Top 10 Largest Temples In The World

So, which is the world's largest temple? To respond to this inquiry, we must first define what a temple is. Although the term temple is generally used to describe a building used for religious or spiritual activities, not all religions use it. Since temples are rarely used in the Western Christian tradition, churches and cathedrals will not be included. In contrast, the term temple is used a lot in the Eastern Christian tradition.

Second, how should size be measured? The Akshardham Temple is the largest Hindu temple in the world, according to the Guinness World Record, but at least three other Indian temples claim to be the largest. It is even less apparent because these temples frequently form part of a larger complex.

10 Largest Temples in the World

• Angkor Wat Temple
• Karnak (Great Hypostyle Hall)
• Borobudur
• Akshardham Temple
• Sri Ranganathaswamy
• Jetavanaramaya
• Tikal (Temple IV)
• Temple of Saint Sava
• Temple of Christ the Saviour
• Baalbek

10. Baalbek

Baalbek, likewise called Heliopolis, is a fantastic archeological site in northeastern Lebanon. The Romans constructed three temples here over a two-century period beginning in the first century BC: Venus, Jupiter, and Bacchus.

The Jupiter temple was designed to be the largest temple in the Roman empire and was lined with 54 massive granite columns. Even though only six of these massive columns are still standing, they are still quite impressive. The Temple of Bacchus, built in 150 AD, is the site's best-preserved temple. The temple measures 36 meters wide by 69 meters long. Its walls are embellished by 42 Corinthian sections, 19 of which stay upstanding in place standing 19 meters (62 feet) high.

9. Temple of Christ the Saviour

The resurrected Temple of Christ the Saviour has had a brief but turbulent history. The Temple of Christ is One of Moscow's most imposing and controversial buildings. After Napoleon's defeat, it was ordered, but construction did not begin until 1839. It was demolished on Stalin's orders in 1931 to make way for a proposed Soviet Palace that was never built.

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The cathedral was given permission to be rebuilt by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990. The new cathedral, which was finished in 2000 and is loosely based on the original design, was built with modern building materials. It is the tallest Orthodox church in the world at 105 meters (344 feet).

8. Temple of Saint

The Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade is the world's largest Orthodox church structure. The Serbian Orthodox Church's founder is honored with its dedication. The church's construction started in 1985 and was mostly finished by 2004. The interior decorations have not yet been completed. It is typically referred to as a cathedral in English due to its size and significance, but since it does not serve as the seat of a bishop, it is technically not a cathedral.

It is referred to as a hram (temple) in Serbian. The church has a width of 81 meters (266 feet) and a length of 91 meters (299 feet). The main gold-plated cross on top of the dome, which stands 70 meters (230 feet) tall, extends the church 12 meters (39 feet) further. On the ground floor, it has a surface area of 3,500 m2.

7. Tikal (Temple IV)

Tikal was the largest city in the Mayan world from about Between the years 200 and 900 AD, an estimated 100,000 and 200,000 people lived there. There are six very large step pyramids at Tikal. The Temple-pyramid IV, the largest, was completed around 720 AD and stands some 72 meters (230 feet) tall.

Although the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan and one of the jungle-covered pyramids at El Mirador may have been taller in the past, Temple IV is now the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas. It is the largest temple built anywhere in the Maya region.

6. Jetavanaramaya

If measured by volume, the Jetavanaramaya in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is the largest stupa in the world. In the third century AD, king Mahasena constructed the temple, which took 15 years to complete. The construction used approximately 93.3 million baked bricks.

At the time of its completion, Jetavanaramaya stood at a height of 122 meters (400 feet), making it the third tallest building in the world after the pyramids of Giza. The dome itself has a diameter of about 95 meters (312 feet).

5. Sri Ranganathaswamy

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The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam is a significant shrine that welcomes millions of visitors and pilgrims each year. It is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is one of the world's largest temples, covering 156 acres (6,31,000 m2) in size. In point of fact, the temple easily qualifies as the world's largest continuously operating complex of Hindu temples.

The temple's oldest structure was built in the 10th century. There are 21 gopurams (towers), the largest of which is the Rajagopuram, which is in South India. Despite the fact that it was only completed in 1987, it has a height of 73 meters (240 feet) and was built in the 17th century.

4. Akshardham Temple

The spiritual organization BAPS completed the Akshardham temple in 2005. The decorations cost a lot of money. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is currently in charge of Swaminarayan Hinduism, was the inspiration for and moderater behind the building.

The central monument is 43 meters (141 feet) high, 96 meters (316 feet) wide, and 110 meters (370 feet) long. It has carved details of dancers, musicians, deities, flora, and fauna from top to bottom. It is entirely made of Carrara marble and pink sandstone from Rajasthan and has no support from steel or concrete.

3. Borobudur

The world's largest Buddhist temple can be found on the Indonesian island of Java, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta. The kingdom of Sailendra used approximately 2 million stone blocks to construct the temple over a 75-year period in the 8th and 9th centuries. There are three distinct groups of Borobodur: base, body, and top, which are comparable to a human body's three main divisions.

The base has walls that are 4 meters (13 feet) high and measure 123 x 123 meters (403.5 x 403.5 feet). There are approximately 2,500 m2 of total surface area. The body is made up of five square platforms, each of which has a lower height. A massive stupa with a central dome is at the top. From the ground, the dome is 35 meters (115 feet) high.

2. Karnak (Great Hypostyle Hall)

Karnak is one of Egypt's most impressive sites, despite its extensive destruction. It is the world's largest ancient temple complex and is the culmination of the efforts of several generations of Egyptian builders. There are actually several temples at Karnak.

The Hypostyle Hall, which measures 5,000 square meters (50,000 square feet), is one of Karnak's most well-known structures. A now-fallen roof was supported by 16 rows of 134 massive columns. The two middle rows are higher than the others by 24 meters (80 feet).

1. Angkor Wat Temple

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The vast Angkor Wat Temple complex in Cambodia contains the magnificent remains of several Khmer Empire capitals from the 9th to 15th centuries AD. These include the world's largest temple, the well-known Angkor Wat. The Angkor temple is elevated above the rest of the city on a terrace. It consists of three rectangular galleries that ascend to a central tower, one level above the other.

The Angkor Wat temple's outer gallery is 187 meters by 215 meters (or 614 by 705 feet). The following two galleries are connected to one another. It is 100 x 115 meters (328 x 377 feet) on the second level. A 60 x 60 meter (197 x 197 foot) square area serves as the inner gallery. The tower that stands 65 meters (213 feet) above the central shrine is tall.