Uniqueness of Temples

Our ancestors were great. They constructed majestic and magnificient Temples to bring people together to offer prayers and be one with God. The temples of India will for ever stand as glorious land marks in every village, town or a metro city.

Here is an exhaustive list of how the temples have inspired our civilisation for centuries:

Centres of Environmental Protection & Promotion Centre

1. Temples served the cause of Environmental Protection & Promotion besides providing greenery and water.
2. The Temple campus was vast with a lot of open space which served as a lung space for the village or town that housed the temple.
3. Thanks to the temple tank, the water was considered ‘holy’ deriving its source from the ‘holy river’ nearby. The domestic wells got plentiful of ground water.
4. “Stala Viriksha”, was a symbol of commitment to a diverse range of trees which reflected ‘diversity’; each temple will have its own “sthala vrisksha’ or ‘tree’ of the temple.
5. Temple will have a park (Nandavanam) plentiful with Flowering plants and trees to make floral offerings for the God which were also a treat to eyes apart from the fragrance they offered. They meant greenery and oxygen to breathe.
6. Coconut and fruit trees were also grown to obtain offerings to god and prasadam to devotees.

LEARNING CENTRE (HRD Institute)

7. Leadership Development. People who take part in organising Temple festivals and functions attain their developer and leadership skills.
8. Team Building was automatic in the process; it develops unity amongst various castes and group.
9. The discourses developed various human development skills. They became good thinkers, communicators, motivators, speakers, and executors and could develop Human Relations & Public Relations skills.
10. Temples accommodated Tuition Classes and religion discourses conducted in the praise of god.

Fine Arts Sabha

11. Temples are theatres of Fine arts and also training schools of Fine arts.

Fine Arts College

12. Temple was a training place for fine arts, both dance and music from vocal to instrumental music.

Arts College for Painting, Sculpting, Handicrafts & Woodcarvings

13. Many types of arts in the form of paintings and sculptures were accommodated and encouraged. Sculptures of different kinds were made out of rocks, metal , wood, mud and cement. The temple was an Art Gallery with continous wood carvings right from the temple to temple chariot. Each Temple was created to be an Art Treasure. The paintings and sculptures were made to be a treat to the eyes and food for thought. The panchaloga (5 metal) statues are world marvels.

Training for Floral Artwork

14. The flower decorations for the deities grew from temples. They are beautiful and apart from providing fragrance soothed the eyes.

Culture & Heritage Centre

15. Temples promoted culture and became symbols of ancient civilization.
16. Temples stand as monuments representing great heritage of the past and for the future.

Physical Fitness Centre

17. Walking around the Temple became a good physical exercise. Rough granite stones made the path around the temple. People who walked received acupressure. Same thing is in respect of ‘Anga pradhashanam’.
18. The temple was Gym in a way. People carried a lot of heavy materials to take the deity in a processions. They preformed ‘Thopukarnams’, ‘sashtanga namaskaram’, ‘bowing’, etc. They together pulled temple chariot.

Mind Faculty development

19. Apart from prayer which helped mind resource development, people also meditated and got this benefit. The atmosphere was conducive for meditation.

Social Service & Charitable Institution

20. Temple also served as a Social Service Organisation. Annadhanam was a routine in Temples. A lot of charity was rendered by the devotees through the Temple. During natural catastrophes, Temples became the nerve centre in mobilising and extending help.

Social organ for Socialisation & Social Net Working

21. Temples were a meeting place for people , a place to harvest friends and develop friendship

Community Hall for Celebrations

22. Temples facilitated social gatherings including ceremonies like marriages. Marriages and auspicious functions.

Catering & Hospitality Institute

23. Madapalli provided delicious prasadams. People also cooked, hosted and ate. Annadhanam was a routine. Puri Jaganath temple has facilities to cook food for 1 Lakh devotees.

Employment Exchange providing employment opportunities

24. Temple was also avenue for employment.Hundreds got direct and indirect employment. Jobs were always available for Carpenters , Electricians , Plumbers, Painters, Masons, Sculptors, Florist , Cooks, Musicians, Instrumentalists, Dancers, Gardner ,Barbers etc.

Vocational Training Institute

25. Many youngsters joined seniors and learnt the above said vocations in temples

Place for Relaxation

26. Temple was indeed a wonderful place for relaxation and rest. Because of its height, the place inside the Temple was always cool even during summers. People who could not bear the summer heat went to temples to relax.

Trade Development

27. Hundreds of shop keepers found opportunities to conduct trade and got a livelihood..

Animal Welfare Organisation

28. Animals like cows and elephants were sheltered. Birds like pigeons perched in the Temple towers. Peacocks were reared. People showered their love to animals.

Engineering & Architectural Marvel

29. Our forefathers constructed mammoth Temples even before electricity was invented and petrol was discovered. They didn’t have the advantages of energy resources or huge machines for construction which we have today.
30. The Temples were constructed by using only human resource. They made huge and tall stone pillars and erected them with perfect alignment. There were no lifts but they were able to lift huge stones to huge heights to serve as roofs. The structures were strong and stood the test of time. Today students of Civil Engineering and Architecture learn their subjects by visiting ancient Temples to study as well as to do research.

Counselling & Mediation Centre

31. Disputes were resolved between people and counselling made for individuals made here.

Harmony & Oneness

32. Temples brought oneness. People of all castes and different income levels worshiped together as equals before the deity.

Source of Motivation & Stimulation

33. Problems arose due to the lack of motivation among people in social issues. But temple was the greatest motivator for people. Even the poor could do everything to celebrate temple festivals on a massive scale due to motivation which the temple provided. Stimulation of six senses: Temples stimulated all six senses. The sculptures. wood carvings , sudar from deepam /diya (Lights & Arathi ) were treat to eyes and stimulated the visual sense (seeing) , the temple bell and the music from the music instruments stimulated the auditory sense (hearing), the flowers and incenses stimulated the olfactory sense (smell), the prasadams stimulated the gustatory sense (taste), the worship with folded hands and walking around the temple bare foot on unpolished granite stones stimulated the kinesthetic sense (touch) and use of the five senses and hearing the discourses stimulated the analytical and creative think sense. (6th Sense). Regular goers always benefited.