The Concept of a Temple (देवालयस्य सङ्कल्पना)

Introduction

Almost every civilization throughout the course of human history developed a religious system centering around some kind of super natural or divine power. Belief in such a concept of a divine power in Indic culture can be traced back to the pre-historic times. Neolithic cultures in India have produced evidence of highly stylized images of mother goddesses who embody fecundity. Due to the paucity of more convincing evidence, we cannot say with exactitude about the religious conditions prevailing during the time of the Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization. Temples (देवालयाः) are one of the most redeeming and prominent hallmarks of Sanatana Dharma and its most representative feature. The land of Bharata is perceived as the land of temples with every region manifesting its own unique traditions of temple architecture and culture. Temples, as a general practice are constructed in the close vicinity of tirthas (तीर्थानि) which mean fords or crossing places on rivers or sea shores. The word 'tirtha' is derived from the Sanskrit root (धातु ) Tr (तृ ) which means a ford or crossing at a water source. At a spiritual level a tirtha is understood as a means to help us cross the ocean of existence (भवाब्धि ).

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