109-568: The Arattupuzha Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple situated at Arattupuzha in Thrissur district of Kerala in India , administered by Cochin Devaswom Board . According to legends, the antiquity of this temple dates back to 3000 years. The temple has been the host of the most ancient and well-known yearly Devamela , a festival when all gods and goddesses assemble at Arattupuzha . Sree Dharam Sastha
218-594: A Township Committee to a Mayor-Council form under the Faulkner Act . The new form of government took effect as of July 1, 2005. The Mayor-Council form of government is used by 71 of the state's 564 municipalities. In this form, the governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Township Council, each functioning as an independent branch of government, with all members elected at-large to four-year terms of office on
327-444: A Vishnu temple, Krishna temple, Rama temple, Narayana temple, Shiva temple, Lakshmi temple, Ganesha temple, Durga temple, Hanuman temple, Surya temple, etc. It is this garbha-griya which devotees seek for darsana (literally, a sight of knowledge, or vision ). Above the vastu-purusha-mandala is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara in north India, and Vimana in south India, that stretches towards
436-1234: A legislative capacity, setting policy. All officials are chosen at-large in partisan elections, with the executive serving a four-year term of office while the commissioners serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. As of 2024 , the County Executive is Daniel R. Benson ( D , Hamilton Township ) whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Mercer County's Commissioners are: Lucylle R. S. Walter (D, Ewing Township , 2026), Chair John A. Cimino (D, Hamilton Township, 2026), Samuel T. Frisby Sr. (D, Trenton , 2024), Cathleen M. Lewis (D, Lawrence Township , 2025), Vice Chair Kristin L. McLaughlin (D, Hopewell Township , 2024), Nina D. Melker (D, Hamilton Township , 2025) and Terrance Stokes (D, Ewing Township, 2024). Mercer County's constitutional officers are: Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello (D, Lawrence Township, 2025), Sheriff John A. Kemler (D, Hamilton Township, 2026) and Surrogate Diane Gerofsky (D, Lawrence Township, 2026). As of March 2011, there were
545-520: A non-partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is the Chief Executive of the Township and heads its Administration. The Mayor may attend Council meetings but is not obliged to do so. The Council is the legislative branch. Elections are held in odd-numbered years with three council seats up together and the two other seats (and the mayoral seat) up for election two years later. At
654-696: A 51.7% turnout. The Robbinsville Public School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade . As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 3,073 students and 253.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Sharon Elementary School with 1,005 students in grades PreK-4, Pond Road Middle School with 992 students in grades 5–8 and Robbinsville High School with 1,057 students in grades 9–12. Prior to
763-422: A Hindu temple project would start with a Yajamana (patron), and include a Sthapaka (guru, spiritual guide and architect-priest), a Sthapati (architect) who would design the building, a Sutragrahin (surveyor), and many Vardhakins (workers, masons, painters, plasterers, overseers) and Taksakas (sculptors). While the temple is under construction, all those working on the temple were revered and considered sacerdotal by
872-602: A Hindu yogin, states Gopinath Rao, one who has realised the Self and the Universal Principle within himself, there is no need for any temple or divine image for worship. However, for those who have yet to reach this height of realization, various symbolic manifestations through images, murtis and icons as well as mental modes of worship are offered as one of the spiritual paths in the Hindu way of life. Some ancient Hindu scriptures like
981-494: A UNESCO World Heritage site. The Indian rock-cut architecture evolved in Maharashtran temple style in the 1st millennium CE. The temples are carved from a single piece of rock as a complete temple or carved in a cave to look like the interior of a temple. Ellora Temple is an example of the former, while The Elephanta Caves are representative of the latter style. The Elephanta Caves consist of two groups of caves—the first
1090-507: A bed and meal to pilgrims. They relied on any voluntary donation the visitor may leave and to land grants from local rulers. Some temples have operated their kitchens on a daily basis to serve the visitor and the needy, while others during major community gatherings or festivals. Examples include the major kitchens run by Hindu temples in Udupi (Karnataka), Puri (Odisha) and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). The tradition of sharing food in smaller temple
1199-483: A brief introduction to 12 types of Hindu temples. Other texts, such as Pancaratra Prasada Prasadhana compiled by Daniel Smith and Silpa Ratnakara compiled by Narmada Sankara provide a more extensive list of Hindu temple types. Ancient Sanskrit manuals for temple construction discovered in Rajasthan, in northwestern region of India, include Sutradhara Mandana's Prasadamandana (literally, manual for planning and building
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#17329082151941308-498: A house or a palace. A house-themed temple is a simple shelter that serves as a deity's home. The temple is a place where the devotee visits, just like he or she would visit a friend or relative. The use of moveable and immoveable images is mentioned by Pāṇini . In the Bhakti school of Hinduism, temples are venues for puja , which is a hospitality ritual, where the deity is honored, and where devotee calls upon, attends to and connects with
1417-446: A main temple surrounded by smaller temples and shrines, but these are still arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. An important principle found in the layout of Hindu temples is mirroring and repeating fractal-like design structure, each unique yet also repeating the central common principle, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as "an organism of repeating cells". The ancient texts on Hindu temple design,
1526-596: A natural source of water is not present. Here too, they recommend that a pond be built preferably in front or to the left of the temple with water gardens. If water is neither present naturally nor by design, water is symbolically present at the consecration of the temple or the deity. Temples may also be built, suggests Visnudharmottara in Part III of Chapter 93, inside caves and carved stones, on hill tops affording peaceful views, on mountain slopes overlooking beautiful valleys, inside forests and hermitages, next to gardens, or at
1635-455: A number of ways. For example, one method of classification is the dimensionality of completion: Another way of classification is by the expressive state of the image: A Hindu temple may or may not include a murti or images, but larger temples usually do. Personal Hindu temples at home or a hermitage may have a pada for yoga or meditation, but be devoid of anthropomorphic representations of god. Nature or others arts may surround him or her. To
1744-448: A sacred space. It represents the triple-knowledge (trayi- vidya ) of the Vedic vision by mapping the relationships between the cosmos ( brahmaṇḍa ) and the cell (pinda) by a unique plan based on astronomical numbers. Subhash Kak sees the temple form and its iconography to be a natural expansion of Vedic ideology related to recursion, change and equivalence. In ancient Indian texts, a temple
1853-437: A social meaning. Some temples have served as a venue to mark festivals, to celebrate arts through dance and music, to get married or commemorate marriages, the birth of a child, other significant life events or the death of a loved one. In political and economic life, Hindu temples have served as a venue for succession within dynasties and landmarks around which economic activity thrived. Almost all Hindu temples take two forms:
1962-400: A symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while the circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other. The square is divided into perfect 64 (or in some cases 81) sub-squares called padas. Each pada is conceptually assigned to a symbolic element, sometimes in the form of a deity. The central square(s) of
2071-496: A temple). Manasara , a text of South Indian origin, estimated to be in circulation by the 7th century CE, is a guidebook on South Indian temple design and construction. Isanasivagurudeva paddhati is another Sanskrit text from the 9th century describing the art of temple building in India in south and central India. In north India, Brihat-samhita by Varāhamihira is the widely cited ancient Sanskrit manual from 6th century describing
2180-466: A total of 8,361 registered voters in Robbinsville Township, of which 2,186 (26.1%) were registered as Democrats , 2,068 (24.7%) were registered as Republicans and 4,101 (49.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated . There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens . In the 2020 presidential election , Joe Biden won the town 58.0% to 40.8%, a margin that was to the left of the state as
2289-578: A vote of 1,816 to 693 a measure that changed the township's name from Washington Township (the name of five other municipalities in New Jersey) to Robbinsville, named after a settlement within the township. The official changeover took place January 1, 2008, as signs and other items with "Washington" on them began to be changed. It is named for George R. Robbins , who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1855 to 1859 and lived in
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#17329082151942398-404: A whole. In the 2016 election , Hillary won the town 51.6% to 43.9%. In the 2012 presidential election , Democrat Barack Obama received 49.6% of the vote (3,332 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 49.1% (3,297 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (88 votes), among the 7,310 ballots cast by the township's 9,099 registered voters (593 ballots were spoiled ), for a turnout of 80.3%. In
2507-601: Is Be at the Center of it All . The township was incorporated as in 1859 as Washington Township . It changed its name to Robbinsville in 2008, the name of a settlement within the township , after the politician George R. Robbins . Robbinsville has the only team to reach the Little League Softball World Series four times in seven years. It is home to the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham , one of
2616-416: Is a yantra , a design laying out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, self-repeating structure derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles. The four cardinal directions help create the axis of a Hindu temple, around which is formed a perfect square in the space available. The circle of the mandala circumscribes the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as
2725-554: Is a large group of five Hindu caves and the second is a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The Hindu caves contain rock-cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva. A typical, ancient Hindu temple has a profusion of arts—from paintings to sculpture, from symbolic icons to engravings, from thoughtful layout of space to fusion of mathematical principles with Hindu sense of time and cardinality. Ancient Sanskrit texts classify murtis and images in
2834-457: Is a place of pilgrimage, known in India as a Tirtha . It is a sacred site whose ambience and design attempts to symbolically condense the ideal tenets of the Hindu way of life. In a Hindu temple, all the cosmic components that produce and maintain life are there, from fire to water, from depictions of the natural world to gods, from genders that are feminine or masculine to those that are everlasting and universal. Susan Lewandowski states that
2943-778: Is a spiritual destination for many Hindus, as well as landmarks around which ancient arts, community celebrations and the economy have flourished. Hindu temple architecture are presented in many styles, are situated in diverse locations, deploy different construction methods, are adapted to different deities and regional beliefs, and share certain core ideas, symbolism and themes. They are found in South Asia, particularly India and Nepal , Bangladesh , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , in Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia , Vietnam , Malaysia , and Indonesia , and countries such as Canada , Fiji , France , Guyana , Kenya , Mauritius ,
3052-470: Is considered the house of the god to whom it is dedicated. Hindu temple architecture, which makes extensive use of squares and circles, has its roots in Vedic traditions, which also influence the temples' construction and symbolism. Through astronomical numbers and particular alignments connected to the temple's location and the relationship between the deity and the worshipper, the temple's design also illustrates
3161-499: Is everywhere in a Hindu temple. Life principles such as the pursuit of joy, connection and emotional pleasure (kama) are fused into mystical, erotic and architectural forms in Hindu temples. These motifs and principles of human life are part of the sacred texts of the Hindus, such as its Upanishads; the temples express these same principles in a different form, through art and spaces. For example, Brihadaranyaka Upanisad (4.3.21) recites: In
3270-432: Is grand. In Hindu tradition, this is discarded in favor of an open and diffusive architecture, where the secular world was not separated from the sacred, but transitioned and flowed into the sacred. The Hindu temple has structural walls, which were patterned usually within the 64-grid, or other geometric layouts. Yet the layout was open on all sides, except for the core space with a single opening for darsana. The temple space
3379-405: Is laid out in a series of courts ( mandapas ). The outermost regions may incorporate the negative and suffering side of life with the symbolism of evil, asuras and rakshashas ; but in small temples this layer is dispensed with. When present, this outer region diffuse into the next inner layer that bridges as human space, followed by another inner Devika padas space and symbolic arts incorporating
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3488-542: Is part of New Jersey's 14th state legislative district. For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 3rd congressional district is represented by Andy Kim ( D , Moorestown ). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker ( Newark , term ends 2027) and George Helmy ( Mountain Lakes , term ends 2024). For the 2024-2025 session , the 14th legislative district of
3597-466: Is the main deity in the temple. It is believed that the deity of Arattupuzha temple contains the divine vital force of Guru Vasishta , the kulaguru (Family priest) of Raghu vamsha and Master of Srirama and his brothers. Hindu temple Traditional A Hindu temple , also known as Mandir , Devasthanam , Pura , or Kovil , is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It
3706-417: Is the name of six methods or alternate viewpoints of understanding truth. These are Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta —which flowered into individual schools of Hinduism, each of which is considered a valid, alternate path to understanding truth and achieving self-realization in the Hindu way of life. From names to forms, from images to stories carved into the walls of a temple, symbolism
3815-415: Is typically called prasada . Hindu temples are found in diverse locations each incorporating different methods of construction and styles: In arid western parts of India, such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, Hindu communities built large walk-in wells that served as the only source of water in dry months but also served as social meeting places and carried religious significance. These monuments went down into
3924-514: The 2000 United States census there were 10,275 people, 4,074 households, and 2,815 families residing in the township. The population density was 501.8 inhabitants per square mile (193.7/km ). There were 4,163 housing units at an average density of 203.3 per square mile (78.5/km ). The racial makeup of the township was 91.00% White , 2.89% African American , 0.14% Native American , 4.31% Asian , 0.55% from other races , and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of
4033-526: The 2008 presidential election , Democrat Barack Obama received 51.3% of the vote here (3,406 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 46.7% (3,099 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (76 votes), among the 6,643 ballots cast by the township's 8,413 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.0%. In the 2004 presidential election , Republican George W. Bush received 52.9% of the vote here (3,215 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 44.7% (2,718 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (43 votes), among
4142-424: The 606 route. Robbinsville Township is home to Trenton-Robbinsville Airport (identifier N87), an uncontrolled general aviation airport, with a 4,275-foot (1,303 m) long runway. The airport averages 30,000 aircraft operations per year. Robbinsville Township reached the Little League Softball World Series in four of the seven years from 2008 to 2014, the only program in the nation to do so. The team won
4251-446: The Mayor of Robbinsville Township is David Fried, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Members of the Township Council are Council President Michael Cipriano (2025), Vice President Deborah Blakely (2025), Christine "Chris" Ciaccio (2023), Michael Todd (2023; elected to serve an unexpired term) and Ronald C. Witt Jr. (2023). In January 2021, Deborah Blakely was appointed to fill
4360-589: The Netherlands , South Africa , Suriname , Tanzania , Trinidad and Tobago , Uganda , the United Kingdom , the United States , Australia , New Zealand , and other countries with a significant Hindu population. The current state and outer appearance of Hindu temples reflect arts, materials and designs as they evolved over two millennia; they also reflect the effect of conflicts between Hinduism and Islam since
4469-588: The New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Linda R. Greenstein ( D , Plainsboro Township ) and in the General Assembly by Wayne DeAngelo (D, Hamilton Township ) and Tennille McCoy (D, Hamilton Township). Mercer County is governed by a County Executive who oversees the day-to-day operations of the county and by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners that acts in
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4578-625: The New Jersey Turnpike ( Interstate 95 ), Interstate 195 (the Central Jersey Expressway), U.S. Route 130 and Route 33 . County routes that pass through include County Route 526 (which passes through the center of the township) and both County Route 524 and County Route 539 (Old York Road), which travel along the southeastern border of the township. Interstate 195 is a major east-west artery that connects New Jersey's state capital of Trenton eastward to Robbinsville (at
4687-552: The Telika Mandir in Gwalior , built in the 8th century CE, is not a square but a rectangle in 2:3 proportion. Further, the temple explores a number of structures and shrines in 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:5, 3:5 and 4:5 ratios. These ratios are exact, suggesting that the architect intended to use these harmonic ratios, and the rectangle pattern was not a mistake, nor an arbitrary approximation. Other examples of non-square harmonic ratios are found at
4796-523: The Vāstu-puruṣa-mandala and Vastu Śāstras , do not limit themselves to the design of a Hindu temple. They describe the temple as a holistic part of its community, and lay out various principles and a diversity of alternate designs for home, village and city layout along with the temple, gardens, water bodies and nature. A predominant number of Hindu temples exhibit the perfect-square grid principle. However, there are some exceptions. For example,
4905-419: The garbha-griya (literally, "womb house")—a small, perfect square, windowless, enclosed space without ornamentation that represents universal essence. In or near this space is typically a cult image—which, though many Indians may refer to casually as an idol, is more formally known as a murti, or the main worshippable deity, who varies with each temple. Often this murti gives the temple a local name, such as
5014-588: The largest Hindu temples in the world . According to the United States Census Bureau , the township had a total area of 20.58 square miles (53.30 km ), including 20.44 square miles (52.94 km ) of land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km ) of water (0.68%). Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast,
5123-504: The 10th-century attached medical care along with their religious and educational roles. This is evidenced by various inscriptions found in Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere. An inscription dated to about 930 CE states the provision of a physician to two matha to care for the sick and destitute. Another inscription dated to 1069 at a Vishnu temple in Tamil Nadu describes a hospital attached to
5232-574: The 12th century. The Swaminarayanan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey , between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, was inaugurated in 2014 as one of the world's largest Hindu temples. A Hindu temple reflects a synthesis of arts, the ideals of dharma , beliefs, values and the way of life cherished under Hinduism. It is a link between man, deities, and the Universal Puruṣa in
5341-630: The 2006–07 school year, high school students from here were sent to Lawrence High School in Lawrence Township as part of a now-ended sending/receiving relationship with the Lawrence Township Public Schools . Robbinsville High School serves all of Robbinsville Township's high school students on site and graduated its first class of 150 students in June 2008. Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend
5450-511: The 4th century CE suggest the existence of schools around Hindu temples, called Ghatikas or Mathas , where the Vedas were studied. In south India, 9th century Vedic schools attached to Hindu temples were called Calai or Salai , and these provided free boarding and lodging to students and scholars. The temples linked to Bhakti movement in the early 2nd millennium, were dominated by non-Brahmins. These assumed many educational functions, including
5559-416: The 6,075 ballots cast by the township's 7,447 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.6. This remains the last Republican presidential victory in the township. In the 2013 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 60.6% of the vote (2,102 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.4% (1,228 votes), and other candidates with 3.9% (136 votes), among the 4,433 ballots cast by
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#17329082151945668-623: The 64- or 81-grid is dedicated to Brahman (not to be confused with brahmin, the scholarly and priestly class in India), and are called Brahma padas . The 49-grid design is called Sthandila and is of great importance in creative expressions of Hindu temples in South India, particularly in Prakaras . The symmetric Vastu-purusa-mandala grids are sometimes combined to form a temple superstructure with two or more attached squares. The temples face sunrise, and
5777-408: The 6th century CE. Vastu-Sastra manuals included chapters on home construction, town planning, and how efficient villages, towns and kingdoms integrated temples, water bodies and gardens within them to achieve harmony with nature. While it is unclear, states Barnett, as to whether these temple and town planning texts were theoretical studies and if or when they were properly implemented in practice,
5886-728: The Jabaladarshana Upanishad appear to endorse this idea Robbinsville, New Jersey Robbinsville Township is a township in Mercer County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey . It is located on the border of the New York metropolitan area and the Philadelphia metropolitan area . As of the 2020 United States census , the township's population was 15,476, its highest decennial count ever. Inspired by its central geographical location within New Jersey, Robbinsville's motto
5995-612: The Naresar temple site of Madhya Pradesh and at the Nakti-Mata temple near Jaipur , Rajasthan. Michael Meister suggests that these exceptions mean that the ancient Sanskrit manuals for temple building were guidelines, and Hinduism permitted its artisans flexibility in expression and aesthetic independence. A Hindu temple is a symbolic reconstruction of the universe and the universal principles that enable everything in it to function. The temples reflect Hindu philosophy and its diverse views on
6104-710: The New Jersey Turnpike's exit 7A) and then onward to the Garden State Parkway at Wall Township , thereby providing Robbinsville with direct access to the Jersey Shore region. Interchange 7A (for the Turnpike) is located within the township, with a 13-lane toll gate. Interstate 195 also provides access to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township . NJ Transit provides bus service to and from Trenton on
6213-479: The age of 25. Apart from specialist technical competence, the manuals suggest that best Silpins for building a Hindu temple are those who know the essence of Vedas and Agamas, consider themselves as students, keep well verse with principles of traditional sciences and mathematics, painting and geography. Further they are kind, free from jealousy, righteous, have their sense under control, of happy disposition, and ardent in everything they do. According to Silparatna,
6322-409: The ancient Sanskrit texts of India (for example, the Vedas and Upanishads ), while their structural rules are described in various ancient Sanskrit treatises on architecture ( Bṛhat Saṃhitā , Vāstu Śāstras ). The layout, the motifs, the plan and the building process recite ancient rituals, geometric symbolisms, and reflect beliefs and values innate within various schools of Hinduism. A Hindu temple
6431-549: The annual organizational meeting held during the first week of January of each year, the Council selects a President and Vice President to serve for one-year terms. The Council President chairs the meetings of the governing body. Following an ordinance passed in December 2011, municipal elections were shifted from May to November, with the terms of all township council members then serving extend by six months, to December 31. As of 2022 ,
6540-572: The area. The 2010 United States census counted 13,642 people, 5,087 households, and 3,591 families in the township. The population density was 671.5 per square mile (259.3/km ). There were 5,277 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile (100.3/km ). The racial makeup was 81.59% (11,131) White , 3.12% (426) Black or African American , 0.10% (13) Native American , 12.67% (1,729) Asian , 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander , 0.71% (97) from other races , and 1.80% (246) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.13% (564) of
6649-617: The artworks and sculptures within them, were considered by the ancient Sanskrit texts to deploy arts whose number are unlimited, Kala (techniques) that were 64 in number, and Vidya (science) that were of 32 types. The Hindu manuals of temple construction describe the education, characteristics of good artists and architects. The general education of a Hindu Shilpin in ancient India included Lekha or Lipi (alphabet, reading and writing), Rupa (drawing and geometry), Ganana (arithmetic). These were imparted from age 5 to 12. The advanced students would continue in higher stages of Shilpa Sastra studies till
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#17329082151946758-400: The average family size was 3.09. In the township the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median income for a household in
6867-602: The central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the devotee to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa, the universal essence. Often this space is visually decorated with carvings, paintings or images meant to inspire the devotee. In some temples, these images may be stories from Hindu Epics; in others, they may be Vedic tales about right and wrong or virtues and vice; in yet others, they may be murtis of locally worshipped deities. The pillars, walls and ceilings typically also have highly ornate carvings or images of
6976-460: The centre of the temple, typically below and sometimes above or next to the deity , is mere hollow space with no decoration, symbolically representing Purusa , the Supreme Principle, the sacred Universal, one without form, which is omnipresent, connects everything, and is the essence of everyone. A Hindu temple is meant to encourage reflection, facilitate purification of one's mind, and trigger
7085-435: The championship in 2014 with a 22–0 postseason record and a 4–1 win against Bossier City, Louisiana in the tournament final. the team was featured in a story by ESPN as "arguably the biggest hotbed of girls' softball players in the country." Swaminarayan Akshardham , a Hindu temple inaugurated in 2023, was constructed by 12,500 volunteers on a 180-acre (73 ha) site and has a spire reaching 191 feet (58 m). It
7194-570: The cosmos and on truth. Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet nor any binding holy book save the Vedas; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic , pantheistic , monistic , or atheistic . Within this diffuse and open structure, spirituality in Hindu philosophy is an individual experience, and referred to as kṣaitrajña ( Sanskrit : क्षैत्रज्ञ ) ). It defines spiritual practice as one's journey towards moksha , awareness of self,
7303-521: The deity. In other schools of Hinduism, the person may simply perform japa , or meditation, or yoga , or introspection in his or her temple. Palace-themed temples often incorporate more elaborate and monumental architecture. The appropriate site for a temple, suggests ancient Sanskrit texts, is near water and gardens, where lotus and flowers bloom, where swans, ducks and other birds are heard, and where animals rest without fear of injury or harm. These harmonious places were recommended in these texts with
7412-404: The design and construction of Nagara style of Hindu temples. A Hindu temple design follows a geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala . The name is a composite Sanskrit word with three of the most important components of the plan. Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure. The Vastu-purusha-mandala
7521-432: The discovery of higher truths, true nature of reality, and a consciousness that is liberated and content. A Hindu temple reflects these core beliefs. The central core of almost all Hindu temples is not a large communal space; the temple is designed for the individual, a couple or a family—a small, private space to allow visitors to experience darsana . Darsana is itself a symbolic word. In ancient Hindu scripts, darsana
7630-932: The donations (melvarum) they collected from devotees. According to James Heitzman, these donations came from a wide spectrum of the Indian society, ranging from kings, queens, officials in the kingdom to merchants, priests and shepherds. Temples also managed lands endowed to it by its devotees upon their death. They would provide employment to the poorest. Some temples had large treasury, with gold and silver coins, and these temples served as banks. Hindu temples over time became wealthy from grants and donations from royal patrons as well as private individuals. Major temples became employers and patrons of economic activity. They sponsored land reclamation and infrastructure improvements, states Michell, including building facilities such as water tanks, irrigation canals and new roads. A very detailed early record from 1101 lists over 600 employees (excluding
7739-714: The earth towards subterranean water, up to seven storeys, and were part of a temple complex. These vav (literally, stepwells) had intricate art reliefs on the walls, with numerous murtis and images of Hindu deities, water spirits and erotic symbolism. The step wells were named after Hindu deities; for example, Mata Bhavani's Stepwell , Ankol Mata Vav, Sikotari Vav and others. The temple ranged from being small single pada (cell) structure to large nearby complexes. These stepwells and their temple compounds have been variously dated from late 1st millennium BCE through 11th century CE. Of these, Rani ki vav , with hundreds of art reliefs including many of Vishnu deity avatars , has been declared
7848-553: The eastern states of India. Other ancient texts found expand these architectural principles, suggesting that different parts of India developed, invented and added their own interpretations. For example, in the Saurastra tradition of temple building found in western states of India, the feminine form, expressions and emotions are depicted in 32 types of Nataka-stri compared to 16 types described in Silpa Prakasa . Silpa Prakasa provides
7957-410: The embrace of the beloved, one forgets the whole world, everything both within and without; in the same way, one who embraces the Self knows neither within nor without. The architecture of Hindu temples is also symbolic. The whole structure fuses the daily life and its surroundings with the divine concepts, through a structure that is open yet raised on a terrace, transitioning from the secular towards
8066-400: The entrance for the devotee is typically this east side. The mandala pada facing sunrise is dedicated to Surya , the sun-god. The Surya pada is flanked by the padas of Satya, the deity of Truth, on one side and Indra , the king of the demigods, on other. The east and north faces of most temples feature a mix of gods and demigods; while the west and south feature demons and demigods related to
8175-557: The entrances and exit ramps to exits 7 and 8 off of Interstate 195. It is home to a variety of companies' distribution centers, including Scholastic Books, JDSU, Sleepy's, and Grainger Products. The Robbinsville Field House is a large membership gym located at the entrance to the warehouse colony near Route 526. An Amazon.com Fulfillment Center warehouse opened in the Matrix Business Park off of CR 539 in July 2014. As of May 2010 ,
8284-406: The explanation that such are the places where gods play, and thus the best site for Hindu temples. The gods always play where lakes are, where the sun's rays are warded off by umbrellas of lotus leaf clusters, and where clear waterpaths are made by swans whose breasts toss the white lotus hither and thither, where swans, ducks, curleys and paddy birds are heard, and animals rest nearby in
8393-553: The exposition, recitation and public discourses of Sanskrit and Vedic texts. Some temple schools offered wide range of studies, ranging from Hindu scriptures to Buddhist texts, grammar, philosophy, martial arts, music and painting. By the 8th century, Hindu temples also served as the social venue for tests, debates, team competition and Vedic recitals called Anyonyam . According to Kenneth G. Zysk—a professor specializing in Indology and ancient medicine, Hindu mathas and temples had by
8502-424: The four just and necessary pursuits of life—kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This walk around is called pradakshina . Large temples also have pillared halls, called mandapa —one of which, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapa may be a separate structure in older temples, but in newer temples this space is integrated into the temple superstructure. Mega-temple sites have
8611-650: The head of a town street. Ancient builders of Hindu temples created manuals of architecture, called Vastu-Sastra (literally "science" of dwelling; vas-tu is a composite Sanskrit word; vas means "reside", tu means "you"); these contain Vastu-Vidya (literally, knowledge of dwelling) and Sastra meaning system or knowledge in Sanskrit. There exist many Vastu-Sastras on the art of building temples, such as one by Thakkura Pheru , describing where and how temples should be built. Sanskrit manuals have been found in India since
8720-631: The high school programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools , a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. Robbinsville Town Center, near the intersection of U.S. Route 130 and Route 33, is a mix of about 1,000 housing units, including loft-style condominiums , townhouses, duplexes, single-family homes, and real estate space. Plans are underway to redevelop
8829-426: The idea of recursion and the equivalency of the macrocosm and the microcosm . A temple incorporates all elements of the Hindu cosmos—presenting the good, the evil and the human, as well as the elements of the Hindu sense of cyclic time and the essence of life—symbolically presenting dharma , artha , kama , moksha , and karma . The spiritual principles symbolically represented in Hindu temples are detailed in
8938-532: The manuals suggest that town planning and Hindu temples were conceived as ideals of art and integral part of Hindu social and spiritual life. The Silpa Prakasa of Odisha, authored by Ramacandra Bhattaraka Kaulacara in the 9th or 10th centuries CE, is another Sanskrit treatise on Temple Architecture. Silpa Prakasa describes the geometric principles in every aspect of the temple and symbolism such as 16 emotions of human beings carved as 16 types of female figures. These styles were perfected in Hindu temples prevalent in
9047-452: The patron as well as others witnessing the construction. Further, it was a tradition that all tools and materials used in temple building and all creative work had the sanction of a sacrament. For example, if a carpenter or sculptor needed to fell a tree or cut a rock from a hill, he would propitiate the tree or rock with prayers, seeking forgiveness for cutting it from its surroundings, and explaining his intent and purpose. The axe used to cut
9156-431: The population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.8 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income
9265-409: The population. There were 4,074 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and
9374-417: The population. Of the 5,087 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18; 60.0% were married couples living together; 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.4% were non-families. Of all households, 25.8% were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.26. 28.7% of
9483-492: The portion of the township which lies to the south of Route 33, between the Hamilton Township border and U.S. Route 130. In December 2010, the state approved designating this property as an area in need of development, which allows the township to draft a plan and appoint a redeveloper to revive stalled construction projects there. Robbinsville is home to a large warehouse colony, located on West Manor Way, just adjacent to
9592-544: The positive and joyful side of life about the good and the gods. This divine space then concentrically diffuses inwards and lifts the guest to the core of the temple, where resides the main murti , as well as the space for the Purusa, and ideas held to be most sacred principles in Hindu tradition. The symbolism in the arts and temples of Hinduism, suggests Edmund Leach, is similar to those in Christianity and other major religions of
9701-514: The priests) of the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur , still one of the largest temples in Tamil Nadu . Most worked part-time and received the use of temple farmland as reward. For those thus employed by the temple, according to Michell, "some gratuitous services were usually considered obligatory, such as dragging the temple chariots on festival occasions and helping when a large building project
9810-503: The process of inner realization within the devotee. The specific process is left to the devotee's school of belief. The primary deity of different Hindu temples varies to reflect this spiritual spectrum. In Hindu tradition, there is no dividing line between the secular and the lonely sacred. In the same spirit, Hindu temples are not just sacred spaces; they are also secular spaces. Their meaning and purpose have extended beyond spiritual life to social rituals and daily life, offering thus
9919-448: The sacred, inviting the visitor inwards and upwards towards the Brahma pada, the temple's central core, a symbolic space marked by its spire ( shikhara, vimana ). The ancient temples had grand, intricately carved entrances but no doors, and they lacked a boundary wall. In most cultures, suggests Edmund Leach , a boundary and gateway separates the secular and the sacred, and this gateway door
10028-674: The shade of Nicula trees on the river banks. The gods always play where rivers have for their braclets the sound of curleys and the voice of swans for their speech, water as their garment, carps for their zone, the flowering trees on their banks as earrings, the confluence of rivers as their hips, raised sand banks as breasts and plumage of swans their mantle. The gods always play where groves are near, rivers, mountains and springs, and in towns with pleasure gardens. While major Hindu temples are recommended at sangams (confluence of rivers), river banks, lakes and seashore, Brhat Samhita and Puranas suggest temples may also be built where
10137-696: The sick and needy in the 1st millennium, but with the destruction of Buddhist centers after the 12th century, the Hindu religious institutions assumed these social responsibilities. According to George Michell, Hindu temples in South India were active charity centers and they provided free meal for wayfarers, pilgrims and devotees, as well as boarding facilities for students and hospitals for the sick. The 15th and 16th century Hindu temples at Hampi featured storage spaces (temple granary, kottara ), water tanks and kitchens. Many major pilgrimage sites have featured dharmashalas since early times. These were attached to Hindu temples, particularly in South India, providing
10246-459: The sky. Sometimes, in makeshift temples, the dome may be replaced with symbolic bamboo with few leaves at the top. The vertical dimension's cupola or dome is designed as a pyramid, a cone or other mountain-like shape, once again using the principle of concentric circles and squares. Scholars suggest that this shape is inspired by the cosmic mountain of Meru or Himalayan Kailasa, the abode of the gods, according to Vedic mythology. In larger temples,
10355-559: The temple, listing the nurses, physicians, medicines and beds for patients. Similarly, a stone inscription in Andhra Pradesh dated to about 1262 mentions the provision of a prasutishala (maternity house), vaidya (physician), an arogyashala (health house) and a viprasattra (hospice, kitchen) with the religious center where people from all social backgrounds could be fed and cared for. According to Zysk, both Buddhist monasteries and Hindu religious centers provided facilities to care for
10464-423: The term expiring in December 2023 that had become vacant following the resignation of Dan Schuberth. Blakely served on an interim basis until the November 2021 election. In the November 2021 general election, Michael Todd was elected to serve the balance of Schuberth's term of office, while Deborah Blakely ran for and won a full four-year term. Robbinsville Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District and
10573-763: The texts were copied when they wore out. In South India, temples and associated mathas served custodial functions, and a large number of manuscripts on Hindu philosophy , poetry, grammar and other subjects were written, multiplied and preserved inside the temples. Archaeological and epigraphical evidence indicates existence of libraries called Sarasvati-bhandara , dated possibly to early 12th-century and employing librarians, attached to Hindu temples. Palm-leaf manuscripts called lontar in dedicated stone libraries have been discovered by archaeologists at Hindu temples in Bali Indonesia and in 10th century Cambodian temples such as Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei . Inscriptions from
10682-534: The township had a total of 100 miles (160 km) of roadways, of which 78.26 miles (125.95 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.16 miles (13.13 km) by Mercer County, 8.37 miles (13.47 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 5.20 miles (8.37 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority . Four major U.S./State/Interstate routes pass through the township:
10791-432: The township include Allens Station , Carsons Mills , Hillside Terrace , Meadows Terrace, New Canton , New Sharon , Pages Corners , Robbinsville Center and Windsor . What is now Robbinsville Township was originally incorporated as Washington Township (named for George Washington ) by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1859, from portions of East Windsor . On November 6, 2007, voters approved by
10900-809: The township is considered part of the New York Metropolitan area as defined by the United States Census Bureau , but borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission 's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. The township borders East Windsor , Hamilton Township , and West Windsor Township in Mercer County; and Allentown , Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County . Unincorporated communities , localities and place names located partially or completely within
11009-431: The township was $ 71,377, and the median income for a family was $ 90,878. Males had a median income of $ 61,589 versus $ 44,653 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 35,529. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over. In November 2004, township residents voted to change their form of government from
11118-442: The township's 9,076 registered voters (967 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 48.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 57.9% of the vote here (2,508 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 34.7% (1,503 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (262 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (28 votes), among the 4,331 ballots cast by the township's 8,379 registered voters, yielding
11227-594: The tree would be anointed with butter to minimize the hurt to the tree. Even in modern times, in some parts of India such as Odisha , Visvakarma Puja is a ritual festival every year where the craftsmen and artists worship their arts, tools and materials. Hindu temples served as nuclei of important social, economic, artistic and intellectual functions in ancient and medieval India. Burton Stein states that South Indian temples managed regional development function, such as irrigation projects, land reclamation, post-disaster relief and recovery. These activities were paid for by
11336-497: The underlying principle in a Hindu temple is the belief that all things are one, that everything is connected. The pilgrim is welcomed through 64-grid or 81-grid mathematically structured spaces, a network of art, pillars with carvings and statues that display and celebrate the four important and necessary principles of human life—the pursuit of artha (prosperity, wealth), of kama (pleasure, sex), of dharma (virtues, ethical life) and of moksha (release, self-knowledge). At
11445-401: The underworld. This vastu-purusha-mandala plan and symbolism is systematically seen in ancient Hindu temples on the Indian subcontinent as well as those in southeast Asia, with regional creativity and variations. Beneath the mandala's central square(s) is the space for the all-pervasive, all-connecting Universal Spirit, the highest reality , the purusha . This space is sometimes known as
11554-455: The word "Silpin". "Silpa", explains Stella Kramrisch, is a multicolored word and incorporates art, skill, craft, ingenuity, imagination, form, expression and inventiveness of any art or craft. Similarly, "Shilpin", notes Kramrisch, is a complex Sanskrit word, describing any person who embodies art, science, culture, skill, and rhythm and employs creative principles to produce any divine form of expression. Silpins who built Hindu temples, as well as
11663-503: The world. Indian texts call the craftsmen and builders of temples "Silpin" ( Sanskrit : शिल्पिन् ), derived from "Silpa". One of the earliest mentions of the Sanskrit word "Silpa" is in Atharvaveda , from about 1000 BCE; according to scholars, the word was used to denote any work of art. Some scholars suggest that the word "Silpa" has no direct or one-word translation in English, nor does
11772-426: Was $ 92,440 (with a margin of error of +/− $ 11,773) and the median family income was $ 124,816 (+/− $ 10,353). Males had a median income of $ 96,156 (+/− $ 4,577) versus $ 65,327 (+/− $ 8,597) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $ 44,149 (+/− $ 2,813). About 2.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over. As of
11881-626: Was undertaken". Temples also acted as refuge during times of political unrest and danger. Historically, the Scheduled Castes or Dalits were prohibited from the entry into temples. In contemporary times, the process of building a Hindu temple by emigrants and diasporas from South Asia has also served as a process of building a community, a social venue to network, reduce prejudice and seek civil rights together. John Guy and Jorrit Britschgi state Hindu temples served as centers where ancient manuscripts were routinely used for learning and where
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