15 Ancient temples of India

Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion in the world. Therefore there are many such ancient temples in India that are thousands of years old. Today we are telling you about 15 such temples which are more than 1000 years old.

1. Ambarnath Temple, Maharashtra

Ambarnath Temple in Maharashtra is dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to an inscription found in the temple, it was constructed in the year 1060 AD by King Mambani of Shilhat. Local residents of this place consider this temple as Pandavari. It is said that five Pandava brothers built it in one single night.

2. Brihadeshwara Temple, Tamilnadu

Brihadheshwara Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu is a wonderful example of Chola architecture. It was built by Chola ruler Raj Raj Chola I, so it was named Raj Rajeshwar.

3. Kailash Temple, Maharashtra

The Kailash Temple is one of the famous tourist destinations in Maharashtra, which is located in the Ellora caves. This two-story temple of Lord Shiva is made by cutting the rocky rock of the mountain. This temple is famous for being the largest statue of the same stone rock built around the world. It took about 150 years to prepare this temple and about 7,000 workers continued to work on it.

4. Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu

The construction of this temple was done with granite in the time of Narasimhavarman II. It is named as shore as it overlooks the shore of Bay of Bengal Bay. This is the oldest example in the list of structural temples. These temples have been included under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list and are dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

5. Somnath Temple, Gujarat

Somnath Temple is counted in 12 Jyotirlingas. It is said about this temple located in Vairaval of Gujarat, Saurashtra that it was built by Chanddev himself. It is also mentioned in the Rig Veda. It has been destroyed 17 times so far and it was rebuilt every time.

6. Chennakesava Temple, Belur, Karnataka

This temple was built during the Hoysala Empire around the 10th Century. The temple is considered the best example of the beautiful architecture of that era. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

7. Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

There is no historical proof about the age of this temple, but for a thousand years, Kedarnath has been an important pilgrimage. According to one belief, the present temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century which is adjacent to the temple built by the Pandavas in the Dwapar period. There is some inscription in the Pali or Brahmi script on the large gray-colored stairs of the temple, which is difficult to know clearly. This temple is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas.

8. Kumbeswarar Temple, Kumbakonam, Tamilnadu

This Chola temple, built in the 9th century, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple Spreads in 30,181 sq. ft and houses four gateway towers are known as gopurams.

9. Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Tamilnadu

The Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple was built centuries ago by King Krishnavarma. He was a staunch devotee of Varadharaja Perumal. According to legend, when the King of the neighboring kingdom attacked King Krishnavarma, this god had helped this king and saved Krishnavarma from his foe. In the honor of God, the king built this temple. The king also built a city around this temple, which came to be known as Viraraghavapuram. This temple is situated on the banks of the river Thamirabarani.

10. Badami Temple, Karnataka

Badami is a town in the Bagalkot district in the northern part of Karnataka, India. This city is also known as Vataapi. From the 6th to the 8th century the Chalukya Dynasty was the capital. Vataapi surrounded by golden sandstone cliffs located in the valley, which was the name of Badami, is one of the ancient places of South India, there is a large number of temples built here. Badami is famous for its beautiful cave temples which are situated around the Agasthya lake.

11. Badrinath Mandir, Uttarakhand

Historically it is believed that it was a Buddhist stupa located in the hills of Uttarakhand. Adi Shankaracharya established it in the 8th century as a Hindu temple. Badrinath temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

12. Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

This is one of the oldest temples in the city of Bhubaneswar. This temple is dedicated to Lord Trimbuneshwar. The present form of this temple was made in 1090-1104, but some parts of it are more than 1400 years old. This temple is also mentioned in the 6th-century articles.

13. Shri Rangnath Swami Temple, Srirangam, Tamilnadu

Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple is called the largest temple of India according to the area. Its area is spread over 631,000 square meters. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is built in a Dravidian style. This temple has been a threat to natural disasters since ancient times. Also, here the Dutch, Portuguese, and British invaded many times.

14. Dwarkadhish Temple, Gujarat

It is believed that this temple was built by Vajra Nabh, the supporter of Krishna. In time, this temple was restored. The present form of the temple was built in the 16th century. This Shankaracharyaji established it as one of the four Dhams.

15. Brahma Temple, Pushkar, Rajasthan

Brahma Temple is located 11 km from Ajmer city of Rajasthan the only ancient Brahma temple in India has located far away from Pushkar. This temple is believed to be around 2000 years old. It is described in other texts, including Vidyapuraan.