mandir

A Hindu temple will be called a mandir in northern parts of India or a koyil in the south. There are many styles of temples and temple-complexes, but most temples are laid out according to precise dimensions and proportions and erected to be the symbolic embodiments of the Divine on earth. The murti (image) of the deity for whom the temple is built is housed in a smaller sanctuary or garbha griha (womb-chamber) at the very heart of the temple.