A temple is characterised as a structure preserved for spiritual or religious activities. The sizes of temples are in great dispute these days as many temples claim to be the largest.
In the following article, we identify the top 10 largest temples from around the world.
10. Baalbek

Intended to be the largest temple in the empire, the Jupiter temple was pillared by 54 colossal granite columns, six of which continue to remain standing these days. Among the three temples, the best conserved is Bacchus, which was supported with 42 Corinthian columns, 19 of which remains strong today.
9. Temple of Christ the Saviour

Construction started around 1839, but by 1931, Stalin ordered the destruction of the temple in lieu of the planned Palace of the Soviets, which was never implemented. By 1990, the temple was rebuilt based on its original design and officially instituted in 2000.
Standing at 344 feet, it is now considered as one of the tallest Orthodox temple churches around the globe.
8. Temple of Saint Sava

It is standing at 70 metres tall and 81 metres wide.
7. Tikal (or Temple IV)

In the Mayan civilization, Tikal was the considered as having the largest population, with an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 inhabitants.
6. Jetavanaramaya

Made of roughly 93.3 million pieces of baked bricks, the temple proudly stands at 122 metres tall and was once considered the third tallest structure on the globe, behind the Pyramids of Giza.
5. Sri Ranganathaswamy

Composed of a whopping 21 towers in total, the gigantic temple of Rajagopuram stands at 71 metres tall.
4. Akshardham Temple

Did you know that as massive as it is, the Akshardham Temple has no traces of support from concrete or steel? Yes, it is primarily made of Italian Carrara marble and Rajasthani pink sandstone, and is coated with carved designs of deities, flora, musicians, fauna and dancers.
3. Borobudur

The temple is divided into 3 parts, namely the top, body and base. The top is an epic temple inclusive of a 35 metre high dome. The body consists of 5 square platforms, all with decreasing heights. Lastly, the base measures 4 metres high and is 123 x 123 square metres in size.
2. Karnak (Great Hypostyle Hall)

Karnak is a collection of temples, one of which earning the second place and is considered as one of the most famed structures – the Great Hypostyle Hall; a hall holding a total area of 5,000 square meters, pillared by 134 gigantic columns arranged in 16 rows.
1. Angkor Wat Temple

Coming in first is none other than the Angkor Wat Temple, also known as the City Temple. Located in Cambodia where the glorious remains of various capitals of the Khmer Empire are also located, the Angkor Wat Temple is the largest temple in the world.
It is composed of three rectangular colonnades rising, with increasing height, to a tower at the centre. The outer colonnade measures 187 x 184 square metres, the second level measures 100 x 115 square metres, and the third and inner colonnade measures 60 x 60 square metres. The central tower stands with a majestic height of 65 metres!
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