Hinduism is by far the most ancient known to the world as Sanathana Dharma which is a way of life. It is a religion which gets its guidance from the Vedas and allied sciences. Agama Sastra is one among them. The Bhagavat Geeta preached by Lord Krishna suggests various paths to reach the ultimate reality -That God is one. Everywhere in the world, man, to whichever religion he may belong, looked to a prophet or religious symbol to concentrate upon.
The advatta philosophy expounded by Adi Sankara says there is only one supreme being and all of us are part of the same. The Vedas proclaim that God is one people call Him by different names. The Bhakti cult preached by various saints say namasmaran is the easiest way of reaching Him. The Hindu sees GOD in the form the devotee likes most. He keeps this figure in his mental image to concentrate upon. The easiest method of concentration is to think of God as he sees his relatives and friends. That is how God was visualised as one with consort, children, etc. The Avatars like Nrisimha, Rama & Krishna also added to his religious fervour and his eagarness to see enlightenment through devotion to the Lord.. In this process, our temples are standing monuments of our great religion and culture. Researchers have found that our religion was spread over various parts of the world and has left its mark everywhere. The religions, that have come up subsequently dealt with only one or other aspects of Hinduism. This Sanatana Dharma based on the eternal Vedas, which faced many upheavals for several centuries could withstand the onslaught only because of its innate strength. Hinduism is acclaimed as a real remedy for many of the ills that the world is facing to-day. The temples stand as institutions to forge cultural, spiritual and religious uplift. The temples were and are places where man learnt about himself, learnt various arts like music, dance and educated himself with all the sciences. This volume is intended to bring to the reader by presenting various manifestations of the same Supreme Being installed in various temples, the significance of such temples and how they help man-kind in the betterment.
An important factor almost universally accepted is faith in a Divine Power shaping the destiny of man kind. According to Hindus this divine power is manifested in centres which are the bastions of Divine Force-Le temples and sanctified Kshetras of worship. Agama Sastras which derive their strength from the Vedas and lay down the rules relating to worship in temples, their maintenance and disciplines to be observed by devotees.
There are thousands of temples in India. Every village has a place of worship. It would therefore be a gigantic task to present the Hindu temples to the reader in one volume. There are many books available on temples. Every temple has its own Sthala Purana. What we have attempted here is only a glimpse of the universe.
Vedas (1218)
Upanishads (511)
Puranas (639)
Ramayana (764)
Mahabharata (376)
Dharmasastras (168)
Goddess (520)
Bhakti (249)
Saints (1617)
Gods (1310)
Shiva (398)
Journal (181)
Fiction (64)
Vedanta (382)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist