Mandir

Hindu temple or Mandir is referred to a place where Hindus go to worship gods in the form of various deities. Many Hindu temples are filled with wooden and stone arts like pashupatinath temple. A mandir is a spiritual place for Hindus. It is the landmarks around which ancient arts, community celebrations and economy were developed,^[1] as well as this the mandir has been recognised for.

Hindu Shiva temple in Prambanan temple complex in Indonesia.

It is believed that the Mandir are stone or wooden images of idols ceremonially infused with the divine presence of God. They worship with arts and other ceremonies.^[2]

Purpose

Hindus believe that gods and goddesses will answer the prayers of the faithful and inspire spiritually. For them, the temple also acts as a contact between the gods and goddesses and the worshipers. They also believe that the gods and goddesses will grant their wishes and protect them from danger.^[3]

Appearance

In Hinduism gods are represented in various forms. Sometimes gods or goddesses are represented in a human form like Shiva, Vishnu, Saraswati or Kali. Sometimes there are gods goddesses in human and animal fused form like Ganesh. Sometimes they are also represented in plants and non-living form like Tulsi and Shaligrams. Murtis are made according to the prescriptios of the ilpasastra, and then installed by priests through the prana pratishtha ceremony. Afterward the divine personality is believed to be present in the Murtis.

Method

To show respect, Hindus give gifts and food to the murtis. They are treated with respect and worshipped everyday. If a temple is a family temple it is treated as part of the family. Some Hindus also offer a part of their daily food to the god or goddess. They are given clothes and are changed at certain times.

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  The Nataraja Mandir, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
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  A Mandir in Norway. This one is Slemmestad, and belongs to the biggest Hindu community in Norway.
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  A Mandir in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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  A Mandir which later became a Buddhist Temple in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
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  Mandir at Mysore Palace, Southern India.

References

1. Michell, George (1988). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. pp. 58-65. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.
2. Kramrisch, Stella; Burnier, Raymond (1946). The Hindu Temple. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 135, context: 40–43, 110–114, 129–139 with footnotes. ISBN 978-81-208-0223-0., Quote: "The [Hindu] temple is the seat and dwelling of God, according to the majority of the [Indian] names" (p. 135); "The temple as Vimana, proportionately measured throughout, is the house and body of God" (p. 133).
3. Michell, George (1988). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.