Volume : VII, Issue : IV, April - 2018

GENESIS OF TEMPLES - A STUDY

Dr. M. Jothi

Abstract :

The aim of this article is to highlight the origin of temples. Hypaethral form of temple often called a temenos, is generally dedicated to a nature deity, and thought to remote the fertility of soil, of animals and of men. This being a common idea in primitive religious thought, the geographical and chronological spread of open air temple is very wide. Their architectural form is very vague and insignificant. A wall or hedge fenced in the holy place; an altar was built for the offerings, and a grove of holy trees of a spring was the seat of the deity.[i] During the Bronze Age in Crete and Greece this form of temple was a common feature to judge from the many representations of related cult senses found on ring stones and seals. The best known examples are in Cyprus, Idalium (4th – 3rd century. B,C) Tamassus (6th – 5th century B.C) and Aija Irini (10th – 7th century B.C). The druid temples in Gaul and Great Britain were of same time. The nomadic sages testified to their existence in the Scandinavean countries in the pre–Christian times. Mount peaks and hill tops were chosen for hypaethral temples. They are found in Greece and in Asia Minor.The Hittite temples of yazilikaya, with a famous rock relief‘s and Qareh, Dagh serve as early examples ; while Phrygian sites like Midas City, south of modern Eskisehir, belong to a later period and Nimrud Dagh in eastern Antolia. Such temple seem to have been dedicatedmostly to rain producing weather Gods or Astral deities, divine incarnation of the celestial bodies.

Article: Download PDF    DOI : https://www.doi.org/10.36106/paripex  

Cite This Article:

Dr. M. JOTHI, GENESIS OF TEMPLES‾A STUDY, PARIPEX‾INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH : Volume-7 | Issue-4 | April-2018

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