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All over the globe, the place of worship or temple is one such place where people go to seek spiritual experience from time immemorial, the architectural, cultural and customary flavors of these temples remained unchanged.
Surprisingly, now there are many temples that are different from the traditional ones in their appearance or nature.
1. Bullet Baba temple, Rajasthan
Located near Chotila Village on the way to Pali from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Om Banasthan, or the Bullet Baba Temple is a shrine dedicated to Om Banaji. Om Banaji was the son of a village leader who had died after he lost control of his Royal Enfield and crashed into a tree about two decades back.
The bike was impounded and taken to the police station, only to return to the accident spot in the dark of the night. Police tried all that they could to stop the bike - they chained it at the police station, emptied the fuel tank - but to no avail. No matter what they did Om Bana's Bullet returned to the accident site in the dead of the night.
The local folks planted the same motorcycle as a deity on the very accident spot.
The news spread and people from villages in the area built a memorial - a temple to worship the Bullet motorcycle. Travellers pass by stop for a while to bow their heads at Bullet Baba's feet. Also, this shrine regularly sees a steady flow of visitors which mostly consist of trucks, buses and cab drivers who offer small prayers and liquor offerings while passing by.
2. Upside-down church, Calgary
Designed by Dennis Oppenheim, the Upside Down Church is located in Canada and it has certainly been a controversial work of art.
It was first unveiled to the public in the year 1997 during the Vancouver Biennale art fair. The sculpture have got mixed reviews from the very beginning. Some people have labeled the sculpture a blasphemy and others think it is just out of the box! However the one thing that most people agree on is that it most certainly attracts attention.
The church stood in Calgary for about five years but unfortunately it was removed in 2013 when the lease of the site where it stood ran out.
3. David Beckham Temple, Bangkok
Situated on the right side of the Wat Pariwat main altar, there is David Beckham image, covered in gold leaf and is holding it up what is he holding? with a long row of mythical figures. This temple has now been popularly known as 'David Beckham Temple.'
The figurine crafted by a fan with the agreement of the abbot in 1998, is just 30 cm high. It has in fact replaced a Garuda, one of those mythic winged creatures, in this anonymous looking temple.
4. Lego Church, Netherlands
Called Abondantus Gigantus, the Lego Church was built in 2011 around a 65-foot(20-meter) spire for the Grenswerk Festival, in the town of Enschede, Netherlands.
Although a mass was celebrated there at one point, the church was not really a church. It was created as a public venue designed to celebrate all sorts of things, from town meetings to raves to Lego building contests.
The spire and all its structure except the roof were constructed using concrete blocks similar to Lego or Duplo bricks. They were painted in the same five primary Lego colors that the Danish manufacturer uses on its basic sets.
After the festival ended, the building was disassembled and the blocks were safely stored for the upcoming festival in the coming years.
5. Karni Mata Temple (rat temple)
It's a rat temple! Karni Mata Temple is situated in a small town of Deshnok, which is about 30 kms south of Bikaner, Rajasthan. Dedicated to Goddess Karni, an incarnation of Maa Durga, the temple is also called the rat temple.
According to certain mythologies, when Goddess Karni's youngest son drowned, she asked Yama (the god of death) to bring him back to life. Lord Yama denied her request.
Thus, being an incarnation of Goddess Durga, she brought her son back to life. She then proclaimed that none of her family members would die and they would in fact incarnate in the form of rats.The temple dates back to 15th century and today, it houses around 20,000 rats that are fed, protected and worshipped. The leftovers are offered as Prasadas to the visitors.
6. Stambheshwar Mahadev, Kavi Kamboi, Gujarat
Also called 'the Disappearing Temple',the Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple is situated about 40 miles from Vadodara in the small town of Kavi Kamboi of Gujarat. The temple is located along the Bay of Khambat in the Arabian Sea.
The most interesting fact about this temple is that it can be visited only during the low tide hours. In the hours of high tides, the temple is mostly submerged. Thousands flock to this place frequently to watch the mesmerizing view of submerging or reemerging of the temple from the sea.
7. See-through church, Brussels
See-through church is a contemporary art based in Hasselt, Belgium. The church is 10 meters high and is made of 100 layers and 2000 columns of steel. It is designed by Belgian architect Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. Depending on the perspective of the viewer, the church is either perceived as a massive building or seems to dissolve - partly or entirely - in the landscape.
On the other hand, looking at the landscape from within the church, the surrounding countryside is redefined by abstract lines.
The design of the church is based on the architecture of the multitude of churches in the region, but through the use of horizontal plates, the concept of the traditional church is transformed into a transparent object of art.
8. Sachin Tendulkar temple, Bihar
A temple for Sachin Tendulkar came in 2013 in a Bihar village with a life-sized statue of the cricketer. The white marble statue was erected amid the chanting of Vedic prayers in Atarwalia, the village of Bhojpuri film star Manoj Tiwari in Kaimur district.
"It is a small gesture for the 'God of Cricket'," Tiwari told media in the village. Tiwari said Tendulkar, who played his last cricket match for India against West Indies in Mumbai, was "an incarnation of God in the world of cricket."
The white marble statue, which dons the official blue jersey of the Indian national cricket team, weighs 850kg and was crafted at Rajasthan's Nathdwara at the cost of 8.5 lakh. It has been installed on a 10-feet high brick platform.
Surprisingly, now there are many temples that are different from the traditional ones in their appearance or nature.
1. Bullet Baba temple, Rajasthan
Located near Chotila Village on the way to Pali from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Om Banasthan, or the Bullet Baba Temple is a shrine dedicated to Om Banaji. Om Banaji was the son of a village leader who had died after he lost control of his Royal Enfield and crashed into a tree about two decades back.
The bike was impounded and taken to the police station, only to return to the accident spot in the dark of the night. Police tried all that they could to stop the bike - they chained it at the police station, emptied the fuel tank - but to no avail. No matter what they did Om Bana's Bullet returned to the accident site in the dead of the night.
The local folks planted the same motorcycle as a deity on the very accident spot.
The news spread and people from villages in the area built a memorial - a temple to worship the Bullet motorcycle. Travellers pass by stop for a while to bow their heads at Bullet Baba's feet. Also, this shrine regularly sees a steady flow of visitors which mostly consist of trucks, buses and cab drivers who offer small prayers and liquor offerings while passing by.
2. Upside-down church, Calgary
Designed by Dennis Oppenheim, the Upside Down Church is located in Canada and it has certainly been a controversial work of art.
It was first unveiled to the public in the year 1997 during the Vancouver Biennale art fair. The sculpture have got mixed reviews from the very beginning. Some people have labeled the sculpture a blasphemy and others think it is just out of the box! However the one thing that most people agree on is that it most certainly attracts attention.
The church stood in Calgary for about five years but unfortunately it was removed in 2013 when the lease of the site where it stood ran out.
3. David Beckham Temple, Bangkok
Situated on the right side of the Wat Pariwat main altar, there is David Beckham image, covered in gold leaf and is holding it up what is he holding? with a long row of mythical figures. This temple has now been popularly known as 'David Beckham Temple.'
The figurine crafted by a fan with the agreement of the abbot in 1998, is just 30 cm high. It has in fact replaced a Garuda, one of those mythic winged creatures, in this anonymous looking temple.
4. Lego Church, Netherlands
Called Abondantus Gigantus, the Lego Church was built in 2011 around a 65-foot(20-meter) spire for the Grenswerk Festival, in the town of Enschede, Netherlands.
Although a mass was celebrated there at one point, the church was not really a church. It was created as a public venue designed to celebrate all sorts of things, from town meetings to raves to Lego building contests.
The spire and all its structure except the roof were constructed using concrete blocks similar to Lego or Duplo bricks. They were painted in the same five primary Lego colors that the Danish manufacturer uses on its basic sets.
After the festival ended, the building was disassembled and the blocks were safely stored for the upcoming festival in the coming years.
5. Karni Mata Temple (rat temple)
It's a rat temple! Karni Mata Temple is situated in a small town of Deshnok, which is about 30 kms south of Bikaner, Rajasthan. Dedicated to Goddess Karni, an incarnation of Maa Durga, the temple is also called the rat temple.
According to certain mythologies, when Goddess Karni's youngest son drowned, she asked Yama (the god of death) to bring him back to life. Lord Yama denied her request.
Thus, being an incarnation of Goddess Durga, she brought her son back to life. She then proclaimed that none of her family members would die and they would in fact incarnate in the form of rats.The temple dates back to 15th century and today, it houses around 20,000 rats that are fed, protected and worshipped. The leftovers are offered as Prasadas to the visitors.
6. Stambheshwar Mahadev, Kavi Kamboi, Gujarat
Also called 'the Disappearing Temple',the Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple is situated about 40 miles from Vadodara in the small town of Kavi Kamboi of Gujarat. The temple is located along the Bay of Khambat in the Arabian Sea.
The most interesting fact about this temple is that it can be visited only during the low tide hours. In the hours of high tides, the temple is mostly submerged. Thousands flock to this place frequently to watch the mesmerizing view of submerging or reemerging of the temple from the sea.
7. See-through church, Brussels
See-through church is a contemporary art based in Hasselt, Belgium. The church is 10 meters high and is made of 100 layers and 2000 columns of steel. It is designed by Belgian architect Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. Depending on the perspective of the viewer, the church is either perceived as a massive building or seems to dissolve - partly or entirely - in the landscape.
On the other hand, looking at the landscape from within the church, the surrounding countryside is redefined by abstract lines.
The design of the church is based on the architecture of the multitude of churches in the region, but through the use of horizontal plates, the concept of the traditional church is transformed into a transparent object of art.
8. Sachin Tendulkar temple, Bihar
A temple for Sachin Tendulkar came in 2013 in a Bihar village with a life-sized statue of the cricketer. The white marble statue was erected amid the chanting of Vedic prayers in Atarwalia, the village of Bhojpuri film star Manoj Tiwari in Kaimur district.
"It is a small gesture for the 'God of Cricket'," Tiwari told media in the village. Tiwari said Tendulkar, who played his last cricket match for India against West Indies in Mumbai, was "an incarnation of God in the world of cricket."
The white marble statue, which dons the official blue jersey of the Indian national cricket team, weighs 850kg and was crafted at Rajasthan's Nathdwara at the cost of 8.5 lakh. It has been installed on a 10-feet high brick platform.
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