Summary

• The Coruscant Jedi Temple was built on an ancient Sith shrine, explaining its dark origins and its connection to the dark side.
• The Temple was constructed to symbolize the Jedi's victory over the Sith, serving as a beacon of light and a declaration of their commitment to the light side of the Force.
• Situated on Coruscant, the main Jedi Temple was strategically located to combat the Nihil threat and work closely with the Republic in neutralizing their attacks.

The Jedi are at the heart of the Star Wars universe, and the Jedi Grand Temple was the main Jedi Temple in the galaxy. It was the center of the Jedi Order, a very large building with everything the Jedi needed to survive and more. It was a hub for Jedi training where they would live while not on active duty, and it contained vast archives of knowledge that would rival the most expansive museums in modern times. It was the glory of the Jedi Order itself.

Coruscant's Jedi Grand Temple has surprising secret origins in Star Wars linked to the dark side, and these origins explain why it suffers an unfortunate fate after the fall of the Jedi Order. For centuries, the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant stood as a symbol of the light side. Constructed at the heart of the Republic, it was a beacon of the democracy and peace that the Republic, at least in theory, stood for. However, it has surprisingly dark origins, and they are related to its downfall.

The Coruscant Jedi Temple Is Built On An Ancient Dark Side Nexus

The Coruscant Jedi Temple was located on top of a vergence. A Force vergence is a place where the Force is particularly strong, and were often sought out by both Jedi and Sith alike. The Sith got to Coruscant's particular vergence before the Jedi and transformed it into a dark Sith shrine. However, during their war with the Sith, the Jedi freed Coruscant from their clutches. When they did, they tore down the Sith shrine and built their own. Eventually, they erected the Jedi Temple atop it, a beacon of the light side where the dark had once ruled.

During the High Republic Era, approximately 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, the Jedi used the vergence that the Temple was built on to purify Sith artifacts. They believed that these rituals would dispel the darkness within the artifacts. However, interestingly, by the time the Clone Wars began, the Jedi had stopped performing these purification rituals. There could be a couple of reasons why the Jedi stopped purifying Sith artifacts. One option is that the Jedi could've realized that the rituals didn't work, and the darkness couldn't be removed.

Another is that, by releasing the influence of the dark side of the Force from the objects into the vergence, they could've been making its power stronger. Either of these could explain why the Jedi keep ancient Sith artifacts hidden away in secure vaults and forbid the majority of their to touch them. Both of these would also explain why the Jedi couldn't sense Palpatine. Because they built their Temple on an old Sith shrine in a spot where the Force is particularly focused, the remnants of that dark influence could've been what was clouding their vision.

Coruscant's Jedi Temple Was Built 1,000 Years Ago

Tearing down the Sith shrine and replacing it with a symbol of their commitment to the light side of the Force sent the message that light could - and would - always conquer darkness.

The Jedi Temple was constructed in 1,032 BBY, during the dark times that immediately followed the fall of the Old Republic. Its construction marked the Jedi's victory in the Jedi-Sith War, as Coruscant was the final battleground. The Jedi Temple was a final declaration of victory over the Sith. Tearing down the Sith shrine and replacing it with a symbol of their commitment to the light side of the Force sent the message that light could - and would - always conquer darkness.

Why Coruscant Became The Main Jedi Temple

Situated on the Republic's capital planet, the Coruscant Jedi Temple was the obvious choice to become the Jedi's main base of operations. Another reason the Jedi chose the Coruscant Temple to be their Grand Temple was The Path of the Open Hand, an old enemy of the Jedi. As such, they'd developed unique methods that they used to fight against the Jedi.

The Nihil used their ability to travel quickly through hyperspace to cause ship crashes that would result in debris hurling out of hyperspace at different points that would fall on other ships and planets. An example of this was the Great Hyperspace Disaster in 232 BBY, which destroyed several of the Trymant system's moons. The Nihil also almost succeeded in assassinating Chancellor Soh, and as such, the Republic and the Jedi Order needed to work closely together to neutralize the Nihil threat. It made the most sense, then, for the main Jedi Temple to be on the capital planet of the Republic.

The Coruscant Jedi Temple's Main Rooms

The main rooms in the Jedi Temple were the High Council Chamber, the Jedi Archives, the Archives of Forbidden Artifacts, the Sacred Spire/Temple Spire, the Shrine in the Depths, the meditation rooms, and the training rooms. The Temple also contained bedrooms for individuals. However, due to the Jedi Order's austere lifestyle, these were usually kept very plain.

The High Council Chamber was perhaps the most important room in the Jedi Grand Temple. It was where the Jedi High Council met to discuss every decision. It was also where Anakin Skywalker and other younglings were tested to see if their Force abilities were strong enough that they were worthy of being trained.

The Jedi Archives were essentially a giant library where all kinds of information about the galaxy and the Force was kept. The Archives of Forbidden Artifacts was a secure area of these archives that housed the most dangerous dark side artifacts. Only Jedi of the highest rank were granted special permission to study these artifacts.

The Sacred Spire was a natural mountain spire that the Jedi Grand Temple was built around. It was a vergence for the light side of the Force, and therefore very sacred to the Jedi. The Temple Spire was built atop the Sacred Spire, and it became a place of meditation and a museum of the history of the Jedi. The shrine in the Depths - the ancient Sith shrine - was buried underneath the Spire.

The training rooms were where younglings and Padawans would take their lessons. Some were dedicated to classroom work, and some were dedicated to physical training, such as lightsaber sparring and Force-use training. These rooms weren't only designated for younglings. Sometimes full-fledged Jedi Knights would use these rooms to practice their forms. Meditation rooms were in some ways an extension of the training rooms, as meditation was very important to Jedi combat. Some Jedi, such as Qui-Gon Jinn, would even take a moment to meditate while in battle.

Palpatine Turned The Jedi Temple Into His Palace

The Jedi Temple became an Imperial palace after the Clone Wars under Palpatine's rule. In this way, he made it a symbol of the dark side and oppression. It was a final insult to the Jedi Order. It was a declaration of his total victory over his enemies. Unfortunately, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant never became the main Jedi Temple again. The once-great symbol of light lay dormant.

However, he had another, darker reason for this beyond just insulting the Jedi. The Jedi built their temple upon an ancient Sith shrine. Palpatine knew this, and he wanted the Jedi Grand Temple so that he could reclaim the Sith shrine and use the vergence to increase his power. This is part of why Palpatine is such an unusually strong Force-wielder. The fact that he stuck around the Coruscant Force vergence in Star Wars - both when he was Chancellor and when he became the Emperor - allowed him to draw on the power offered by the ancient shrine.

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