(1) Since Mandir or temple is te place of for worship, many times this word is used as a simile for somebody's house also to give the person an honor, for example, "Your house is like a Mandir for us" - means it is like worshipping place or very holy place for us.

(2) Temples, or shrines where an idol of deity, or a group of idols of deities are kept and worshipped daily by a priest and/or devotees. India is a land of temples and there are many temples which have their special significance and thus are most visited.

Vishwanaath Temple, Vaaraanasee - A Shiv Temple built in 1777. The original temple was destroyed in the 12th century and was replaced by a mosque. Was rebuilt in 16th century and again was destroyed within a century. The present one was built in 1777 by Ahilyaa Baaee of Indore. The gold plating on the roof was provided by Mahaaraajaa Ranjeet Sinh in 1835. Only Hindoos are allowed inside.

Raam Raajaa Temple, Orchhaa, MP - It is in a village. Following the appearance of Raam in a dream, Madhukar Shaah brought an image of the God from Ayodhyaa and placed it in a palace prior to its installation in the temple. However, when the temple was ready, it proved impossible to shift the image and the King remembered, only too late, the Divine instruction that the Deity must remain in the place where it was first installed. It is the only palace-turned-temple in the country where Raam is worshipped as king.

Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchhaa, MP - Built by Madhukar Shaah for his queen Kunvaaree to house the image of Raam brought from Ayodhyaa. From the top of the temple it is possible to see 9 palaces.

Khajuraaho Temples, MP - Built between 950-1050 AD. Of the original 85 temples, the 25 surviving are among the finest in India. Built of a fine sandstone from Pannaa (emerald) in shades ranging from pink through buff to pale yellow, although granite has also been used in a few. Lost through centuries, they were accidentally discovered by a British army engineer in 1838. The name Khajuraaho is derived from Khajoor (date palm) which grows freely in that area. There are three groups of temples. The other two groupd of temples are remarkable and pleasing in their own right but not a match for the Western Group. - (1) Western Group - Varaah Temple, Lakshman Temple, kandareeya Mahaadev Temple, Jagadambee Temple, Chitragupt Temple, Vishwanaath Temple, Nandee Pavillion, Matangeshwar Temple, (2) Eastern Group - Ghantaee temple, Jaaveree Temple, Vaaman Temple, Brahmaa Temple, Three Jain Temples (Paarshwanaath, Aadinaath, Shaantinaath). (3) Southern Group - Dulaadev Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple,

Temples in Chambaa, HP - Gauree Shankar Shrine (11th century); Lakshmee Naaraayan Temple (14th century); Hari Raaya Temple (14th century) contains 338 kg 11th century bronze statue of Vaikunth.

Jagannaath Temple in Puree, Udeesaa - (built in 1100) Figures of Krishn, Balabhadra and Subhadraa. The extraordinary thing, according to legend, is the unfinished work of the craftsman god Vishwakarmaa, who in anger left the portrayal of Lord Krishn incomplete. Non-Hindu are not allowed in the Temple. Some call it "White Pagoda" and the Konaark Temple as "Black Pagoda". Chandan Yaatraa is held in mid-Apr - this lasts for 21 days;  Rath Yaatraa is held in Jun-Jul.

Soorya Temple in Konaark, Udeesaa - (built in 1250) As legend goes, once Krishn cursed His son Saamb and he suffered from leprosy for 12 years before being cured by Soorya Dev and so he built this Temple. Otherwise this Temple was built by King Langulaa Narasinh Dev in the 13th century, although there may have been an older, 9th century, temple here. Built of Khondalite, it is said to have taken 1,200 masons 16 years to complete. The image of the Deity has long been removed from the Temple so now it is no longer regarded as a holy place. In its NE corner there is a building in which Nava Graha are housed, removed from the main temple, and Priests take care of them. To the W of the temple is Jagamohan (39m high dominant building). To the temple's East is another huge building - that is 60m high.

This Temple is built in the form of a war chariot. 12 pairs of great wheels, symbolizing the 12 months (24 fortnights), the 8 spokes in each wheel (the division of the day - 8 Prahar) sculpted on either side of the 4m high platform on which the Temple stands. In front of the East entrance a team of 7 horses each representing a day of the week. While going around the platform, it is well worth examining the wheels. Intricately carved, each 16-spoked wheel is shown with its axle, a decorated hub, and an axle pin.

One of the remarkable features of the Temple is that the skill and quality of the craftsmanship is displayed down to tiny details of stone carving. It is impossible to see everything of note in a short visit. On the narrow plinth alone, at the base of the platform, are carvings of over 1,700 elephants and each elephant is different.

Temples in Bhuvaneshwar, Udeesaa - Parashuraameshwar Temple; Swarn Jaleshwar Temple; Mukteshwar Temple, Siddheshwar Temple; Raaj-raanee Temple; Brahmeshwar Temple; Shatrughneshwar Temple Group; Ling Raaj Temple.

Temples in Bihaar - (1) Vishnupad Temple in Gayaa - supposed to have been built on the footprint of Vishnu imprinted on a rock inside set in a silver basin. 30m high temple has 8 rows of beautifully carved pillars supporting the Mandap. Only Hindu are allowed to enter. There is an Akshaya Vat tree in the Temple ground, where the final Poojaa for the dead takes place. It is believed to be the one under which Buddha meditated for 6 years. (2) Soorya Temple in Dev - Temple of Soorya Dev. Crowd gathers on Chhat (Shashthee) Poojaa day.

Temples in Tamil Naadu - (1) Mahaabalipuram Temple - Shore Temple built during the reign of Nrasinhvarman II in the 8th century. (2) Kailaashnaath Temple - in Kaancheepuram, built by Nrasinhvarman II in 8th century AD where Sanskrit and the Ved were studied. (3) Jambookeshwar - near Trichiraapallee  (4) Chidaambaram (5) Tirumalai (6) Airaavateshwar Temple - at Daaraasuram in Thanjaavar District in the 12th Century towards the end of Chole rule under the King Raajraajaa II is a more complete example of the period. (7) Raameshwaram Temple - in Raameshwaram. Open courtyards, trefoil arches, and chariot forms became the distinguishing features. (8) Paarathaasaarathee Temple - in Madraas, from the 8th century AD, is the oldest Temple structure in Madraas. It shows five of Vishnu's 10 incarnations and is the only one dedicated for Paarathaasaarathee (charioteer of Paarth, means Arjun). (9) Kapileshwar Temple - in Madraas, a 16th century Shiv Temple with a 40m Gopuram. Built after the original was destroyed by the Portugese in 1566 on an older site, which may date back to the 7th century. It is very sacred to Shaivites so non-Hindoos are not allowed to enter

(8) From the 13th century large temples were stopped for 200 years, but by the 15th century their temple design changed. Along with the main shrine, a subsidiary temple was also built, usually in the Northwest side, to house the consort of the main Deity and to celebrate their marriage anniversary. A many-pillared open hall with a central altar, or Kalyaan Mandir, made its appearance close to to the entrance. Temples at Kaancheepuram, Sreerangam and Velloor temples are built on this Vijayanagar style. Sreerangam Temple is the best example of this design. Its Sheshgiri Mandap is like that.

Temples in Keral - To keep off the rain they built their temples with functional tiled house roof, sometimes covered in metal sheets, occasionally golden as in the case of Guruvayoor. Pagoda type tiered roof with gable windows are distinctive of the style as is the circular plan of some Keral temples.