Hindu Dharma was one of the oldest and third largest religions in the world. It was formerly known as Sanatana-dharma. The 95 per cent of the Hindu population lives in India. Like all religions, the primary goal of the Hindu religion is also peace and enlightenment. The decoration and carvings on the wall of temples and also the architectural styles will bring a high positive energy. So, here we are listing the 10 largest Hindu temples around the world.
Hindu Temples Around the World
1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat temple located in Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple in the world. The temple is also a beautiful world heritage sites. It has many stone temples and also the remains of the Khmer empire. It was built in the 12th century by Khmer King Suryavarman II. The temple is dedicated to the Lord Vishnu but later it is turned into a Buddhist complex. It has rich decorations with sculptures and carvings on the walls and also at the entrance of the temple. There is also a 3.2 meter high Lord Vishnu statue situated at the entrance of the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia. It stretches over 500 acres of land. The temple is one of the best representations of Khmer architecture and it has been built to represent Mount Meru home of the Hindu Mythology lord of Brahma and the demi-god devtas. We have also covered famous churches around the world. It is also one of the most beautiful lost cities in the world.
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2. Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Tamil Nadu
It is one of the most famous temples among the locals and the visitors and also one of the largest Hindu temples in India. The temple is located in the Srirangam of Tamil Nadu. It is also famous for the names of Bhoologa Vaikundam and Bhogamandalam. The inscriptions on the walls of the temples give a glimpse of the changing dynasties in the restoration of the temple. It stretches over in 156 acres of land. There is also a hall in the temple with 100 of pillars and decorated with proper sculptures. 21 days annual festival has been conducted during the Tamil month of Margazhi which lies between December–January that can attract 1 million visitors across the world.
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3. Akshardham, Delhi
The Akshardham temple is situated on the banks of Yamuna River in Delhi. It stretches over in 100 acres of land. The temple is a compilation of Hindu culture and art. There are many god statues you will find in the centre part of the temple like Sita Ram, Siv Parvati, Radha Krishna and Lakshmi Narayanan. The whole temple is made only of sandstone and marbles. It has also pith known as Gajendra pith that constitutes animal kingdom. It has 148 full sized elephants, 42 birds and 125 human sculptures that have been carved in pink stone. The temple comprises of 200 sculptured stone figures of India’s sages, Acharyas, monks and divine incarnations. Also, it consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, Gajendra Pith, 9 ornate domes and 20,000 statues of divine figures of India.
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4. Thillai Nadaraja Temple, Tamil Nadu
The Thillai Nadaraja Temple situated in Chidambaram town of Tamil Nadu. The temple has been dedicated to Lord Shiva in Ananda Tandava pose or Nadaraja. It stretches over in acres of land. The temple also contains images of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy. The temple restoration has been done by the many different dynasties like Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Vijayanagara, and Chera. Each gopuram has seven storeys with around 50 carved sculptures and there are five sabhas in the temple namely Chit Sabha, Kanakasabha, Nritya Sabha, Deva Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The daily rituals are being performed at kanakasabha.
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5. Belur Math, Kolkata
Belur Math is one of the most beautiful and one of the largest Hindu temples in Kolkata. It is also the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897. The unique part is that it has been built in such a way that it looks like a temple, mosque, and church from every angle. It is actually a fusion of Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, Rajput and Christian styles. This is the main region of the temple is also considered to be the unity of all religions that exist in the world. “The spiritual light that this place will emit will flood the whole universe, temple,” Swami Vivekananda said when he was laying the foundation stone of the temple in 1898. It is also the headquarter of Ramakrishna Mission and building situated next to river Hooghly and is an example of finest architecture and sculpture.
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6. Annamalaiyar Temple, Tamil Nadu
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and also one of the largest temples in India. The Shiva Linga of the temple is also called Agni Linga. It is also known as Arunachaleswarar that also means one of the forms of Lord Shiva. It stretches in 25 acres of land. The temple was built by the Cola rulers back in the 9th century. The temple has many halls and four huge gateways. There is also a huge hall with a 1000 pillars built by King Krishna Devaraya. Karthigai Deepam festival starts at around four o’ clock in the early hours in the temple. An important ritual Maha Deepam performed in the evening by chanting of Sanskrit mantras.
7. Ekambareswarar Temple, Tamil Nadu
The Ekambareswarar temple is the largest temple in the holy city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It stretches in an area of 23 acres. The temple was built by Paranthaka Chola back in 650 A.D. The temple has been built in such a way that in the month of March and April the rays of the sun fall directly on the main Shiva Linga. The inner wall of the temple has 1008 Shiva Lingam. It has also a hall with thousand pillars known as Aayiram Kaal Mandapam. Ekambareswarar translates to ‘Lord of mango tree’ and one of the Panchabhoota sthala Shiva Temples that represents planet Earth.
8. Jambukeswarar Temple, Tamil Nadu
The Jambukeswarar Temple is located in Tiruchirapalli of Tamil Nadu and one of the most famous Hindu temples among tourist. It is a part of panchabhoota sthalams meaning one of the Shiva Temples that represent the five elements of land, water, air, sky, and fire. The other three is also in Tamil Nadu and one is in Andhra Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to water one of the five great entities. The temple also has an underground water stream. The temple has a beautiful archaeological design along with carvings on the wall. The fourth enclosure of the temple contains 196 pillars. One of the most important Shiva temples in Trichy built approximately 1,800 years ago and one of the five Pancha Boota Shiva Temples of Tamil Nadu.
9. Meenakshi Amman Temple, Tamil Nadu
The Meenakshi Amman Temple is an amazing example of the Dravidian architecture. The temple represents two Gods namely Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathy or Meenakshi. Lord Shiva is also called by the name Sundareswarar in Madurai. The temple was named after the Meenakshi Goddess also known as Parvathy. The temple stretches in the area of 17 acres. The temple was built by Pandyan king Jayavarman Kulasekara Pandyan back in the 13th century. During the 14th century, the temple was invaded by Muslim invader Malik Kafur. The temple was later restored by the Nayak ruler Viswanatha Nayakar in the 16th century. The Mandapam of the temple contains unique 985 pillars made up of granite. It stretches in an area of 17.3 acres. It is one of the largest Hindu temples around the world. The temple depicts incredible architecture having 12 gopurams known as towers that range from 45 to 52 meters in height decorated with paintings and sculptures in huge Mandapams. There are approximately 33,000 sculptures in the temple and Nataraja sculpture covered with a huge silver altar and hence known as Velli Ambalam.
10. Vaitheeswaran Koil, Tamil Nadu
The temple Vaitheeswaran Koil has been dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in the Tamil Nadu state of India. The uniqueness of the temple is that some of the Shivalingas situated in the temple have been worshipped by Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Surya and Vulture king Jatayu. It is believed that the holy water of the temple has the power to cure all diseases. It is one of the most famous Hindu temples around the world. The holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank within the temple complex contain nectar and it is believed that it can cure all diseases and the temple is revered by the Tevaram hymns of 7th-century Saiva nayanars and also classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam or temple revered by the nayanars.
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These are the 10 largest Hindu temples in the world. Do post your comments.
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