Fondations of Religions

Foundations of Religions

As early as 2500 BC, great civilizations flourished south of the Himalayan mountains, in what is now India. Three world religions began there – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. All three teach that life, like a circle, has no end. It returns again and again as do the seasons. They believe that a person's soul comes back to to live another life in a new body.. This is called reincarnation. Hinduism began about 1500 BC. Hindus worship alone on most occasions, and many make pilgrimages to temples to pay homage to their gods. Hindu temples have richly decorated exteriors and pilgrims worship outside. The most important part of a temple is a small shrine with no windows, which is the home of the god.

A tall, curved shikhara, or tower, rises above the shrine, and a series of open porches are used for assemblies and religious dancing.

Did you know?

Even a small Hindu shrine can be seen from anywhere in a village because of the tall, carved shikhara above it. The shikhara represents a holy mountain that is thought of a staircase to the heavenly world.

Sri Ranganatha

The tower in Mysore, India is one of 15 giant gateways trough the five walls that enclose a Hindu shrine. The gateways were built between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries. The shrine itself is quite small and crowded by the priests' houses and the assembly rooms for pilgrims.

Ranarpur Temple

The Ranakpur temple honors Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. Jains believe that a person lives many lives, including those of animals. Jains try not to hurt any living creatures. One of Ranakpur's large corbeled domes rises above the courtyard. The dome rests on two stories of columns and is surrounded by smaller domes.

Fondation of Religions. Photo by Elena.

Building in Rock

In the second century BC, Buddhist monks built a monastery at Ajanta by cutting artificial caves into the cliffs above the river. Carvers chipped off unwanted rock and carried it away leaving a building behind. The columned entrance of the vihara, where the monks lived, led to a rectangular room surrounded by galleries. Each monk had a square cave that opened onto a gallery. Stone walls and ceilings were rubbed smooth then covered with paintings or carved with sculpture. The monastery also had a chaitya, or meeting hall, where people gathered to worship and study.

Myth in stone

The lively sculptures on the outside of Kandariya Mahadero represent many of the figures in stories from Hindy mythology.

Kandarya Mahadeo Temple

More than 1,000 carved figures cover this eleventh-century temple in Khajuraho,  At first glance it looks like a mountain of rock covered with rows of sculpture. The temple stands on a high platform with the shrine under the tall shikhara at one end a deep entrance at the other. Processions move through a passageway, which wraps around the halls and shrine.

Temple floor plan

Mathematical rules control the design of Hindu temples. Many small squares make up the floor plan of the temple. A square which never changes, symbolizes the heavenly world.