900 skilled craftsmen have created this magnificent monument of 93 sculpted pillars, 40 windows carved from both sides, and a feast of forms and filigrees.