The Top 10 biggest temples in the world in 2023

What is the world's largest temple, then? To respond to this query, we must first define a temple. Not all religions use the word temple, despite its general definition being a building set apart for religious or spiritual purposes. For example, temples are not frequently utilized in the Western Christian tradition; so, these churches and cathedrals will not be included. By contrast, the word "temple" is used a lot in the Eastern Christian tradition.

What size measure should be used second? At least three additional Indian temples contend to be the largest in the world, challenging the Guinness World Record's assertion that the Akshardham Temple is the biggest Hindu temple globally. It is further muddled by the fact that these temples are frequently a component of a bigger complex. To find out which temple is the biggest in the world, I'll concentrate on the major temple (if any) on this list.

10. Baalbek

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Northeastern Lebanon is home to the magnificent archaeological site known as Baalbek, sometimes known as Heliopolis. The Romans erected three temples here, dedicated to Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus, beginning in the first century BC and lasting two centuries.

54 enormous granite columns flanked the temple dedicated to Jupiter, which was intended to be the biggest temple in the Roman Empire. Even though there are just six of these enormous columns left, they are nevertheless quite striking. The 150 AD Temple of Bacchus is the best intact temple on the site. The temple has dimensions of 36 meters by 69 meters. 42 Corinthian columns, 19 of which stand 19 meters (62 feet) high and remain erect, decorate its walls.

9. Temple of Christ the Saviour

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The revived Temple of Christ the Saviour is one of the most majestic and controversial buildings in Moscow. Its history is short but dramatic. Originally commissioned following Napoleon's defeat, the building did not start until 1839. Stalin ordered its destruction in 1931 so that the planned Palace of the Soviets, which was never constructed, could be made.

Permission was granted to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990 to reconstruct the cathedral. Built with contemporary materials, the 2000-completed cathedral is modelled by the original design in general. With a height of 105 meters (344 feet), it holds the title of the world's highest Orthodox church.

8. Temple of Saint Sava

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Because of its size and significance, the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade is often referred to as a cathedral in English, but that is technically incorrect because it is not the seat of a bishop. Constructed mostly between 1985 and 2004, it honours the Serbian Orthodox Church's founder and is the world's largest Orthodox church building.

It is referred to as a hram (temple) in Serbian. The church's measurements are 81 meters (266 feet) broad and 91 meters (299 feet) long. With the main gold-plated cross atop the dome, extending the church for a further 12 meters (39 feet), it stands 70 meters (230 feet) tall. Its ground floor area is 3,500 square meters.

7. Tikal (Temple IV)

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With an estimated population of 100,000–200,000, Tikal was the biggest Mayan metropolis between 200 and 900 AD. There are six enormous step pyramids in Tikal. The biggest, Temple Pyramid IV, was completed in 720 AD and is around 72 meters (230 feet) high.

The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan and maybe one of the pyramids hidden by the jungle at El Mirador were formerly taller than Temple IV, the biggest temple ever constructed in the Maya area and the highest pre-Columbian building in the Americas.

6. Jetavanaramaya

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The Jetavanaramaya, which is situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is the biggest stupa in the world in terms of volume. It took 15 years for King Mahasena to construct the temple in the third century AD. For the building, over 93.3 million baked bricks were utilized.

When Jetavanaramaya was built, it stood 122 meters (400 feet) tall, making it the third-tallest building in the world, behind the Giza pyramids. The dome's actual diameter is around 95 meters (312 ft).

5. Sri Ranganathaswamy

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An important temple that welcomes millions of tourists and pilgrims each year is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, which is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is one of the biggest temples in the world, spanning 156 acres (6,31,000 m2) in size. Indeed, it would be easy to describe the temple as the world's largest operational Hindu temple complex.

The temple's oldest building is from the tenth century. The largest temple in South India is the Rajagopuram, one of the 21 gopurams (towers). It was only finished in 1987, however, it is 73 meters (240 feet) tall and dates back to the 17th century.

4. Akshardham Temple

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The spiritual group BAPS completed the construction of the Akshardham temple in 2005, and every cost was taken in its decoration. The present leader of Swaminarayan Hinduism, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, served as both an inspiration and moderator for the construction.

The main monument is 110 meters (370 feet) long, 96 meters (316 feet) broad, and 43 meters (141 feet) high. It is completely covered in carved carvings of dancers, musicians, deities, and various plants and animals. It is supported by Italian Carrara marble and Rajasthani pink sandstone; no steel nor concrete is used in its construction.

3. Borobudur

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The biggest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur, is situated 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java. The kingdom of Sailendra constructed the temple over around 75 years in the eighth and ninth centuries, using an estimated 2 million stone blocks. The three main divisions of the human body are similar to the three sections into which the Borobudur may be divided: base, body, and top.

The base's walls rise to a height of 4 meters (13 feet) and measure 123 by 123 meters (403.5 by 403.5 feet). It has a surface area of around 2,500 m^2. The five square platforms that make up the body have progressively lower heights. With its main dome in the middle, the summit is a massive stupa. 35 meters (115 feet) is the dome's height above the ground.

2. Karnak (Great Hypostyle Hall)

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Few places in Egypt are more stunning than Karnak, despite its terrible state of ruin. Standing as the world's greatest complex of ancient temples, it is the product of several generations of Egyptian builders. In actuality, Karnak is made up of several temples.

The 5,000 m2 (50,000 sq ft) Hypostyle Hall is one of Karnak's most well-known buildings. The now-fallen roof was supported by 134 enormous columns grouped in 16 rows. The two middle rows are the highest at 24 meters (80 feet) above the rest.

1. Angkor Wat Temple

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Angkor is a massive complex of temples in Cambodia that houses the beautiful remnants of multiple Khmer Empire capitals from the ninth to the fifteenth century AD. Among these is the world's biggest temple, the renowned Angkor Wat. Perched above the rest of the city on an elevated terrace is the Angkor temple. It consists of three rectangular halls, each one higher than the other, that rise to a central tower.

The dimensions of the Angkor Wat temple's exterior gallery are 187 by 215 meters (614 by 705 ft). The following two galleries are interconnected after this. It is 100 × 115 meters (328 x 377 ft) on the second floor. The interior gallery spans 60 by 60 meters or 197 by 197 feet. Rising to a height of 65 meters (213 feet), the tower looms over the central shrine.

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