17 Famous Historical Temples in India Complete Guide
Which is the very famous temple in India? here is the complete guide on famous historical temples in India. India is home to over 2,500 temples. The first and most famous of these is the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, built around 100 BC by King Bhagwan Vadhvan and destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni during his invasion of India. However, there are many other famous temples throughout India that have stood the test of time and still attract visitors today. Here’s our list of some of the most famous (and beautiful) temples in this beautiful country.
India is home to a large number of ancient and modern temples, which are situated in all the major cities of India. The most visited ones are located in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Here we present you with a list of famous historical temples in India so that you can explore these places on your own.
The Venkateswara Temple is located in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. It houses the most revered deity of Hinduism, Lord Venkateswara, who is known as “Lord Siva” and “Lord Vishnu”. And considered as the richest temple in India. The temple was built in the 9th century CE by the kings of Pallava dynasty who ruled the area between 7th and 10th centuries CE.
The main deity at this temple is Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as Anjaneya Swamy or Murugan or Kartikeya depending on which version you believe in (more details can be found here). You will find idols of all these three deities inside this complex along with others like Kartikeya’s consort Subhadra Devi and Narasimha avatar Krishna Deva Raya Raghava Raya II who built this temple during their reigns from 1147 CE onwards after King Kalyana Raghava Raya was assassinated by his brother Balappa Reddy during 1024 CE (the latter two were also killed by soldiers sent by Kulothunga Chola I).
The Meenakshi Amman Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Parvati and Shiva located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was built by the Pandya Kings who ruled Madurai during their rule from 1152-1310 CE. The temple has a huge complex of buildings that includes five gopurams (temple towers) and four vimanas (towered pavilions).
The temple is also popularly known as “Sundareswarar Temple” or “Sangameswarar Temple”. It is one of the most visited temples in South India alongside Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, Brihadishwara Temple at Thanjavur and Tirupati Balaji Temple at Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirupati. This famous temple attracts millions of pilgrims every year because it houses idols worth millions which symbolize various aspects such as Shakti Mata Parvati or Lord Vishnu Narayana etc.,
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It’s one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, representing Shiva and considered to be one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. The temple was built in the 8th century by King Lalitaditya, who later built other temples around it.
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Golden Temple is the holiest of Sikh shrines and it is known as Harmandir Sahib. It was built by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev in 1577 AD. This temple is located in Amritsar, Punjab and it’s one of the most visited places in India.
The Golden Temple has been given many names including Darbar Sahib (Court), Gurdwara Bangla Sahib (Gurudwara to worship God) or Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Golden Throne).
The Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the richest temples in India. It was built by the kings of Travancore and believed to have been built by Lord Padmanabha himself. The temple is under the direct control of the royal family, making it one of India’s most famous temples.
Ranakpur Jain Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, is a temple in the village of Ranakpur, Rajasthan. It was built by the Marwari community and is one of India’s largest temples.
The temple’s construction began in 1439 CE when they had just finished building their city on a hilltop overlooking Jaipur. The Marwaris were rulers under Maharaja Man Singh II who ruled from1446 to 1527 CE; they built many other structures including fortifications along with their palaces and monasteries such as this one at Ranakpur.
Ranakpur Jain Temple (Golden Temple) has many intricate marble carvings that depict scenes from Hindu mythology including Krishna playing flute with cows leading them through forest pathways surrounded by trees filled with monkeys jumping up trying grab some mangoes off branches above head level but not able reach due height difference between them so lost interest quickly after seeing how easy it would be if only someone else could help him out?
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The Tirupati Balaji Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Venkateswara, located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the hills of Tirumala.
It was built by the Cholas and later rebuilt by the Vijayanagar kings. It is one of the richest temples in India with an estimated wealth of $1 billion (2016).
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The Brihadeeswarar Temple is dedicated to Shiva, one of the most important deities in Hinduism. It was built by Raja Raja Chola I in 1010 CE. The temple has a rich collection of sculptures and paintings that are worth seeing even today.
The main attraction of this temple is its tower known as Pranavana Mandapa which has five floors and each floor has four large entrances on its sides with beautiful columns supporting them. Each entrance leads into a different sanctum that houses one or more images of gods or goddesses related to their respective shrines (such as Siva worshiping Parvathi).
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu. The temple along with the presiding deity, Srirangam is considered a sacred pilgrimage site for Hindus.
The temple was built by Maratha king Raghunatha Nayak of Sangli between 1662 and 1669 AD as he wanted a place where he could worship his family deity Lord Ranganatha every day without fail. He also constructed two other temples at Shri Durga Devi Mandiram and Sri Hanuman Mandiram in 1667 AD which were later abandoned due to political reasons.
In 1789 AD during British rule over India, Englishmen demolished all three temples except for one small part of it which was used as an army quarry – now called “Srirangam Dargah”.
Virupaksha Temple is located in the southern part of Hampi. It was built by a king named Virupaksha and it is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The temple has a famous shrine called Lakshminarayana Mandapam which resembles an umbrella made up of multiple overlapping leaves. The temple also houses several other shrines within its premises such as that for Hanuman, Nandi (bull), Surya (sun god) and Durga (goddess).
Virupaksha Temple has been declared as one of India’s seven wonders due to its architectural beauty, cultural significance and importance among tourists today as well as centuries ago when it was first built by this King who ruled over this region at that time.
Somnath Temple is located in Gujarat, India. It’s dedicated to Lord Shiva and was destroyed several times by invaders. In the 14th century, it was rebuilt by the kings of Junagarh and Bhavnagar who also added their own statues to this temple. The earthquake of 2001 caused damage to some parts of the temple but they were restored quickly afterwards by government funds which came from donations from around the world.
Akshardham Temple is a Hindu temple in Delhi, India. It was built by Pramukh Swami and inaugurated on 30 December 2005 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The main attraction of this temple is its architecture with its grandeur and vastness which can be seen from all sides of our planet.
The temple has been designed on such a scale that it takes your breath away when you enter through the main gateways into Akshardham Temple complex. The outer walls are painted with paintings depicting scenes from Indian mythology, legends about Lord Krishna and other deities like Shiva, Vishnu etc…
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple is a Hindu temple in Shirdi, Maharashtra, India dedicated to the Hindu god Sai Baba of Shirdi. The temple is located on a hillock called Parvati Hill and is built in the Dravidian style of architecture.
The temple has a large hall that has been divided into three sections: one for men (shankaracharya), another for women (Devaki) and another for children (Siddha). The central portion houses an image of Sai Baba inside an Om sculpture near which are installed two idols representing Sadasiva Bazaar and Sayyaji Rao Gaekwad’s coinage minted at Mumbai during their rule over this region.
Jagannath Puri Temple is a famous temple in india. It is located in Odisha and one of the 12 jyotirlingas. The temple dates back to the 7th century when it was built by King Narasingha Deva during his reign over Orissa as well as parts of Bihar and Bengal.
Jagannath Puri Temple is one of the most visited temples in India with more than 50 million visitors every year. Who come from all over India and abroad to pay homage at this holy place which houses Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra, sister Subhadra and brother Sudarshan Chakra (the discus).
The Golden Temple, Amritsar is one of the most famous and sacred temples in India. It’s located in Amritsar, Punjab. The temple complex was built by Shivaji Bhosale who ruled over a small principality called Bagli (Bhagalpur district).
It is also known as Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib. And has been described as ‘a tank surrounded by several buildings on its banks’ by British historian William Foster Blair. Who visited it during his lifetime in 1849-51.
The Kotilingeshwara temple is located in the town of Siddapura, Karnataka. It was built in the 12th century by an early Chola king named Raja Chodasvami Naidu. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has a large number of sculptures and carvings on its walls and ceiling. The work of art here is outstanding, with its walls covered with black mortar. Which gives it a unique look that makes you feel like you are traveling through time!
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These are some of the famous temples in India. There are many other temples in India as well, but these are some of the most popular ones.
Even the summary is an incomplete list of famous temples in India. Temples are places of worship for Hindus, and they also serve as places of pilgrimage. Temples have played a significant role in tourism in India since ancient times.
The list of temples that we have shared with you is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other famous temples in India and they give a great insight into Indian culture. I hope you will like this article on Famous Historical Temples in India.
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