Hindu temples are not just places for divinity and worship, but they are a source of power, enlightenment and place of emotions for the Hindus. The mythological tales, the age old customs, rituals and the faith are results of the creation of so many temples in the world. As a religious section, the Hindus take their worship and place of worship very seriously. The temples are therefore a reflection of their devotion and they are popular sites for everyone. A lot of these temples are massive, extravagant and the historic elements and style of architecture should be appreciated. If you are searching for the world’s largest Hindu temples then you are at the correct place. In this article I will list down the largest Hindu temples in the world.
Anytime you are in a particular city or country, these biggest temples in the world should definitely be in your list of must visit places. So let’s get going with the list now.
15 Largest Hindu Temples in the World
Pashupatinath Temple
Area of Pashupatinath Temple: 600 acres
Locatione: Nepal
Timings: 4 am to 9 pm
The Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal is also among the oldest Hindu temples. The foundation of this temple goes back to 400 BC. The whole temple complex is sprawled across an area of 600 acres. The temple on the bank of Bagmati River is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is extravagant and massive in structure with inscriptions and intricate carvings, shrines and images of Gods and Goddesses.
The main temple is built in the Pagoda style of Nepali Architecture. The two level roofs are gold plated. The 4 main doors are all covered with silver sheets. The temple also contains a golden peak. During the massive 2015 Nepal earthquake, even though almost a majority of buildings and structures were destroyed, the main temple complex and the inner Garbhagriha that is the sanctum sanctorum were completely untouched. This temple is surely one of the must visit temples in the world.
Angkor Wat
Area of Angkor Wat: 500 acres
Location: Cambodia
Timing: 5 am to 5:30 pm
The area of this temple is 500 acres and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the world’s largest religious monument The Cambodian flag also has the Angkor Wat in it. The temple was created and dedicated to Lord Vishnu and was created during the Khmer empire during the 12th century. The temple complex was built for king Suryavarman II in his capital city as his state temple. The main structure is made of sandstone and laterite soil is used for the outer walls.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
Area of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple: 156 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 7:30 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm
The architectural brilliance, the vast area sprawling across 156 acres, and the massiveness of the structure makes this one of the most beautiful temples. It comes into the list of largest temples in the world and is the largest temple in India. The temple complex is huge and is enclosed by seven concentric walls known as Prakarams. These walls are further enclosed by 21 Gopurams. The complex in itself seems like a whole city. However the whole temple complex is not used for religious purposes. The first 3 concentric walls are used for commercial purposes like flower markets, restaurants, hotels and residential houses.
The presiding deity here is Lord Mahavishnu who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. It has a total of 21 towers, 81 shrines, 39 pavilions and innumerable water tanks in the premises. This temple in Trichy, Tamil Nadu attracts a lot of visitors because it is also one of the eight self manifested or Swayam Vyakta Kshetras of Lord Vishnu. The deity of Lord Mahavishnu is in a reclining Adishesha position here.
Akshardham Temple
Area of Akshardham Temple: 100 acres
Location: Delhi
Timings: 8 am to 10 pm
The Akshardham Temple is a fairly new construction in Delhi on the banks of Yamuna and sprawls across an area of 100 acres. Also known as the Delhi Akshardham or Swaminarayan Akshardham, the temple reflects the Hindu culture and architecture at its best. The temple was constructed under the guidance of Pramukh Swami Maharaj who is the spiritual head of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. The whole temple was constructed by more than 7000 artisans and 3000 volunteers. The complex has one Abhishekh Mandap, a thematic garden, Sahaj Anand Water Show, a cultural boat ride and an IMAX theatre inside the premises. There are different exhibition halls as well, which is another major tourist attraction.
Read More:- TEMPLES IN DELHI TO VISIT
Nataraja Temple
Area of Nataraja Temple: 40 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 12:30 pm and 4:45 pm to 9 pm
The temple is also known as Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja Temple or the Chidambaram Temple. Situated in the temple town of Chidambaram in East Tamil Nadu, this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Nataraja. The roof of the main sanctum is gold plated. The deity also is represented by Air which is one of the five elements of the universe or the Pancha Bhoota Sthala. Therefore the Shiva deity here is known as the Akash Lingam. The wall carvings on the temple elaborate Bharata Muni’s 108 Karanas from Natya Shastra. These postures are the main postures of Bharatnatyam Dance form. This is truly one of the largest temples in the world on the basis of area used for religious purposes.
There are 5 main halls of this temple. These are the Nritya Sabha, Kanaka Sabha, Deva Sabha, Cit Sabha, and Raja Sabha. In the golden hall Lord Shiva is presented in the form of performing the Ananda Tandav. The temple also has other deities like Ganesha, Murugan, Sivakami Amman, Govindaraja Perumal and Vishnu.
Belur Math
Area of Belur Math: 40 acres
Location: Howrah, West Bengal
Timings: 6:30 am to 11:30 am and 4 pm to 9 pm
The headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission is Belur Math. This was founded by Swami Vivekannada. On the bank of Hooghly River, Belur Math is the centre for Ramakrishna movement. The unique architectural brilliance, the carvings as well as the presence of symbols of all religions in the carvings of the temple makes it a unique religious monument.
While Swami Vivekanda was wandering around the world he visited different monuments and incorporated a lot of its style in the construction of Belur Math. Medieval, Renaissance, Modern and Gothic style of architecture are mixed while creating the design of this temple. One of the brother monks of Swamiji, Swami Vijanananda designed this temple. He was a civil engineer in his pre monastic life. Belur Math is proclaimed as “A Symphony in Architecture” by Ramakrishna Mission. The architecture here reflects a mix of Hindu, Islamic, Christian, Buddhist and Rajpur styles. There is a museum inside the complex and also has separate temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna Dev, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda.
Read More:- TEMPLES OF ASSAM | ASSAM FAMOUS TEMPLES
Annamalaiyar Temple
Area of Annamalaiyar Temple: 25 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 5:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm
The Annamalaiyar Temple is the second largest temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was built during the reign of the Chola Dynasty around 9th century. It is the second largest temple by the measurement of area used in the temple for religious purposes. The temple has 4 stately towers and four high walls made of stones on all sides. These towers and its formation almost make it look like a fort. The eleven tiered eastern tower is the highest one with a height of 66m and is known as Rajagopuram. This temple is also represented as one of the Pancha Bhootha Stahalas and represents Agni or fire element.
Brihadeeswarar Temple
Area of Brihadeeswarar Temple: 25 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 12:30 pm and 4pm to 8:30 pm
The area of this temple is huge, spreading across 25 acres. The magnificent structure of this temple is located on the banks of the Cauvery River in Thanjavur. The temple is also known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, Rajarajeswaram and Peruvudaiyar Kovil. The temple was constructed following the Dravidian style of architecture during the Chola reign of Rajaraja I. This is another one of theUNESCO World Heritage Sites as well. This is also one temple of the “Great Remaining Chola Temples”.
The temple was built around 11th century but was damaged later on. Some of the constructions here were later added during the 16th century. The Vimana Tower made of granite is one of the tallest in South India. The temple also has massive corridors and the Shiva Linga is one of the largest in India. Other than Lord Shiva the temple also has shrines of Parvati, Murugan, Nandi, Vinayagar, Chandikeshwar etc.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Area of Dakshineswar Kali Temple: 25 acres
Location: West Bengal
Timings: 6 am to 12:30 pm and 3 pm 8:30 pm
The Dakshineswar Temple was constructed in the year 1855 by a Zamindar philanthropist Rani Rashmoni, on the banks of the Hooghly River. It is one of the Navaratna Temples. This is one of the most popular temples in West Bengal because of Sri Ramakrishna Dev who was a priest in this temple. He met Swami Vivekananda for the first time here. The temple has a dedicated shrine of Maa Kali. The main temple is made of nine spires inspired by the Navaratna style of Bengal architecture. It is a three storeyed temple with a Garbha Griha with the idol of Maa Kali. The Goddess is worshipped here as Bhavatarini standing on top of Lord Shiva. The idol is placed on top of a silver lotus having one thousand petals.
The temple premise is huge and has 12 identical Shiva temples and a Radha Krishna temple as well. The premise also includes a bathing ghat along the river side. In the extreme northwest there is Nahabat, which is a chamber behind the last Shiva temple. Sri Ramakrishna Dev and Sarada Devi have spent many years of their lives here.
Ekambareswarar Temple
Area of Ekambareswarar Temple: 23 acres
Location: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 12:30 pm and 4 pm to 8:30 pm
The Ekambareswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The beautiful temple holds a special significance in the life of Shaivites. The temple was originally constructed during the Pallava reign and later was modified by the Cholas. This temple also represents the Pancha Bhoota Sthala or the elements of life and represents the element Earth or “Prithvi”. The temple has four Gopurams or towers. The tallest tower known as the Rajagopuram has 11 stories and is one of the tallest temple towers in India.
Rajagopalaswamy Temple
Area of Rajagopalaswamy Temple: 23 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 12:30 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm
This temple is an important temple for the Vaishnavite. The presiding deity is Lord Krishna. This temple is also known as Dakshin Dwarka that is the Dwarka of the South. This is also the first of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram. The original temple was constructed by Kulothunga Chola I during the 10th century. The temple has a large Gopuram that is the Rajagopuram which is 192 ft. It also has a temple tank or Haridra Nadi outside the complex which is India’s largest temple tank.
The presiding deity of Lord Krishna here is 156 inches tall. He is seen in a seated position along with Rukmini and Satyabhama on both of his sides. The complex has a total of 16 Gopurams, 24 Shrines, 7 Prakarams or courtyards, 9 temple tanks and 7 Mandapams or Halls.
Varadharaja Perumal Temple
Area of Varadharaja Perumal Temple: 20 acres
Location: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 12 pm and 4 pm and 9:30 pm
This temple is a dedicated Vishnu Temple. The temple has around 350 inscriptions from different dynasties like the Pandya, Chola, Kakatiya, Hoysala, Vijayanagara etc. This temple was renovated and expanded during the Chola reign of Kulothunga Chola I and Vikrama Chola. The temple has 96 pillars with sculptures depicting the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The deity is placed in such a divine and systematic way that the sun rays fall on it making it look beautiful. The stone chain in the temple sculpted from a single stone is one of the major architectural brilliance.
Jambukeshwar Temple
Area of Jambukeshwar Temple: 18 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 8 pm
This is another temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Also known as the Thiruvanaikaval or Thiruvanaikal, this temple was constructed during the early reign of the Chola kingdom by Chola King Kochenga Chola around 18000 years ago. Located on Srirangam Island, the temple is an architectural brilliance. The view from here is wonderful and picture perfect.
Meenakshi Temple
Area of Meenakshi Temple: 17.3 acres
Location: Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Timings: 9 am to 7 pm
Meenakshi Amman Temple or Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is one of the most visited temples in India. This historically famous temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, another form of Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva is also worshipped here as Lord Sundareswarar. Located on the bank of Vaigai River, this temple spreads across 17 acres. This is one of the most visited temples in Madurai City. Many old traditional texts have a mention of this temple that shows how ancient this temple is. There are a total of 14 Gopurams or towers here. Two golden Gopurams here are for the main deities. They are elaborately sculpted and painted and show reflection of the ancient architectural skills. This is also one of the most powerful and popular temples of Goddess Shakti or Devi Temple.
Vaitheeswaran Temple
Area of Vaitheeswaran Temple: 15 acres
Location: Tamil Nadu
Timings: 6 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is worshipped here as Vaitheeswaran or the “God of Medicine” or “God of Healing”. The devotees here believe that praying to Lord Vaitheeswaran can cure them of their ailments and diseases. It is one of the Navagraha temples that is the temple of nine planets and is related to planet Mars. The temple has one five tiered gopuram and two inner gopurams.
The magnificent architectural style, the wall carvings, towering height and the majestic finery of these temples can be a soul stirring experience to embrace with your own eyes. The grand structures and the history attached to it will provide you experiences of a lifetime. So do visit the biggest temples in the world to witness the grandeur of structural mastery. The largest Hindu temples in the world should surely find a position in the list of your must visit places.
