Questions tagged [temple]
A temple is a place and structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer, worship and sacrifice, or analogous rites.
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Why are many South Indian temple's walls painted in white and red stripes?
In many south Indian temples, especially in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the temple's external walls are painted in white & red stripes. Why is it done so?
For example:
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Why is the family deity of Venkateshwara the Sami tree?
As I discuss in this question, the book "Venkatachala - Its Glory" is a translation of the Sthala Purana (temple scripture) of the famous Tirupati temple, and this temple scripture consists of ...
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Why are women not allowed in the Kartikeya Temple at Pushkar?
Recently I went to Pushkar. I visited a temple of Lord Kartikeya where women aren't allowed.
What is the reason behind this?
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Why are vahanas placed outside the main temple instead of near the deity?
For gods like Ganesha, Shiva, Vishnu and many others, the idol of the Vahana (animal or otherwise) is placed outside the garbagriha (the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple) in most temples.
Yet in ...
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What is the significance of 'teertham' offered to devotees?
In temples, Devotees often receive 'teertham' which comes in various forms.
Sometimes it is just plain water mixed with camphor or at times it is something as rich as 'pachamrut'.
What does it signify?...
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Why do people offer mustard oil to Lord Shani?
It is often seen that people offer mustard oil to Lord Shani, mostly on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
So, what is the significance behind pouring mustard oil over Lord Shani's Idol?
Image credits : blog....
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What is the story of tortoise which is just in front of Nandi in Lord Shiva Temple?
I have seen in many temples there are Nandi and tortoise facing the Shiva linga. what is the story of being tortoise facing the Shiva linga?
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Why do Hindu temples have Bells?
It is often seen that people who worship gods at temple rung bells when they enter the temple.
These bells are hung generally near the idols or at the entrance of the temples. They are also rung ...
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Why do Hindus remove their footwear before entering temples?
Why is it that people don't wear shoes and sandals when they visit a temple? Sometimes they remove them outside of temple premises and sometimes outside of the temple steps...
It's a common practice ...
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Why do Hindus take Pradakshina (Circumambulation) around sacred idols?
Why do Hindus take Pradakshina (Circumambulation) around sacred idols?
What does it signify? Do the number of times of taking rounds and direction matter? It would be great to know how it started ...
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Why is Krishna portrayed with huge eyes at Puri Jaganath temple?
Krishna and his siblings Balarama & Subhadra are portrayed with huge eyes at the Jaganath Temple at Puri. This kind of portrayal is not seen in other temples. Is there any story behind this?
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Why each day of the week is dedicated to a particular god?
As the title explains, why do we have specific days to worship specific gods? For example
Sunday - Lord Surya
Monday - Lord Shiva
Tuesday - Lord Ganesha
Wednesday - Lord Vithal
Thursday - Sai Baba, ...
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Why is aarti performed to deities in temples?
In all temples Aarti i.e a lamp with camphor or ghee is lit and is shown in circular motion in front of the deities. Is this just a ritual for revering Agni or does it have a deeper significance?
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Why does Srikalahasti Temple remain open during an eclipse?
As we all know, temples remain closed when there is an eclipse. But the Srikalahasti temple remains open even during eclipses and they also do special pujas on these occasions. Please share the story/...
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Why are the deity and devotee called by the same name 'Swami Ayyappa' in Sabarimala?
Sabarimala temple is a famous temple in South India which is located in the state of Kerala. See the website1. Many people visit the temple every year during the pilgrim season. Swami Ayyappa is the ...
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How were the rules for Devalaya Vastu forged?
There are very few references as to how the rules for Devalaya Vastu (देवालय वस्तु) were written.
Any insights on who the original authors were, how and why they wrote the very specific rules that ...
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What is the story behind Dhooli Darsanam in Srisailam?
In the Hindu religion, visiting a temple without ablution (cleaning dirt) is said to be sin. One should always bathe before visiting the temple. But in Srisailam, the story is completely different. A ...
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Why do some temples require men not to wear shirts?
Some Hindu temples require men to remove their shirts before they enter. I don't remember the names of any temples off the top of my head, but I do believe that a few temples in and around Thanjavur ...
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Why are black rats treated as sacred at the Karni Mata temple?
I saw an episode about the Karni Mata temple in a TV Show - Mano Ya Na Mano ("Believe it or not").
They showed black rats and said that people treat them as sacred, and that people also drink the ...
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Why are the black colored clothes avoided when visiting temple?
Why is that black color clothes are avoided or not allowed to wear in some temples?
They are also avoided when Hindus celebrate festivals like Diwali, Navratri etc, generally on auspicious days
I ...
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Why are temples devoted to Brahma so rare?
It is well-known that temples devoted to Brahma are extremely rare compared to temples devoted to Vishnu and Shiva (or, indeed, any number of other deities, e.g. Murugan, Ganesh, Hanuman, etc.).
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Who is Govindaraja and how is he related to Venkateshwara?
Tirupati is most commonly associated with the world-renowned Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple. But there is another Vishnu temple in Tirupati, the Govindaraja Swami Temple. (This isn't the only ...
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Why is Shiva primarily worshipped in a linga form?
In Hindu temples, the statues of the deities are present in the sanctum. But in (most) Shiva temples, only a linga is present instead of a Shiva statue. The linga worship seems to be limited only to ...
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