Temple Architecture
▪️Classification of Indian Temples
✅ Nagara (in North India) is associated with the land between the Himalayas and Vindhyas.
✅ Dravida (in South India) with the land between the Krishna and Kaveri rivers.
✅ Vesara style
✅Hoysala style
✅Vijayanagara Art
✅ Nayaka style
✅ Pala School
✅Jain Architecture
▪️ Nagara Style
From fifth century AD onwards, a distinct style of temple architecture developed in the northern part of India, known as Nagara style of architecture. Within nagara style different sub-schools emerged in western, central and eastern parts of the country.
✅Garbhagriha
🔸Literally means ‘womb-house’ and is a cave like sanctum
🔸 Garbhagriha is made to house the main icon (main deity)
✅Mandapa
🔸It is the entrance to the temple
🔸 May be a portico or colonnaded (series of columns placed at regular intervals) hall that incorporate space for a large number of worshipers
🔸Some temples have multiple mandapas in different sizes named as Ardhamandapa, Mandapa and Mahamandapa
✅Shikhara or Vimana
🔸They are mountain like spire of a free standing temple
* Shikhara is found in North Indian temples and Vimana is found in South Indian temples
* Shikhara has a curving shape while vimana has a pyramidal like structure
✅Amalaka : A stone disc like structure at the top of the temple shikara
✅Kalasha : Topmost point of the temple above Amalaka
✅Antarala (vestibule) : A transition area between the Garbhagriha and the temple’s main hall (mandapa)
✅Jagati : A raised platform for sitting and praying
✅Vahana : Vehicle of the temple’s main deity along with a standard pillar or Dhvaj.
