A temple (from the Latin word ) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the dwelling places of a god or gods. The word "temple" dates to about the 6th century BCE. Despite the specific set of meanings associated with the religion of the ancient Rome, the word has now become quite widely used to describe a house of worship for any number of religions and is even used for time periods prior to the Romans.

For the ancient Egyptians, the word ''pr'' could refer not only to a house, but also to a sacred structure since it was believed that the gods resided in houses.

Oldest Temple

''Göbekli Tepe'' located in southern Turkey, is the oldest known,existing temple in the world. It was built starting 11,000 years ago.

Ayyavazhi temples

''Pathi'' ''(Tamil'' :பதி - ''"The place where God is")'' is the name of the primary centres of congregational worship for the South Indian religious system of Ayyavazhi, having a relatively large structure like that of a temple. They are seven in number.

The Pathis obtain their significance from the fact that Ayya Vaikundar and his religious activities were historically associated with them. There are seven Pathis, ("Seven places where God is") which appeared during the time of Ayya Vaikundar. According to Akilattirattu Ammanai the source of Ayyavazhi mythology, these Pathis are the places where Ayya Vaikundar performed the Avatara Ekanai (a means of divine revelation). These are the sacred places for the people of Ayyavazhi. These five Pathis are collectively called as Panchappathis. Some times Vakaippathi and Avatharappathi is added to this list.

Buddhist temples

They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace.

Christian temples

The word temple has traditionally been rarely used in the Western Christian tradition. The principal words typically used to distinguish houses of worship in Western Christian architecture are ''basilica, cathedral'' and ''church''.

The word temple however is used very frequently in the tradition of Eastern Christianity and in particular, the Eastern Orthodox Church, where the principal words used for houses of worship are ''temple'' and ''church''. The use of the word temple comes from the need to distinguish ''a building of the church'' vs. ''the church seen as the Body of Christ''. In the Russian language (similar to other Slavic languages) while the general-purpose word for "church" is ''tserkov'', the term ''khram'' (Храм), "temple", is used to refer to the church building as a temple of God (''Khram Bozhy''). The words "church" and "temple", in this case are interchangeable; however, the term "church" () is far more common. The term "temple" () is also commonly applied to larger churches. Some famous churches which are referred to as temples include Hagia Sophia, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, or the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. See also: Orthodox church (building) and catholicon.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment, some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word "temple" to distinguish these spaces from Catholic "churches". Evangelical and other Protestant churches make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as church, tabernacle or temple. Additionally some Breakaway Catholic Churches such as the Mariavite Church in Poland have chosen to also designate their central church building as a temple, as in the case of the Temple of Mercy and Charity in Płock.

Temples in the Latter Day Saint movement

According to Latter Day Saints, in 1832, Joseph Smith, Jr. received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship, in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter-day Saint movement and the only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death. The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims.

Temples of the LDS church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of "Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing and undertaking only the most holy and sacred of covenants and special of ordinances. They are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not to be defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including Church membership and regular attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before the dedication, anyone (even if they are not a baptized member) is allowed to see the inside of a temple, but they are still expected to be respectful.

Other Latter Day Saint denominations

Various other sects of the church founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., initially known as the Church of Christ, also have temples.

Independence Temple at Independence, Missouri was built by the Community of Christ by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith. The Community of Christ also currently owns the original Kirtland Temple, built by the Church of Christ, in Kirtland, Ohio, which it operates as a historic site.

YFZ Ranch Temple was built by The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) Church just outside of Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas. In 1990 or earlier a temple in Ozumba, Mexico was built by the Apostolic United Brethren. A pyramid-shaped temple near Modena, Utah was built by the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Greco-Roman temples

Though today we call most Greek religious buildings "temples," the ancient pagans would have referred to a temenos, or sacred precinct. Its sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, was more important than the building itself, as it contained the open air altar on which the sacrifices were made. The building which housed the cult statue in its naos was originally a rather simple structure, but by the middle of the 6th century BCE had become increasingly elaborate. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions.

The rituals that located and sited the temple were performed by an augur through the observation of the flight of birds or other natural phenomenon. Roman temples usually faced east or toward the rising sun, but the specifics of the orientation are often not known today; there are also notable exceptions, such as the Pantheon which faces north. In ancient Rome only the native deities of Roman mythology had a ''templum''; any equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called a ''fanum''.

Hindu temples

These may also be called by other names, including ''mandir'' or ''mandira'', ''ambalam'', ''kavu'', ''koil'' or ''kovil'', ''déul'', ''devasthana'' and ''devalaya'', depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificent Hindu temples have been built in various countries of the world including India, Great Britain, the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

Jain temples

Jain idols of Tirthankaras are worshipped in Jain temples. Usually they are built from Marble stone. Some famous Jain temples are located in Palitana, Shankeshwar, Shikharji, Vataman, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.Usually Jain temples have many marble pillars which are carved beautifully with Demi god posture. The main vestibule usually contains the statues of 3 of the thirthankars: Parshwanath, Rishabdev and Mahavir. The Ranakpur & Dilwara temples at Mount Abu are considered the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world.

Jewish synagogues and temples

In Judaism, the ancient Hebrew texts refer not to temples, the word having not existed yet, but to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". Each of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem was called ''Beit Hamikdash'', which translates literally as "the Holy House."

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the high priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamic shrine, the Dome of the Rock (c. 690).

The Greek word ''synagogue'' came into use to describe Jewish places of worship during Hellenistic times and it, along with the Yiddish term ''shul'', and the original Hebrew term ''Bet Knesset'' ("House of meeting") are the terms in most universal usage.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, the word "temple" began to be used for Jewish houses of worship, almost exclusively by the followers of Reform Judaism, first in Germany, then in other countries, especially in the United States, as in Temple Beth-El. Orthodox Judaism considers this usage inappropriate, as it does not consider synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem (there were local places of worship contemporaneous with the existence of the Temple, e.g. the one that can be seen at Masada).

Masonic temples

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals. Freemasons meet as a Lodge. Lodges meet in a Masonic Temple, Masonic Center or a Masonic Hall, such as Freemasons' Hall, London. Some confusion exists as Masons usually refer to a Lodge meeting as being ''in Lodge''.

Pagan temples

The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a pagan religion as ''fanum''; in some cases this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also used the word ''templum''. In some cases it is hard to determine whether it was a building or an outdoor shrine. For temple buildings of Germanic paganism, the Old Norse term ''hof'' is often used.

Sikh temples

A Sikh temple or shrine is called a Gurudwara, that is, the House of God, the House of the Guru, where the Guru dwells. Its most essential element also known as Shurk is the presence of the Guru. The temples have entrance from all sides, signifying that they are open to all without any distinction whatsoever.

Zoroastrian temples

Zoroastrian temples may also be called the ''darb-e meh'' and ''Atashkadeh''.

Other religions

Though the word "temple" is used broadly, one should use it with discretion in the context of some religions. For example, a masjid or "mosque" should not be considered a temple because ''masjid'' in Arabic means "the place for kneeling (to God)."

Convention allows the use of temple in the following cases:

Bahá'í temple (Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs or ‘Houses of Worship’).

Mankhim, the temple of the ethnic group the Rai, located at Aritar, Sikkim.

Confucian temple or Temple of Confucius.

Shintoist ''jinja'' are normally called ''shrines'' in English in order to distinguish them from Buddhist temples (-tera, -dera).

Taoist temples and monasteries are called ''guan'' or ''daoguan'' (道观, literally "place of contemplation of the Tao") in Chinese, ''guan'' being the shortened version of ''daoguan''.

Shrines of the traditional Chinese Ethnic Shenism are called ''miao'', or ''ancestral hall'' in English. ''Joss house'' is an obsolete American term for such kind of places of worship.

See also

Cathedral

Basilica

Church (building)

Mosque

Chinese pagoda

Dravidian architecture

List of temples of Tamil Nadu

National Temple of Divine Providence

Temple (Chinese)

Tō

Ziggurat

References

Further reading

Hani, Jean, ''Le symbolisme du temple chrétien'', G. Trédaniel (editor); [2. éd.] edition (1978), 207 p., ISBN 2-85707-030-6

External links

online – distinct for the religious and anatomical terms

Comparison between Egyptian and Greek temples

Category:Religious architecture Category:Religious buildings Category:Monument types

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