Famous Temples in India – Art & Culture Notes for APSC, UPSC & State Exams
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Famous Temples in India
Temples in India |
State |
Features/facts |
Lord Venkateswara Temple |
Andhra Pradesh |
The temple on Tirumala hills is also known as Tirupathi Balaji. It is the richest Hindu temple in the world. The temple is in Dravidian Architecture style. |
Mahabodhi Temple |
Bihar |
It is a Buddhist Stupa, discovered in 260 BC situated in Bodhgaya. The Central Tower Of Mahabodhi is 180 feet tall i.e. 54 metres. The brickwork depicts the life of Buddha. |
Somnath Temple |
Gujarat |
Also known as Prabhas Patan and Deo Patan. It is one of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. There is no land in between seashores from Somnath temple to Antarctica. 1947 – Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel renovated the temple. Constructed in Chalukya style |
Dwarkadhish Temple |
Gujarat |
Also known as Jagat Mandir. It is one of the four Hindu pilgrimages (Char Dham). The original structure was destroyed by Mahmud Brgada in 1472. Presently, in the Chalukya architecture style. |
Vaishno Devi Temple |
Jammu & Kashmir |
5200 feet above sea level atop Trikuta Hills. It is a Cave temple. |
Amarnath Temple |
Jammu & Kashmir |
A cave temple situated at an altitude of 3888 metres. One of the 51 Shakti Peeth and Bhrigu Muni was the first to have discovered Amarnath. |
Virupaksha Temple |
Karnataka |
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hampi, Bellari district. Built by Lakkana Dandesha, a chieftain under the ruler Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire. |
Gomateshwara Temple |
Karnataka |
The tallest monolithic statue in the world carved out of a single block of granite. It is a Jain temple that is 57 feet high. One of the largest free-standing statues in the world depicting the prolonged meditation of Bahubali. |
Padmanabhaswamy Temple |
Kerala |
Build in the fusion of Chera and Dravidian style of architecture. |
Khajuraho Temple |
Madhya Pradesh |
They are a group of temples built by the rulers of Chandela Dynasty. There were 85 temples scattered over an area of 9 square miles, of which only 25 temples are remaining. Famous for nagara style architecture and known for extensive erotic sculptures. |
Sanchi Stupa |
Madhya Pradesh |
Commissioned by emperor Ashoka, it is the finest example of Mauryan sculpture. It is the oldest stone structure in India. The famous Ashoka Pillar i.e. four lions like that of Sarnath is found in Sanchi as well and are constructed in a Greco-Buddhist style. Symbolises Buddha, i.e. a symbol of his final release from the cycle of birth and rebirth called the Parinirvana or ‘Final Dying. |
Siddhivinayak Temple |
Maharashtra |
The richest Temple in India was constructed by Laxman Vithu & Dubai Patil in 1801. |
Konark Sun Temple |
Odisha |
Build in the 13th century by King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1238-1264) during the Ganga Empire. It is conceived as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God built in Kalinga architecture. |
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Jagannath Temple |
Odisha |
Called Yamanika Tirtha. This temple in Puri is famous for its annual chariot festival, Ratha Yatra. The first Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna. Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are a trio of deities worshipped at the temple. |
Golden Temple |
Punjab |
Build in the 15th century the temple is also known as Harmindar Sahib. Temple was plated in Gold in 1980 from the wealth and material donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. |
Ramanathaswamy Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
One of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples build in the 12th Century. It has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India. Built in Dravidian Architecture Creators – Pandyas and Jaffna Kings There are 64 Tīrthas i.e. holy water bodies in and around the island of Rameswaram. One of the Char Dhams. |
Meenakshi Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
Built by King Kulasekara Pandya -12-13 Century. Dravidian Architecture and have over 40 inscriptions. There are 985 richly carved pillars that depict scenes from the wedding of Meenakshi (Parvati) and Sundareswarar (Shiva). It is famous for its 3 storied Gopuram at the main entrance. |
Ranganathaswamy Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
One of the most important of 108 (Divya Desam )Vishnu Temple. Build in Dravidian Style, constructed in Vijayanagar Period. Located on the island formed by twin river- Cauvery & Coleroon 1st temple to be awarded by the UN Body for protecting and conserving cultural heritage. Its Gopuram is the biggest Gopuram in Asia. |
Brihadeeswara Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
Also known as Raja Rajeswara Temple located at Thanjavur. This Dravidian style temple was built by the Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I. One of the tallest temples in India that is completely made of Granite. It is one of the Great Living Chola Temples, along with Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple. It is also called Dakshin Meru and is situated on the bank of Cauvery river. |
Rajagopalaswamy Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
Created in Dravidian style, it is also called Dakshina Dwaraka. It has one of the largest Temple tanks in India called Haridra Nadhi. |
Nataraja Temple |
Tamil Nadu |
The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni; these postures form the foundation of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance. Build in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty. It is one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India |
Vishwanath Temple |
Uttar Pradesh |
The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-Uddin Aibak in 1194 CE when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj. There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelt as Gyaan Vapi In 1669 CE, Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place. In 1780, Malhar Rao’s daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar constructed the present temple adjacent to the mosque One of the 12 Jyotirlingas. |
Badrinath Temple |
Uttarakhand |
Located in Garhwal hill along the banks of Alaknanda River, it is at an elevation of 3,133 metres i.e. 10,279 ft above the mean sea level. The temple is mentioned in ancient religious texts like Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana. |
Yamunotri Temple |
Uttarakhand |
Situated at an altitude of 3,291 metres i.e. 10,797 ft. It is located on the backdrop of Bandarpunch Dedicated to goddess Yamuna |