Temples -1

...The temples are an integral part of Hindu society. Whole of the India is littered with temples, big and small; old and new; rich and not so rich. Some temples are very well known and rich beyond normal imagination. The Balaji Tirupati and Nathdwara are quite rich and have very large following of devotees. These devotees come from every nook and corner of India.

The temple system is very old in India but not as old Vedas, the word of God himself, which are not older than the multiple Vedic gods. There are no temples mentioned in either Vedas or Manusmriti. The temples made their entry about the same time as Buddhist Stupas. The Vedic gods had lost their importance along with animal sacrificing rites of Yagyas. With the entry of temples one thing happened, it was the demise of importance of Vedic gods like Indra, Agni, Varun and Mitra etc. But the Yagyas maintained their mystique and fascination though with limited animal sacrifice. More powerful and significant gods came into existence. The most famous of them is the trinity of Hindu pantheon, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. These gods were not nature specific like Indra and Agni but all powerful and looking after the affairs of whole of the world. These gods did not need animal sacrifices for their appeasement; Aartis could please them. Still all the rituals to please the gods were to be performed by a Brahman priests. The priests became divine middlemen between men and gods like in Vedic times.

.The functions of the trinity of gods are creation, nurturing and destruction. Brahma is the creator of the world, Vishnu nurtures the world and Mahesh (Shiva) is the destroyer of the world. The followers of Lord Vishnu are called Vashnavites and those of Lord Shiva are called Shaivites. Initially there were disagreements and tensions between these two cults but with the formation of trinity the tension disappeared and now there is no discernible antagonism between them. The followers Lord Vishnu are in majority and Shaivites are in minority, but generally there are worshippers who cut across this line. The worshipping of a different Hindu god is not a major or minor issue. This is proclaimed as an indicator of tolerance of Hindu religion not withstanding the fact that defiling untouchables are not allowed entry into pure and sacred temples. However any Hindu is free to worship any deity from Hindu pantheon, which is full of innumerable deities. With the increasing importance of minor Vedic and non-Vedic gods the idol worship came into existence...