Temple

==Hindu temples==
{{Main|Hindu temple}}
{{see also|List of Hindu temples}}

Hindu temples are known by many different names, varying on region and language, including Alayam,<ref>ALAYAM : The Hindu Temple;An Epitome of Hindu Culture; G.Venkataramana Reddy;  Published by Adhyaksha; Sri Ramakrishna Math; {{ISBN|978-81-7823-542-4}} ; Page 1</ref> ''Mandir'', ''Mandira'', ''Ambalam'', ''Gudi'', ''Kavu'', ''Koil'', ''Kovil'', ''Déul'', ''Raul'', ''Devasthana'', ''Devalaya'', ''Devayatan'', ''Devakula'', ''Devagiriha'', ''Degul'', ''Deva Mandiraya'', and ''Devalayam''. Hindu temple architecture is mainly divided into the [[Dravidian architecture|Dravidian style]] of the south and the [[Nagara architecture|Nagara]] style of the north, with other regional styles.

The basic elements of the [[Hindu temple]] remain the same across all periods and styles. The most essential feature is the inner sanctuary, the ''[[garbhagriha]]'' or womb-chamber, where the primary ''[[murti]]'' or [[cult image]] of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. Around this chamber there are often other structures and buildings, in the largest cases covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like ''[[shikhara]]'', also called the ''[[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]]'' in the south. The shrine building may include an [[ambulatory]] for ''parikrama'' ([[circumambulation]]), one or more [[mandapa]]s or congregation halls, and sometimes an [[antarala]] antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa.

A Hindu temple is a symbolic house, the seat and dwelling of [[Hindu gods]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Stella|last=Kramrisch|title=The Hindu Temple|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NNcXrBlI9S0C|year=1946|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0223-0|pages=135, context: 40–43, 110–114, 129–139 with footnotes}}, 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).</ref> It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together according to [[Hinduism|Hindu faith]]. Inside its ''garbhagriha'' innermost sanctum, a Hindu temple contains a ''[[murti]]'' or Hindu god's image. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. There is evidence of the use of sacred ground as far back as the [[Bronze Age]] and later during the [[Indus Valley civilization]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hinduism - Early Hinduism (2nd century bce–4th century ce) {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism/Early-Hinduism-2nd-century-bce-4th-century-ce |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Outside of the Indian subcontinent ([[India]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Nepal]]), Hindu temples have been built in [[List of Hindu temples outside India|various countries around the world]]. Either following the [[Indianized kingdom|historic diffusion of Hinduism across Asia]] (e.g. ancient stone temples of [[Cambodia]] and [[List of Hindu temples in Indonesia|Indonesia]]), or following the migration of the [[Indian diaspora|Indian Hindus' diaspora]], to Western Europe (esp. [[Great Britain]]), North America (the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]), as well as Australia, [[Malaysia]] and Singapore, Mauritius and [[South Africa]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Sripuram Temple Full View.jpg|The Golden temple of Mahalakshmi, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
File:Guruvayoor Temple 1.jpg|Famous [[Guruvayur Temple]], a Traditional Hindu Temple in Kerala, India.
File:Maa Naina Devi Temple, Mallital, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.jpg|A view of the Maa Naina Devi Temple, Mallital, [[Nainital]], Uttarakhand, India
File:New Delhi Temple.jpg|[[Akshardham (Delhi)|Akshardham Temple]], a Hindu temple in [[New Delhi]], [[India]] built in 2005.
File:Dakshineswar Temple1.jpg|[[Dakshineswar Kali Temple]], a Hindu temple in [[Kolkata metropolitan area|Greater Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India
File:Venkateshwara Temple.jpg[[Venkateshwara Temple]], a Hindu temple in [[Tirupati]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India
</gallery>