Mandir facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A Hindu temple, also known as a Mandir, is a sacred place where Hindus go to worship and show their devotion to their gods and goddesses. It is seen as the home of the god or goddess it is built for.

Hindu temples come in many different styles and are found all over the world. They are in countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and many places in Southeast Asia such as Cambodia and Indonesia. You can also find them in countries like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and many others where Hindus live. The way temples look today shows how art and building methods have changed over thousands of years. The Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, opened in 2014, is one of the largest Hindu temples outside Asia.

Clockwise from top-left: Angkor Wat, Cambodia (the world's largest religious structure); Swaminarayan Temple, New Jersey, the largest Hindu temple outside Asia; Jagannath Temple, Odisha; Besakih Temple, Bali; Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu; Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal; Dakshineswar Kali Temple, West Bengal; Somnath Temple, Gujarat

Why are Hindu temples important?
What do Hindu temples look like?
Where are Hindu temples built?
- Temples built into stepwells
- Temples carved from rock
Images for kids
See also

Why are Hindu temples important?

Hindus believe that gods and goddesses listen to prayers and offer spiritual guidance. Temples are seen as a special connection point between people and the divine. Many believe that visiting a temple can help wishes come true and offer protection.

What do Hindu temples look like?

Besakih Temple in Bali, Indonesia

Most Hindu temples are designed in one of two ways: like a house or like a palace. A house-themed temple is a simple place that acts as a home for the deity. People visit these temples just like they would visit a friend or family member.

In some Hindu traditions, temples are places for puja. This is a special ritual where the deity is honored, and people connect with them. In other traditions, people might simply meditate, practice yoga, or reflect quietly in the temple. Palace-themed temples often have much grander and more detailed architecture.

Where are Hindu temples built?

Hindu temples are built in many different kinds of places, each with unique building styles:

Mountain temples: Found high up in mountains, like the Masrur Temples.
Cave temples: Carved directly into caves, such as the famous Ellora Caves.
Stepwell temples: Part of large stepwell complexes, like Mata Bhavani's Stepwell.
Forest temples: Hidden away in natural forests.
River and seashore temples: Located by rivers or the sea, like the Somnath temple.

Temples built into stepwells

In dry western parts of India, like Rajasthan and Gujarat, Hindu communities built large walk-in wells. These wells were the only source of water during dry seasons. They also served as important social gathering places and had religious meaning. These amazing structures went deep into the earth, sometimes seven stories down. They were often part of a larger temple complex.

These stepwells, called vav, had beautiful carvings on their walls. They featured many images of Hindu deities and water spirits. Some stepwells were named after Hindu gods and goddesses, like Mata Bhavani's Stepwell. These stepwells and their temples were built over a long period, from ancient times up to the 11th century CE. One famous example, Rani ki vav, has hundreds of detailed carvings, including many of the god Vishnu's forms. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Temples carved from rock

In India, especially in Maharashtra, a unique style of temple building developed. Temples were carved out of a single large rock, either as a complete temple or as a cave designed to look like the inside of a temple. The Ellora Caves are an example of a temple carved from one piece of rock. The Elephanta Caves show the style where caves were made to look like temple interiors. The Elephanta Caves have five large Hindu caves dedicated to the god Shiva, along with two smaller Buddhist caves.

Images for kids

The Nataraja Mandir, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
A Mandir in Slemmestad, Norway, belonging to the biggest Hindu community there.
A Mandir in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
A Mandir in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, which later became a Buddhist Temple.
Mandir at Mysore Palace, Southern India.
Elements in a Hindu temple architecture.
A puja ceremony at Besakih Temple in Bali, Indonesia.
Hindu temple sites are often near water. This is the Bhutanatha temple complex at Badami, next to a waterfall.
Ancient India had many guides for temple design. Builders had freedom to be creative.
Chaturbhuj Temple at Orchha has one of the tallest Vimanas (tower over the main shrine) at 344 feet.
The Golden Temple at Vellore is covered with 1500 kg of pure gold.
An example of detailed artwork in a Hindu temple.
Jagannath Temple at Puri, one of the four main spiritual centers of Hinduism.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata.
Saptakoteshwar Temple, Goa.
Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur, Kerala.
An aerial view of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, built by the Pandyan Empire.
Pashupatinath Temple from the Bagmati river, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Art relief at the Hindu temple Banteay Srei in Cambodia.
The Besakih temple complex, the largest Hindu temple in Bali, Indonesia.
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, Bali, Indonesia.
The Prambanan temple complex in Yogyakarta, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.
Partially ruined Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple complex, Vietnam.
Sri Mariamman Temple, Bangkok.
The 5th-century Ladkhan Shiva Temple, in the Aihole Hindu-Jain-Buddhist temple site, in Karnataka.
Plan of 5th-century temples in Eran, Madhya Pradesh.
The early 6th-century Dashavatara Temple in the Deogarh complex has a simple, one-cell plan.
1880 sketch of the 9-square floorplan of the same temple.
Layout of Cave 3 temple of the 6th-century Chalukyan-style Badami cave temples.
A 7th century Chalukyan-style temple ceiling, also in Aihole.
Rani ki vav is an 11th-century stepwell, built by the Chaulukya dynasty, located in Patan.
The Somnath temple in Gujarat was damaged and rebuilt many times. This picture shows it in 1869, before its modern reconstruction in the 1950s.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been rebuilt several times throughout history. This image shows the temple from the 1800s.
An 1832 drawing of a 1500s temple. Many Hindu temples were rebuilt or changed over time.
Ruins of the Martand Sun Temple after being damaged in the early 15th century.
In the 14th century, the Meenakshi Temple was damaged and its valuables taken. It was rebuilt and made larger in the 16th century.
Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (the Warangal Gate) built in the 12th century. The Warangal Fort temple complex was damaged in the 1300s.
A surviving part of the 10-11th century Rudra Mahalaya Temple. This temple was partly damaged in the 13th and 15th centuries.
Exterior wall reliefs at Hoysaleswara Temple. This temple was damaged in the early 14th century and later abandoned.
The 12th-century Mahadev Temple is a rare surviving temple from its time in Goa.
The Ganesh temple of Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing, New York City, is the oldest Hindu temple in the Western hemisphere.
Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, U.S., is the largest Hindu temple in the Western hemisphere.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London, United Kingdom.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto, Canada.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Los Angeles, United States.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Houston, United States.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, United States.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chicago, United States.