Temple - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition temple

Definition :

Temple, is as 'an edifice or place regarded primarily as the dwelling place or 'house' of a deity; hence an edifice devoted to divine worship. Historically, the word is applied to sacred buildings of Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, etc., but now to those of Hindu-ism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc.' The essence of the matter is the existence of a place of public religious worship. In the case of a temple, it becomes a place of public religious worship when the idol is installed and consecrated and the pranaprathishta or vivification ceremony is performed. 'Until then, it is elementary knowledge that the image does not become an object of worship. The deity does not begin to reside in the Idol (the visible image) until the consecration or the appropriate ceremony is completed, T.V.D. Naidu v. Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Administration) Department, Madras, AIR 1989 Mad 60. (See also New English Dictionary, Vol. IX, Part II)

Means a place, by whatever designation known, used as a place of public religious worship and dedicated to, or for the benefit of, or used as of right by the Hindu Community or any section thereof as a place of religious worship. [See Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endow-ments Act, 1959, ss. 6(20), 9(12)]

Temple, two Inns of Court, thus called because anciently the dwelling-place of the Knights-Templars. On the suppression of that Order, they were purchased by some professors of the Common Law, and converted into hospitia, or inns of Court. They are called the Inner and Middle Temple, in relation to Essex House, which was also a part of the House of the Templars, and called the Outer Temple, because situated without Temple-bar. The Inner and Middle Temples are now within the assessment area of the City of London by the Loc. Gov. Act, 1929, s. 18 (h). Encyc. Londin. Consult Addison's Hist. Of the Knights Templars; Bellot's Inner and Middle Temple. See INNS OF COURT.

A religious institution will be a 'temple' if two conditions are satisfied. One is that is a place of public religious worship and the other is that it is dedicated to or is for the benefit of, or is used as of right by, the Hindu community, or any s. thereof, as a place of religious worship, Poohari Fakir Sadavarthy of Bondilipuram v. Commissioner, AIR 1963 SC 510 (512, 516): (1962) 2 Supp SCR 276. [T.N. Hindu Religious Endownments Act, 1926 (2 of 1927), s. 9(12)]

Temple means a place by whatever name known and to whomsoever belonging, which is used as a place of religious worship by custom, usage or otherwise by the members of the Hindu community or any s. thereof and includes all land appurtenant thereto and subsidiary shrines attached to any such place, Shastri Yagnapurushdasji v. Muldas Bhundardas Vaishya, AIR 1966 SC 1119: (1966) 3 SCR 242.

The origin of the temple the manner in which its affairs were managed, the nature and extent of the gifts received by it, rights exercised by devotees in regard to worship therein, the consciousness of the manager and the consciousness of the devotees themselves as to the public character of the temple were factors that went to establish whether a temple was public or private, T.D. Gopalan v. Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, AIR 1972 SC 1716: (1972) 2 SCC 329: (1973) 1 SCR 584.

The expression 'temple' has been defined by clause (12) of s. 9 in these terms: (12) 'Temple' means a place, by whatever designation known, used as a place of public worship and dedicated to, or for the benefit of, or used as of right by, the Hindu community, or any s. thereof, as a place of religious worship, Commissioner for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments v. Ratnavarma Heggade, AIR 1977 SC 1848: (1977) 1 SCR 889: (1977) 1 SCC 525.

Includes any building or other structure, whether roofed or not, constructed or made to preserve the memory of a person in respect of whom sati has been committed or used or intended to be used for the carrying on of any form of worship or for the observance of any ceremony in connection with such commission. [Commission of Sati (Preven-tion) Act, 1987 (3 of 1988), s. 2 (1) (e)]