Temples and tīrthas
मन्दिर तीर्थ
Also written: hindu temple · jyotirlinga · shakti peeth · char dham · tirtha yatra · temple architecture · मन्दिर
A temple is built to the same plan as a body and as a cosmos. One passes from the outer gate through progressively more enclosed spaces to the garbhagṛha — the 'womb-chamber' — which is small, dark and unadorned. The architecture states the teaching: the movement is inward, and what is found at the centre is not larger but simpler.
| Part | Corresponds to |
|---|---|
| Gopuram / śikhara | The crown; visible from far off |
| Maṇḍapa | The outer limbs; the space of assembly |
| Antarāla | The neck; the passage |
| Garbhagṛha | The heart — small, dark, containing the deity |
| Vimāna above it | The axis rising from the heart |
| Dhvaja-stambha | The suṣumnā; the axis of the whole |
Tīrtha
Tīrtha means a ford — a crossing place. The word is used for a place where the passage from one bank to the other is easier, which is why river confluences, coasts and mountain passes are so often tīrthas. The tradition also insists on the inner sense: the great tīrthas are truth, restraint, and compassion, and a person who carries impurity to the Ganges takes it home again.
| Network | Count | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Jyotirliṅgas | 12 | Somnāth, Mallikārjuna, Mahākāleśvara, Oṁkāreśvara, Kedārnāth, Bhīmaśaṅkara, Kāśī Viśvanāth, Trimbakeśvara, Vaidyanāth, Nāgeśvara, Rāmeśvaram, Ghṛṣṇeśvara |
| Śakti Pīṭhas | 51 (lists vary; 18 mahā) | Where the parts of Satī's body are said to have fallen — Kāmākhyā, Kālīghāṭ, Vaiṣṇo Devī and the rest |
| Chār Dhām | 4 | Badrīnāth, Dvārakā, Purī, Rāmeśvaram — the four corners of the land |
| Chota Chār Dhām | 4 | Yamunotrī, Gaṅgotrī, Kedārnāth, Badrīnāth in the Himālaya |
| Divya Deśams | 108 | The Viṣṇu temples sung by the Ālvārs |
| Pāḍal Petra Sthalams | 275 | The Śiva temples sung by the Nāyanmārs |
| Sapta Purī | 7 | Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā (Haridwar), Kāśī, Kāñcī, Avantikā (Ujjain), Dvārakā |
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Last revised 2026-08-16. Corrections are welcome — see how this site is written.