temple

A temple is a house of worship, a sacred space housing the deity or central symbol of the tradition. The Temple in Jerusalem was the holy place of the Jewish people until its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE; now the term “temple” is used by the Reform tradition to refer to their places of worship. In the Hindu tradition, temples are laid out according to precise mathematical dimensions and proportions and erected to be the symbolic dwelling or body of the Divine on earth. The image of the deity for whom the temple is built is housed in a smaller sanctuary , the garbha griha (“womb-chamber”) at the very heart of the temple. The Jain temple is a replica of the assembly hall miraculously created by the gods for Mahavira upon his enlightenment. Hence, in entering a temple, a Jain symbolically approaches the spot where a living Tirthankara sits in omniscient trance. Buddhist temples differ considerably from one another depending upon culture and particular school, but most are associated with the residence of monks and are temple-monastery complexes. Theravada temples focus on one or more images of Sakyamuni Buddha. In Mahayana and Vajrayana temples, Sakyamuni will be accompanied by a variety of bodhisattvas and other Buddhas.