Temple architecture in the Hindu tradition is connected to astronomy and sacred geometry. The temple is a representation of the macrocosm (the universe) as well as the microcosm (the inner space).
The Magadha empire rose with the Shishunaga dynasty in around 650 BC. The Ashtadhyayi of Panini, the great grammarian of the 5th century BC speaks of images that were used in Hindu temple worship. The ordinary images were called pratikriti and the images for worship were called archa (see As. 5.3.96-100). Patanjali, the 2nd century BC author of the Mahabhashya commentary on the Ashtadhyayi, tells us more about the images. Deity images for sale were called Shivaka etc., but an archa of Shiva was just called Shiva. Patanjali mentions Shiva and Skanda deities. There is also mention of the worship of Vasudeva (Krishna). We are also told that some images could be moved and some were immoveable. Panini also says that an archa was not to be sold and that there were people (priests) who obtained their livelihood by taking care of it.
Panini and Patanjali mention temples which were called prasadas. The earlier Shatapatha Brahmana of the period of the Vedas, informs us of an image in the shape of Purusha which was placed within the altar.
The Vedic books describe the plan of the temple to be square. This plan is divided into 64 or 81 smaller square, where each of these represent a specific divinity.
The Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur in Tamilnadu (11th century CE) is a collossal structure with a towering vimanam, and is considered to be a masterpiece of Chola architecture.
temple described as a sculptor's dream lived in stone, is built in the form of a chariot and is a grand specimen of Chola architecture, as are the Gangaikonda Choleeswaram and the Tribhuvanam temples.
The Hoysala temples of the earlier part of the 2nd millennium CE, display a unique architectural style, distinct from the Dravidian style that prevailed during this period in the neighboring state of Tamilnadu.
Temple of Hephaestus, an ancient Greek Doric temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BCE [western face depicted].
The majority of the main temples, along the major religions, are aligned in the cardinal directions, especially in a east-west axis which symbolically represents the sun's path, the "donor of life".
The First Temple was built in the 10th century BCE under King Solomon to replace the Tabernacle and was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
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