India has several thousand temples spread across its landscape. While many are recent constructions, there are also a large number of ancient temples that display an outstanding quality of architecture and design. In fact, the number of temples was much larger at one time, but invasions coupled with poverty and neglect have led to the decline of several truly fantastic works. Let's take a look at three temples that still draw gasps of awe from visitors to India.
Badrinath Temple
Located in the Himalayan mountain range at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, the Badrinath temple is established for the deity Vishnu, the preserver in the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The temple is over one thousand years old and was set up by the famous teacher and scholar, Adi Shankaracharya. Though he lived a short of life of 33 years, he managed to walk the length and breadth of India, establishing many temples and ashrams throughout the subcontinent. Badrinath was already a sacred place at the time, but Adi Shankaracharya reconsecrated the temple and established a proper system. The temple is also famous for the hot water springs nearby, where visitors can take a refreshing dip in hot water, a boon in these cold climes.
Konark Sun Temple
Located in the eastern state of Orissa, the Konark Sun temple was built in the thirteenth century by the Ganga Dynasty of kings, to a design that resembled an immense solar chariot with twelve pairs of beautifully ornamented wheels, with seven stone, rearing horses pulling the entire ensemble. Legend has it that the Ganga dynasty king built it in a single day. The construction began at sunset, and had to be complete by sunrise the next day, to ensure that it would be ready to welcome the sun inside.
The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the best examples of North Indian temple architecture. It stands 68 meters high, and the main hall is a square, 30 meters on each side. Within this hall, three beautiful images of the Sun god are carved out on the walls, which are regarded as shrines themselves. Two smaller temples -- one for the goddess Mayadevi, and the other for Vishnu -- are also present within the precincts of the Konark Sun temple. The temple is open from sunrise to sunset, and visitors can access it after paying a nominal fee.
Khajuraho
Khajuraho is a small town about 350 miles from India's capital city Delhi. It shot to prominence in the 1980s when photos of the group of temples near the town were published in magazines around the world. Today, these one-thousand-year-old temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and regarded as representing the finest of Indian art. Only 20 temples remain today, and their exteriors are covered with finely sculpted images depicting various aspects of everyday life. The sculptors of this era left no subject untouched, and several sculptures also depict sexuality and eroticism. Guides are always available in Khajuraho, however you will have to bargain hard.
India's offerings aren't limited to just the well-known temples. There are several that are off the beaten track, and which can be quite rewarding to visit, if we put in a little effort to find them.