A
temple (from the Latin word
templum)
is a structure reserved for religious or
spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice (Prasanna
Kumar 1996: 14). It is typically used for such buildings belonging to
all faiths where a more specific term such as church, mosque or synagogue is
not generally used in English. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among
religions with many modern followers, as well as other ancient religions such
as Ancient Egyptian
religion. The
temple, it is needless to say, is not an Indian invention (Adam 2007: 35)
