Thursday Doors

This is my second entry for Norm’s Thursday Doors Challenge. Here’s a link to Norm’s blog https://miscellaneousmusingsofamiddleagedmind.wordpress.com/2019/09/12/thursday-doors-september-12-2019/#respond

Here’s some pictures of doors for the home puja room or altar room for the Gods

Here are some pictures of the doors in two of my favorite temples in America. Hindu Temple of Atlanta of the Hindu god Venkateswara, built in 1990, is located in the city of Riverdale near Atlanta, Georgia. Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by followers of Hinduism who live in the Greater Atlanta area. The Hindu temple has two complexes – one complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the other with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. In addition to the presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities. It is also open to visitors from all faiths. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship, inaugurated on 26 August 2007 by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism headed by Mahant Swami Maharaj. The mandir located in the Lilburn suburb of Atlanta, was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is the largest mandir of its kind outside of India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish Limestone and Indian pink sandstone, situated on landscaped grounds spread over 30 acres. The mandir complex also includes a large assembly hall, family activity center, classrooms, and an exhibition on the key tenets of Hinduism. The mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors of any faith.

Hindu Temple of Atlanta Doors

 

Swami Narayan Mandir Doors

Here are some pictures of the doors in two of my favorite temples in India. Venkateswara Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and the Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Lord Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world. In 2016, it was reported that 27.3 million pilgrims visited the temple. It is around 435 km (270.3 mi) from Vijayawada, 571.9 km (355.4 mi) from Hyderabad, 138 km (85.7 mi) from Chennai, 291 km (180.8 mi) from Bangalore, and 781.2 km (485.4 mi) from Visakhapatnam. Vinayaka Temple or Sri Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple of Ganesha. It is located at Kanipakam in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is about 11 km from Chittoor and 68 km from Tirupati. According to the legend, there were three brothers who were mute, deaf and blind. They were digging a well to fetch water to their field. The device they were using fell into the well hitting hard object. When they dug further, blood started to gush out of the well and the three got rid of their disabilities. The villagers rushed to the spot and found deity of Ganesha. Villagers dug further, but they were not able to find the base of the deity. The deity sits in the well which is always full of waterThe temple was constructed in the early 11th century CE by the Chola king Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara dynasty. Vinayaka is the presiding deity of the temple. As per legend, it is believed that the deity is Svayambhu(Self-manifested). The deity is seen in the well, full of water always.

Tirupati Gate and Doors

Kanipakam Gate and Doors