Temples are used predominantly as a part of religious or spiritual rituals and activities. The Temple as a form of Architecture has many forms, and is rarely used within the English language, but Temples can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt, even to Mesopotamia.
The Temple has been used over centuries for a number of reasons. Some of these include being used as a place for prayer and worship, to keep and maintain relics, to bury the dead, perform rituals or even as a place to conclude a Pilgrimage. Temples are also well known for their beauty, as many encompass a sense of holiness and commonly give visitors a strange sensation they’re in a place greater than life itself.
Some examples of Temples include:
Mesopotamian – Holds one of the most common types of Temple, The Ziggurat (Influenced Temple of Coruscant in Star Wars)
Egyptian – Used as a link between the divine and the human realms. This would allow humans to complete rituals to interact with the Gods. Egyptian Temples were also used as an aid to the economy by storing and distributing grain
Hindu – Similar to Egyptian temples, Hindu Temples also used the temple as a means to connect the divine and human realms, connecting human and God.
Buddhist – An interesting feature of Buddhist temples is that they usually include a meditation hall. Meditation is a key part of Buddhism and is extremely encouraged, and so the Temples are meant to represent the pure environment of Buddha, and to inspire peace.
Sikh – Often include entrances from all sides, as a way to encourage entrance by all. Other features of a Sikh temple include a library, nursey, classroom and a space where free food is served.
Pilgrimage
One aspect I find most interesting about Temples, is the idea of Pilgrimage. A Pilgrimage is a journey to an unknown place, and usually involves some form of awakening or discovery. Those awakenings are usually of the spiritual kind, and are triggered from finding new knowledge about ones self, others, life or some form of higher power or God. The idea of a Pilgrimage can be traced back before Medieval times, and is often represented a lot in films and tv.
Many films that involve some kind of ‘quest’, tend to take aspects from the idea of a Pilgrimage. A common trope is that the main character will be sent on a quest to discover someone/something and are faced with many decisions and paths along the way. They also face obstacles and are usually left at the end very weak and on the brink of giving up, which almost always leads to some form of self discovery.
Key Features of Temples
– Walkway/Promenade
– Grand Entrance
– Wall Engravings
– Sanctuary space (Meditation or shrine)
– Hypostyle hall (hall of columns)
– Natural Lighting