Religious Architecture

So, as they taught us in school, information begins with a definition, "religious architecture is concerned with the design and construction of places of worship and/or sacred or intentional space, such as churches, mosques, stupas, synagogues and temples." We can, for the sake of understanding, divide this topic into 2 sub topics; Ancient Religious Architecture and Modern Religious Architecture. The names being self-explanatory, we can go in to deeper perspectives about them.

Ancient Religious Architecture: Considering that the word "ancient" is a part of the name, it is obvious, these structures are OLD!! It is believed that the ancient structures used to be the handsomest and the biggest before the sky-scrapers came into picture. These buildings, quintessentially, reflect trends of the times and the cultures in which they where made. Ancient religious architectures are the perfect "testament" to the creative and expressive abilities of the dwellers of those times. These structures are much more durable than even the strongest structures of modern times.

These structures still maintain the perfect "love affair" with historians, architects and architecture enthusiasts as well as anyone who sees the deeper meaning to what they see. Structures like Rosslyn Chapel, Temple Church, Khajuraho Temple, Temple of Karnak would prove that they can neither be ignored nor forgotten. These structures have their tumescent histories and interesting geographies that add mystique to their existence!!

Modern Religious Structures: Now, these structures have a modern touch to them and a spiritual twist to their tale. These structures testify to the fact that even modern generations have had "enlightenment" enough to be creative and uniquely expressive. These structures are not as huge as the ancient ones but they precis the sentiment well-enough. In fact, these structures have shown the ability of the modern generations to synchronize spirituality with relative reality. They hold faith that is uncanny to the ancient structures, but, let's face it, they can not be as intricate and as strong as their "elder brothers"!

The unfortunate fact being that these structures have not been successful at acquiring the kind of popularity as their ancient counterparts. They lack the stupor of mystique, familiarity and, in general, "the creepy feeling" that the ancient structures embodied with complete ease and grace. The historians are seen to have a weird "love-hate relationship" with these structures because "they are not exactly history yet, but they will be for generations to come".

Spirituality and religion are terms that no one has evaded. Whether you believe in it or not, "you can run, but you can not hide!". These structures have been known to add beauty to an otherwise flawless but mystery-less world of ours. Several interpretations and explanations for each one of them, modern or ancient, have led to so many stories and para-historical phenomena. I am just glad to know for a fact that even my children will have these stories to listen to, because the learning, in the end, is of prime importance.