From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Pantheon (structure))
Jump to: navigation, search
Amarnath Temple, attraction to pilgrimages as early as 300 BCE.


Hindu temples[edit]

Akshardham Temple, a Hindu temple in New Delhi, India.

These may also be called by other names, including mandir or mandira, ambalam, kavu, koil or kovil, déul, raul, devasthana and devalaya, depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Yamunotri temple, a shrine dedicated to the goddess, Yamunotri is one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism, and part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra circuit, dates around 11,000 BCE.[2]


Buddhist temples[edit]

Wat Phra Kaew, Buddhist temple


Jain temples[edit]


Mesopotamian temples[edit]


Egyptian temples[edit]

Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the gods to reside on earth. Indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means "mansion (or enclosure) of a god".[5] A god's presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, the ideal order of nature and of human society in Egyptian belief.[6] Maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion,[7] and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well.[8] Ancient Egyptian temples were also of economic significance to Egyptian society. The temples stored and redistributed grain and came to own large portions of the nation's arable land (some estimate as much as 33% by the New Kingdom period).[9]

Greco-Roman temples[edit]



Pagan temples[edit]


Zoroastrian temples[edit]

The Yazd Atash Behram


Sikh temples[edit]

A Sikh temple is called a Gurdwara, literally the doorway to the Guru. Its most essential element is the presence of the Guru, Guru Granth Sahib. The Gurdwara has an entrance from all sides, signifying that they are open to all without any distinction whatsoever. The Gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is seen and a Langar where people can eat free food.[10] A Gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom.[11] A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag.

Jewish synagogues and temples[edit]






Christian temples[edit]




Iglesia ni Cristo temples[edit]

Iglesia ni Cristo church buildings serve as places of worship and other religious functions, are "vehicles for glorifying God." These are described by Culture and customs of the Philippines, a book published by Greenwood Publishing Group, as structures "which employ exterior neo-Gothic vertical support columns with tall narrow windows between, interlocking trapezoids, and rosette motifs, as well as tower and spires." There are multiple entrances leading to the main sanctuary, where males and females sit on either side of the aisle facing a dais where sermons are made. The choir loft is located behind the dais, and in larger churches, baptistry pools for immersion baptism are located at the back of the church.[12] Meanwhile, Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita, an anthropologist from Ateneo de Manila University.[13] The distinctive spires represent "the reaching out of the faithful to God." Churches were started to be built in this style during the late 1940s and early 1950s with the first concrete chapel built in Sampaloc, Manila in 1948.

Latter Day Saint movement[edit]




LDS Church[edit]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a prolific builder of "Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. There are 142 operating temples (which includes 1 previously dedicated, but closed for renovation), 14 under construction, and 14 announced (not yet under construction).[16] Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing and undertaking only the most holy and sacred of covenants and special of ordinances. They are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not to be defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including church membership and regular attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before the temple is dedicated, the temple is open to the public for tours.[17]

Other Latter Day Saint denominations[edit]

Various other sects of the church founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., initially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also have temples.[18]

Masonic temples[edit]

A Typical Masonic Lodge


Temple in Islam[edit]

Example of a mosque : the Mosque of Uqba (Great Mosque of Kairouan) is one of the most important mosques in the Muslim West, Tunisia.

An Islamic temple is called a "mosque" or "masjid" in Arabic, which means "the place for kneeling (to God)."


Göbekli Tepe, located in southern Turkey, was built in 8th millennium BCE - 10th millennium BCE.

Convention allows the use of temple in the following cases:

See also[edit]


  2. ^ "In Search Of The First Civilizations" By Michael Wood, p. 62
  3. ^ "New York Buddhist Temple for World Peace". Kadampanewyork.org. 1997-08-01. Retrieved 2012-06-20. 
  6. ^ Dunand and Zivie-Coche 2005, pp. 89–91
  7. ^ Assmann 2001, p. 4
  9. ^ André Dollinger. The Ancient Egyptian Economy. pp. 5 [1] Retrieved June 19 2012
  10. ^ "The Gurdwara". http://www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2013. 
  11. ^ "Gurdwara Requirements". http://www.worldgurudwaras.com. Retrieved 18 March 2013. 
  12. ^ Paul A. Rodell (2002). Culture and customs of the Philippines. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 86. ISBN 0-313-30415-7. ISSN 1097-0738. LCCN 2001023338. LCC DS664 .R63 2001. Retrieved 2011-06-11. 
  13. ^ "Fernando Zialcita, Ph.D.". Ateneo de Manila University School of Social Sciences. Retrieved 2011-06-11. 
  16. ^ "List of Temples". 
  17. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". 
  19. ^ "FLDS temple nearly complete". Provo Daily Herald (AP). 31 January 2006. 

Further reading[edit]


External links[edit]