List your favorite Hindu Temple in India and/or around the world.

I like all of them so its hard for me to pick a favorite.......

The Khajuraho Temple?
Nah...just kidding. That wasn't technically considered a "Hindu temple", was it? (with all the sexual status and such).

Haha....that is a pretty cool temple.

But it is considered an actual Hindu temple. The sex sculptures are only on the outside of the temple, i think it signifies leaving all emotions outside before entering the temple (or something like that).......

Haha....that is a pretty cool temple.

But it is considered an actual Hindu temple. The sex sculptures are only on the outside of the temple, i think it signifies leaving all emotions outside before entering the temple (or something like that).......

I will find some articles on it later....I heard that they were built by the Chandela Rajput Kings, because they were illegitimate children and wanted to make sex "healty and spiritual"?

Tapkeshwar Temple

Situated in the Garhi Cantonment area, 5.5 km from the city center is the Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple. It is a cave temple, on the banks of a seasonal river, dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the only significant temple in Dehradun. Beside the river are steps that lead to a cave in which water drips from the ceiling on a shivling. It is after the dripping that the temple has derived its name 'Tapkeshwar'. Legends connect this temple to the time of the Mahabharat when, it is believed, Lord Shiva made milk flow from this cave for Ashwathama, the son of Guru Dronacharya, the teacher of both the Kauravas and Pandavas.

Wonderful thread. wish i get to see the temple posted by raindropz and golden temple.

Golden Temple @ Amritsar, Punjab.....made of 24 karrot gold

The Golden Temple



Hari Mandir, Amritsar, India



Sikh pilgrims at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

I am often asked what my favorite sacred places are in the world, among the many hundreds I have visited. I could not choose one in particular, but included in the top ten would certainly be the Golden Temple. It is a place of both stupendous beauty and sublime peacefulness. Originally a small lake in the midst of a quiet forest, the site has been a meditation retreat for wandering mendicants and sages since deep antiquity. The Buddha is known to have spent time at this place in contemplation.Two thousand years after Buddha's time, another philosopher-saint came to live and meditate by the peaceful lake. This was Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh religion. After the passing away of Guru Nanak, his disciples continued to frequent the site; over the centuries it became the primary sacred shrine of the Sikhs. The lake was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-1581), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606), the Hari Mandir, or Temple of God was built. From the early 1600s to the mid 1700s the sixth through tenth Sikh Gurus were constantly involved in defending both their religion and their temple against Moslem armies. On numerous occasions the temple was destroyed by the Moslems, and each time was rebuilt more beautifully by the Sikhs. From 1767 onwards, the Sikhs became strong enough militarily to repulse invaders. Peace returned to the Hari Mandir.

The temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Moslem artistic styles yet represents a unique coevolution of the two. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Adi Grantha, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Moslem and Hindu saints. Beginning early in the morning and lasting until long past sunset, these hymns are chanted to the exquisite accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments. Echoing across the serene lake, this enchantingly beautiful music induces a delicate yet powerful state of trance in the pilgrims strolling leisurely around the marble concourse encircling the pool and temple. An underground spring feeds the sacred lake, and throughout the day and night pilgrims immerse themselves in the water, a symbolic cleansing of the soul rather than an actual bathing of the body. Next to the temple complex are enormous pilgrims' dormitories and dining halls where all persons, irrespective of race, religion, or gender, are lodged and fed for free.

Amritsar, the original name of first the ancient lake, then the temple complex, and still later the surrounding city, means "pool of ambrosial nectar." Looking deeply into the origins of this word amrit, we find that it indicates a drink of the gods, a rare and magical substance that catalyzes euphoric states of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. With this word we have a very clear example of the spirit, power, or energetic character of a particular place becoming encoded as an ancient geographical place name. The myth is not just a fairy tale. It reveals itself as a coded metaphor if we have the knowledge to read the code: The waters of Amritsar flowing into the lake of the Hari Mandir were long ago - and remain today - a bringer of peacefulness.

LOTUS TEMPLE

isnt that a baha'i worship center in india?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_House_of_Worship

Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it the most visited edifice in the world. Its numbers of visitors during those years surpassed those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal.

isnt that a baha'i worship center in india?