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Hindu Temples

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Hindu Temples (25:00)

Item# 35319
©2005

This title is part of the following series:

Building Faith: Sacred Architecture

Hindu temples are models of the Hindu universe. And while no two temples are exactly alike, they do share some common architectural features. This video compares modern Hindu temples in North America to the classic northern- and southern-style Indian temples of a thousand years ago. Elements that have survived the centuries—the sikhara tower and the statues of the myriad manifestations of the universal spirit, Brahman—are illustrated alongside more recent aspects of temple architecture, like the assembly hall and the om symbol, in Hindu theology the sound of creation. The concepts of karma and moksha are also touched upon. (25 minutes)

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Segments in this Video - (6)

1. Hinduism: Ancient Indian Religion (02:56)

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Hindu temples are designed to feed, entertain, and provide rest for the gods. As Hindus move around the world, they take their religious culture with them, especially the building of temples, where they come face to face with their god, Brahman.

2. Hindu Temples: The Hindu Universe (03:35)

Since there is no central Hindu authority, the designs of the temples vary. They share the fundamental ideas of the ancient ones, which model the Hindu universe, symbolized by the square grid and sikhara tower representing Mt. Meru, the home of the gods.

3. Common Features in Hindu Temples (03:04)

Other common features of Hindu temples include the "om" symbol, the sound uttered when mediating, and the assembly hall, which is filled with shrines to different gods who are the manifestation of the universal spirit Brahman.

4. Hindu Temple Grids (01:55)

Modern Hindu temples look to the ancient temples of India for their structures. A sacred geometric grid, called a mandala, controls the size and shape of the temples and their predecessors, small, wooden square huts with Brahman in the center.

5. Northern Style and Southern Style Hindu Temples (06:11)

Two classic styles of ancient Hindu temples include the northern style of the Aryan peoples, with their compact and abstract sikhara towers like the Khajuraho temple, and the southern style of the Dravidian peoples, such as the Kandariya and Madurai temples.

6. Differences Between Ancient and Modern Hindu Temples (05:00)

Modern temples contain either the step profile or streamline style sikharas, but they no longer have stone walls. They also use the "om" symbol, which ancient temples did not. Assembly halls are now used for congregational worship in modern temples.