October 23,2019
The history of Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma with which temples are associated is very old.It is said that the construction of temples in India have started nearly 2000 years ago.
People used to build the temples with the materials like wood and stone which exists no longer. So, stone became the preferable material to build temples.
There are considerable differences in customs, traditions and architecture between the temples of India from different places.During the Islamic rule between 1200 CE and 1700 CE thousands of temples were destroyed mostly in North India. Therefore south India today has large number of temples still.
1. Subrahmanya Temple, Saluvankuppam, Tamil Nadu
Location: Saluvankuppam
State: Tamilnadu
Nearest Airport: Chennai
Nearest City: Chennai
Approxiamate year of Construction: 3rd Century
Description: Subrahmanya Temple in Tamilnadu is said to be the most oldest temples in India. It is unearthed in the year 2005 due to Indian Ocean Tsunami in tamilnadu. It is a two layered temple in which the first layer is built in 3rd century BCE (Sangam Period) using brick and there is a granite layer on top of it which was built in 8th century CE.
Unlike the most hindu temples this temple faces north.
2. Mundeshwari Devi Temple, Bihar
Location: Mundeswari Dham Road, Bhabua
State: Bihar
Nearest Airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
Nearest City: Kaimur
Approxiamate year of Construction: 108 AD
Description: Mundeswari Devi Temple is one of the most oldest temples, located in kaimur district in Bihar.Lord Shiva and Shakti are worshiped in this temple.The Archeological Survey of India says that this temple would have built in 108 AD as it is built in the Nagara Style of architecture.
3. Lad Khan Temple, Aihole, Karnataka
Location: Aihole
State: Karnataka
Nearest Airport: Hubli
Nearest City: Bagalkot
Approxiamate year of Construction: 3rd Century
Description: The Lad Khan Temple in Karnataka is one of the most ancient and tourist places in Karnataka. It is built by the Kings of Chalukya dynasty in 5th century. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva
A king named Lad khan made this temple for his residence, thus it has became famous on his name.
4. Badami Cave Temples, Karnataka
Location: Badami
State: Karnataka
Nearest Airport: Belgaum
Nearest City: Bagalkot
Approxiamate year of Construction: 6th Century
Description: The Badami cave Temples hold a very special architecture. It is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture. This is located at Badami, a town in Bagalkot in Kartnataka.This temple is built in Chalukyas dynasty in 6th century.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahavir.
5. Tungnath Temple, Uttarakhand
Location: Rudraprayag
State: Uttarakhand
Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant Airport
Nearest City: Dehradun
Approxiamate year of Construction: 3rd Century
Description: Tungnath Temple is the world’s highest Shiva Temple and also the highest of the five Panch Kedar Temples. It is located in the mountain range of Rudraprayag district.It is believed to be 5000 years old. It is located at the altitude of 3680 metres.The Panch Kedar temples were built by Pandavas dedicated to Lord Shiva.
6. Mahabalipuram Temples, Tamil Nadu
Location: Mahabalipuram
State: Tamilnadu
Nearest Airport: Chennai
Nearest City: Chennai
Approxiamate year of Construction: 7th Century
Description: The Group monuments of Mahabalipuram is a collection of religious monuments of 7th century in Tamilnadu on the shores of Bay of Bengal. It has 400 ancient Tamil religious temples and monuments. The whole beauty was built by pallavas. The shore temple, Arjuna’s Penance, The five Rathas, Krishna Mandapam, Cave Temples are the world famous temples of Mahabalipuram.
7. Kailashnath Temple, Ellora
Location: Ellora Caves
State: Maharastra
Nearest Airport: Aurangabad
Nearest City: Aurangabad
Approxiamate year of Construction: 8th Century
Description: The Cave 16 of Ellora is the Kailashnath Temple which is the world’s largest monolithic temple. It is the largest Indian rock-cut ancient Temple. It is located in Aurangabad, Maharastra. The Kailsahnath Temple is known for its excavation. The carvers started at the top of the original rock and excavated vertically downwards. The temple is built in 8th century dedicated to Lord Shiva.
8. Adi Kumbeswarar Temple, Tamil Nadu
Location: Kumbakonam
State: Tamilnadu
Nearest Airport: Trichy
Nearest City: Tiruchchirappalli
Approxiamate year of Construction: 9th Century
Description: Adi KUmbeswarar Temple is located in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu. Lord Shiva is worshiped in the name of Kumbakeswarar represented by lingam. The temple covers 30,181 Sq ft. area, and four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower with 128 meters height. The temple is built by Cholas in 9th century.
9. Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur
Location: Bhedaghat
State: Madhya pradesh
Nearest Airport: Dumna Airport
Nearest City: Jabalpur
Approxiamate year of Construction: 10th Century
Description: Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur is one of the oldest heritage sites. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga along with 64 yoginis. It is located near the river Narmada in Jabalpur, Madhya pradesh. It is built in 10th century in Kalachuri dynasty.
10. Dilwara Temples, Mount Abu, Rajasthan
Location: Mount Abu
State: Rajasthan
Nearest Airport: Udaipur
Nearest City: Sirohi
Approxiamate year of Construction: 11th Century
Description: The Dilwara Temples are the Jain Temples which were built by the Vimal Shah and designed by Jian Minister of Dholka Vastupala in 11th century. These temples are famous for its marble carvings and it is the example of architectural perfection. There are five temple with unique identity and extremely close together within a single wall compound.
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