Dilwara or Delvada Temple is a group of "Svetambara" Jain temples located about 2 1⁄2 km from the locality of Mount Abu in the Shirohi district, the only summer resort in Rajasthan. The earliest were built by Bhima Shah and are said to have been designed or at least funded by Jain "Dholka" Minister - Vastupala. From the 11th to the 16th centuries, it formed some of the most famous monuments in the style of "Māru-Gurjara" architecture, famous for its use of very pure white marble and intricate marble carvings. The ancient Jain temple of Delwara, now completely abandoned, is believed to have been built during the reign of Emperor Samprathi (224-215 BC). It is said that the Minister of Gujarat's Solanki ruler visited these temples in the 11th and 13th centuries AD and was very impressed with the architecture and sculpture of the temples. At the request of these visiting ministers, the rulers of Delwara (Mewar) at the time provided the designs and drawings of Jain temples. When the commander-in-chief of Bhimadev I (1022–64) Vimal Shah came to Delwara, he was inspired by Jain Acharya to wash out his sins perpetrated in the battle fields. Therefore, he built a replica of the Delwara (Mewar) Jain temple, known as Vimal Vasahi (Shri Adinath temple), near Mount Abu and repented and spent the rest of his life in religious discourse at Chandravati (near Abu road). Then in 1230 AD, the two Porwad brothers – Vastupal and Tejpal, both ministers of the Vaghela ruler of Gujarat, came to Delwara. They also built a Jain temple designed after the Temple of Vimal Vasahi near Abu. These five temples further became known as the Dilwara Temple because of their design and architecture resembling the temple of Delwara (Mewar). These temples are a complex group of five temples with unique identity. Each temple is further named after the small village in which it is located. (Credit: Delwara and Dilwara_Temples, Wiki) [Image: Central Dome, Adeshwar Jain Temple at Delwara]
Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi in Karnataka, India, in the district of Ballari. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a form of Shiva. The temple was built by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Deva Raya II also known as Prauda Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire. Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi, and had been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the centuries. It is intact among the surrounding ruins and is still used in worship . The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha/Pampa pathi, as the consort of the local goddess Pampadevi who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. There is also a Virupakshini Amma temple (mother goddess) in a village called Nalagamapalle, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, approximately 100 km from Tirupati. (Credit: Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Wikipedia) (Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Virupaksha_Temple_from_the_top.JPG ) #Temples#IncredibleTemples#Bharat#India#BharatiyaVastukula
Brihadishvara #Temple (originally known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil), locally known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, and also called Rajarajeswaram, is a #Shaivite Dravidian styled temple dedicated to Shiva located in South bank of #Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture. It is called as Dakshina Meru (Meru of south). Built by #Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples", along with the Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple that is about 70 kilometres (43 mi) and 40 kilometres (25 mi) to its northeast respectively. (Wikipedia, Brihadisvara_Temple,_Thanjavur) (Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brihadeeswara_Temple_Gopuram_at_Night.jpg )