Going to the Temple Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baha'i

The Baha'i faith was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in the mid-19th century in Iran. It is a monotheistic religion that considers all major religious figures like Buddha, Moses and Muhammad to be manifestations of the same god.

The Lotus Temple is a Baha'i House of Worship. As taught by the faith, followers of any religion are welcome to worship and meditate here. There are no images or idols within the temple. Built out of white marble, the temple has 27 petals which form the lotus structure.

Answer: Chariot

The Konark Sun Temple dates back to the 13th century. Located in the city of Puri on India's eastern coast, it derives its name from the Sanskrit words for angle (kona) and sun (arka). While a notable part of the structure is in ruins, the remains show that the temple was constructed in the shape of a chariot with big wheels and drawn by horses.

The entire edifice is built out of stone. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

Answer: Hair

Officially named Venkateswara Temple, it is popularly known as the Tirupati Balaji temple after its location in Tirupati and the deity Balaji. Venkateswara is considered a manifestation of the Hindu god, Vishnu and is also known by the alternate names of Balaji and Srinivasa. Most of the devotees who make a visit to this temple, have their heads tonsured at the premises and make an offering of the hair.

The temple is said to collect over a ton of human hair each year. The offering of the hair is traced back to a legend where the god Venkateswara got a bald patch after being hit on the head by a shepherd.

A princess of the region gave a part of her hair to help cover his bald scalp. Pleased with her offering, Venkateswara asked all his devotees to offer him their hair and he then presented it to the princess.

This tradition has since continued.

Answer: Sikhism

Sri Harmindar Sahib is a gurudwara in Amritsar, Punjab which is known as the Golden Temple because of its colour. Sikh places of worship are called gurudwaras and Sri Harmindar Sahib translates to the "home of God". The Golden Temple is also home to the 'Akal Takht' or the 'throne of the eternal one'.

It is therefore considered a symbol of God's authority over the world. As with all gurudwaras, people of all faiths are welcome at the Golden Temple and can also eat at the langar, a free meal prepared and served by volunteers at the temple.

Answer: No

The fire temple houses the sacred fire which is worshipped by Zoroastrians. These places of worship are also known as agiary, a term derived from the Gujarati language. When Zoroastrians fleeing religious persecution in their native Persia (now Iran) first arrived in India, they landed on the western coast at the present day state of Gujarat. The town of Udhvada in Gujarat is said to house the most sacred fire in India which contains the ash brought over from Persia.

Unlike the places of worship of other religious communities, fire temples are only open to those practicing the Zoroastrian faith. Even Zoroastrian women who marry men from other religious backgrounds are not allowed to enter the fire temple after their marriage.

Answer: Sikhism

The Ajanta and Ellora cave monuments are located in Aurangabad in western India. They have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. They were initially carved out of the rock by Buddhist monks. Later some Jain and Hindu temples were also carved alongside. The caves also functioned as monasteries for the monks to live in.

Sikhism was founded much later in the 15th century in the northern part of India and later spread to other regions.

Answer: On a hill

The Palitana temples are built on the Shatrunjaya hill in the city of Palitana in Gujarat. To reach the main temple, the devotees climb over 3000 steps. The temple complex has 863 individual temples ranging in different sizes. Interestingly, there is also a shrine dedicated to a Muslim saint among the temples.

It is claimed that this saint helped protect the temples during various invasions by Muslim rulers.

Answer: Kedarnath

The Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva, one of the three deities forming the Hindu triumvirate. It is located within the Himalayas at a height of around 11,750 feet. Given its location, it is accessible only for six months of the year. For the remaining six months, the idols are brought down to Ukhimat, which is at an elevation of 4,000 feet and worshipped there.

Answer: Monkeys

The Galtaji Temple is located a short distance away from Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan. The complex is home to many temples all built within the Aravalli Hills. Within this structure there many small pools formed by a natural spring flowing from the hills. These are used by devotees to bathe before performing any of the temple rituals.

A large tribe of monkeys of the Rhesus macaque species have made their home within this temple complex. This has led to the temple being nicknamed the "Monkey Temple".

Answer: Musical pillars

Hampi is located in southern India in the state of Karnataka. Now left in ruins, the city was once an important centre of the flourishing Vijayanagara Empire. At its peak, it was probably one of the largest cities of the region and was visited by Europeans and Persians.

As indicated by the name, the Vittala Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god, Vittala, who is considered a form of the better known deity, Krishna. The temple has a stone chariot within its complex. However, its most famous aspect are the musical pillars. The temple complex has 56 pillars which when struck at particular spots produce music. In addition, each pillar strikes a different note. When India was under British rule, some of the pillars were broken to check if there were any hidden musical instruments but none were found. The music is considered to be produced by the resonant stone from which these pillars were carved.