Hinduism, the religion of 83% of India's population, is one of the oldest living religions of the world. Unlike other major religions Hinduism was not founded on the teachings of one person, but evolved over the years. Hindu temples of the north and south are markedly different. In the north, temples have a pillared hall called mandapa, which leads to the garbagraha housing the deity. In the south temples are surrounded by walls and entered through high gateways, called gopura, covered with sculpted figures. The lotus seen at the base of the pillars, which incidentally is India's national flower, is held in great reverence depicting the Indian empathy with nature. The Sun God, Surya, one of the most important deities of Hindu worship is beleived to be the Lord of the stellar world. The temples are embellished with sculptures of wonderfully modelled figures, full of energy and elegance potrayed with realistic detail.