Hindu temples in the South Indian tradition
The Sri Markendeshvarar Temple in Penang is a fine example of a South Indian-style 'male' temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Temples are called aalayam or kovil in Tamil. The word aalayam comes from anma which means 'soul' and layam which means 'a place where one's anma can find sanctuary'. Similarly, ko means 'God' and vil or il means 'place'; thus, kovil means 'God's abode'. As most Malaysian Hindus are of southern Indian descent, the majority of Hindu temples in Malaysia are built according to the South Indian tradition.
- Information in the full article includes
- A timeless art form
- The structure of a temple
- The outer structure