Temple of Time

History
The Temple of Time is the sanctified gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. When the Master Sword was infused into the Pedestal of Time, it sealed that gateway, in the hopes of preventing all but the most worthy to reach the Sacred Realm, where the ancient Triforce lies.

It is said that only the Hero of Time may enter the secret chambers of the temple and draw the Master Sword. The Temple of Time is one of Hyrule's most ancient edifices and the ancient Sages aided in its construction long ago. It is possible that its construction was also aided by the Oocca.

Within the temple stands a sacred altar which bears inscribed instructions to opening the Door of Time, which leads to the Master Sword. The inscription reads that the person needs to have possession of all three Spiritual Stones, stand with the Ocarina of Time and play the Song of Time.

The Temple of Time is connected to the Temple of Light, which resides within the Sacred Realm.

The Door of Time
The Door of Time, located within the Temple of Time, is the powerful barrier that blocks access to the Pedestal of Time. The Master Sword, which is the key to entering the Sacred Realm, rests in this pedestal.

The door can only be opened by bringing together three Spiritual Stones: the Kokiri's Emerald, the Goron's Ruby and the Zora's Sapphire. When these three stones are brought together and the Song of Time is played upon the Ocarina of Time at the altar, the door slides open and the path to the legendary blade is revealed.

According to Rauru, the Door of Time is, effectively, an obstacle to the Sacred Realm put in place when the Triforce was sealed away. At the start of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is attempting to remove this obstacle but is frustrated by the guardians of the Spiritual Stones.

The Door of Time possibly made another appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. At the entrance to the ruined temple, there is a single set of stone doors. When translated from ancient Hylian, the inscription upon them reads "Time Door." The mystical portal contained within these doors became the means through which (Twilight Princess) Link was able to travel back in time to visit the Temple of Time fully intact, as it stood in the days of his forbearer.

However, there is room for doubt that the doors portrayed in Twilight Princess are not in fact the same as the actual "Door of Time" of Ocarina of Time. One thing to take into consideration is the fact that the "Time Door" of Twilight Princess is located on the outer wall of the Temple of Time, the same place where one would enter the temple in Ocarina of Time, but not where the chamber containing the Master Sword was entered - that more corresponds to the doorway that the Guardians of the Sacred Grove protect in Twilight Princess.

In Ocarina of Time
After collecting the three Spiritual Stones and finding the Ocarina of Time, Link had to travel to the Temple of Time to acquire the Master Sword and enter the Sacred Realm. However, his spirit was unexpectedly sealed away for seven years by the Master Sword, for Link was not yet old enough to become the Hero of Time. When he finally awakened, Rauru the sage explained Hyrule's dire situation to Link, gave him the Light Medallion, and charged him with awakening the other sages.

There are only two rooms of the Temple of Time accessible by Link in Ocarina of Time. However, the temple still receives recognition as the "Light Room" in Ganon's Castle.

A notable glitch of Ocarina of Time is that upon heading through the passageway towards the Pedestal of Time, the walls ahead can be seen to change shape drastically. This glitch is supposedly caused by a compression technique used in the game.

In Twilight Princess
Located in the Sacred Grove of Faron Province, the Temple of Time is an actual dungeon in this game. Link must traverse this expanded Temple of Time in order to obtain a shard of the Mirror of Twilight.

The entrance to the temple is apparently the original door, which takes Link back in time when the temple was still intact. This door may or may not be the Door of Time. Near the back of temple is the great chamber where the Pedestal of Time is located, which will reveal a staircase of light when the Master Sword is thrust inside. This staircase leads through one of the windows to the hidden entrance of the inner reaches of the temple.

The Temple of Time has eight floors here. The main item to be obtained here is the Dominion Rod, an ancient mystical rod used to animate and control statues. This is obtained after defeating the temple's mini boss, a Darknut. The Temple has a more archaic style than in Ocarina of Time, and its redesign reflects the redesign in the Master Sword.

The Song of Time first heard in Ocarina of Time can be heard at the beginning of the temple.

It is unknown whether the Temple of Time was moved to a location near the Forest Temple, or if Hyrule Castle was rebuilt north of where it originally stood and Faron Woods grew up around the old Castle Town.

Trivia

 * The background music of the Temple of Time is the Song of Time.
 * If the inscription on the Pedestal of Time holding the Master Sword is translated from Hylian it reads "Master Sword."
 * Likewise, the door that Link steps through to find the Temple of Time in the past bears an inscription that reads "Time Door."
 * The 8th floor of the dungeon bears a striking resemblance to the Pantheon in Rome.
 * While the Master Sword and the Pedestal of Time make an appearance in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, they are found in Hyrule Castle instead of the Temple of Time.