Different Forms and Types of Hindu Temples

      India in general legged behind European culture in terms of construction of expansive, impressive and long lasting structures at public places. Construction of temples is no exception to this rule. Whole of Vedic culture is in total contrast with building Construction. On one hand, we had Sindhu Sarasvati Civilization which, in 3000 BC, has been found to have use of baked bricks in construction of most of its buildings and offers first peek into structured urbanization any where in the world, the entire Vedic period between 1500 BC to 500 BC is identified in making only a Yajna Vedhi as any sign of systematic construction. Forget city clusters, parn kutir for sages and mud house for the poor were good enough for most inhabitants.

Temple

      No wonder that even around 300 CE, a period associated with earliest humble beginning of temple constructions, perishable material of wood and clay bricks was used. Stone became a preferred material of construction only in third generation. Second generation belongs to cave temples or temples carved out of cliff or cut out of rocks. Different temples have been known to adapt to different regional beliefs that had different deities; some times exclusively or with others, incorporating yet another example of "Unity in Diversity".

      To begin with temple complexes came up much beyond usual sacred and secular space of worships in Hinduism. Besides worships, the temples became places for marking festivals, celebrating music and dance forms of arts, commemorate marriages and births and such other significant social life events. Temples have been known to even solemnize successions of Hindu kingdoms. Like all-purpose community centres, initial temples were to address most collective social events. Later, this trend got more concentrated in South Indian temples as North India started temples as largely religious centres focusing on unique construction art, sculptures, carvings and themes.

      All five cosmic elements were incorporated in temples as recognition of their presence in creating and maintaining this world order. Besides, we have had representations of both feminine and masculine deities representing their togetherness for regeneration. Also focused was presence of sounds and smells with all eternal nothingness of space. The idea of arranging all these elements in special manner was to create an ambiance of sacredness, life, worship, spirituality and divinity. Step by step, temples came to be associated as structured spaces with unique arts, carvings, display of pictures linked to aims of life, decoration of deities, empty space for deeper human contemplations and facilities for purification of one's mind. The whole experience came to trigger a process of self-realization with all the divine presence of the Gods and its manifestations.

      Forms of Gods: Hinduism broadly professed only a single Supreme authority called Para Brahma while all other deities are considered as its forms and expansions. By the turn of millennium, Hindus have started representing Gods in innumerable forms - each of which is identified with specific aspect of divine manifestations. By this stage, the earlier Devas mentioned in Rig-Veda have gone in complete background and a new three tier arrangement emerged which continues until today.

      Under this system, the Para Brahma is considered a faceless and formless Supreme cause of the entire Universe with many other names like Parameshwara, Ishwara, Bhagwan, Brahman and Paramatma. These names are just synonymous of the Para Brahma. On second tier we have Mahadeva namely Shiva and Vishnu. Together with Brahma, they form a trinity called Trimurti. As per modern Hindu view, this Trimurti symbolizes the entire Sansar where Brahma is designated as creator of all things and being, Vishnu takes over the role of preserver and protector while Shiva is responsible God of judgement, the destroyer.

      In the last tier of this system lies the position of an Ishta Deva, which can be any one from the whole range of popular deities ranging from Laxmi, Sarasvati, Durga, Ganesha, Hanuman, etc. The choice of the Ishta Deva is primarily a matter of personal preference that may or may not get influenced by regional traditions, family traditions or such other factor depending solely on the choice of the devotee. The logic for worshipping the God with some or the other form as against a faceless and formless reality is very well enumerated in Vishnu Samhita, a very important scripture of modern-day Hinduism summarizes the concept of forms in an effective way and it says -

"... without a form, how can God be meditated upon? If He is without any form, where will human mindfix itself? When there is nothing for mind to attach itself, it will slip away from meditation. Therefore, the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the chosen form is a superimposition and not a reality"

      Temples started to take two forms a house or a palace. The first one is simply a good enough place for human dwellings and is used largely by the devotee to Bhakti to establish personal and direct communion with his Ishta Deity. The whole setting is as if the Deity is on visit to the devotee's place and is to be taken care and provided for exactly as an esteemed guest. It is usual to see such devotees attending the Deity for bath, food, change of clothes, sleeping and waking time attendance, etc. Such temples are largely housed within houses but many going in public spaces as well.

      Second form of temples are of Palace category and are of bigger scale, having areas to accommodate large number of people's congregation, are elaborate on construction designs and styles and normally cater to more than one deity. These are like separate institutions by themselves and employ full time people including priests, decorators, administration, maintenance crew, kitchen staff, accountants and what not. These institutions run based on donations and gifts offered by visiting devotees, general public as well as one or more wealthy family from rulers or business people. Some of these temples have been flooded by donations and offerings including jewels and precious metals going in tons and have been the attraction of foreign aggressors providing next to nothing security and holding on riches of generations. But donations and monetary offerings are ingrained in Hindu thoughts as easy way of earning blessings of the deity and facilitation for final liberation. All Hindus, therefore, can be seen making these offerings each and every time they visit temples on pilgrimages or even on day-to-day basis for normal worships.