Art and
Architecture
CONTENT
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction Early forms of Types of Overview of Summary
temple temple Desai article
architecture
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Introduction
The temple architecture in India has evolved over the ages as
the style changed along with the changing dynasties and
[Link] was in the 600-750 [Link] that temple
architecture crystallised into the Nagara style in the north and
the Dravida style in the south.A fusion between these
styles,led to the emergence of Vesara style in [Link]
the architecture of Hindu temples varies from region to
region,the major components of a temple remain constant.
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BASIC FORM OF HINDU TEMPLE:
SANCTUM-also known as garbhagriha,literally meaning
womb-house which was a small cubicle with a single
entrance and grew into a larger chamber in [Link] is
made to house the major icon ,which is the centre of
much ceremonial attention.
MANDAPA-The entrance to the temple which may be
portico or colonnaded hall incorporates space for a large
number of worshippers.
SHIKHARA:Freestanding temples tend to have mountain-
like spire,which can take the shape of a curving shikhar in
North and pyramidal tower called vimana in South India.
VAHANA:The vehicle of the principal diety together with a
dhvaj is positioned axially before the shrine.
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• There was a gradual progression from the flat-roofed,monolithic temples in
the initial stages to the sculptured ”shikhara” in the later [Link]
progression can be distinguished into five stages:
FIRST STAGE :
The features of the temple that developed during this phase are:
The temples were square in shape.
The temples had flat roof.
The portico was developed on shallow pillars.
The entire structure was built on low platform.
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SECOND STAGE:
The temples built during this phase continued most
of the features of the earlier phase. However, the
platforms were higher or upraised .Some instances
of two -storied temples have also been
[Link] important addition of this phase was
a covered ambulatory passageway was used as a
pradakshina path.
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THIRD STAGE:
This stage saw the emergence of shikharas in
place of a flat [Link],they were still quite
low and almost square,[Link] .
Panchayatan style of temple making,there were
four subsidiary shrines along with the temple of
principal [Link] main temple was square with
an elongated mandap in front of it,giving it a
rectangular [Link] subsidiary shrines were
placed opposite to each other on either side of
the mandap,giving the ground plan a crucified
shape.
FOURTH STAGE:
The temples of this stage were almost similar except that the
main shrine became more rectangular.
FIFTH STAGE:
In this stage ,circular temples with shallow rectangular
projections were [Link] of the features of the previous
phase continued.
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NAGARA
VIJAYANAG
DRAVIDA
ARA
TYPES OF
TEMPLE
ARCHITECTURE
HOYSALA PALA AND
SENA
VESARA
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NAGARA STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE
From 5th century AD onwards,a distinct style of temple architecture developed in the Northern part of
India,known as Nagara style of [Link] in the Nagara school,different sub-schools emerged
in western,central and eastern parts of the country.
FEATURES OF NAGARA SCHOOL-
• The temples generally followed the Panchayatan style of temple making,which consisted of
subsidiary shrines laid out in a crucified ground plan with respect to the principal shrine.
• Presence of assembly halls or mandapas in front of the principal shrine.
• Outside the garbhagriha,images of the river goddess Ganga and Yamuna were placed.
• Generally ,there was no water tanks or reservoirs present in the temple premises .
• The temples were built on upraised platforms.
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• Generally,the temple premises
did not have elaborate
boundary walls or gateways.
Under the Nagara school ,three sub-
schools emerged:
[Link] school-
* The exterior walls were lavishly
decorated with intricate carvings,but
interior walls were plain.
* No use of pillars in the porch.
Shikhara was known as Rekha deul
and mandapa as jagamohan.
* The ground plan of main temple
was square.
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2. KHAJURAHO SCHOOL:
*In these temples,both the interior and exterior walls
were lavishly decorated with carvings.
*The sculptures were generally erotic in their themes
and drew inspiration from Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra.
*The temples were made up of sandstone.
*The temples were north or east facing.
*Panchayatan style of temple making was followed.
*The temples were built on relatively high platform
and belong to Hindu and Jain religion.
3. MARU-GURJARA SCHOOL:
* The porticos had decorative arched gateways
known as torans.
* A unique feature is presence of step-tank,known as
suryakund in proximity of temple.
* The temple was devoid of any carvings.
Sanctum was connected with mandapa both
internally and externally.
* The solankis used a variety of material like
sandstone,black basalt and soft-marble to make
temples.
* Most of the temples are east facing and designed
such that every year during the equinoxes,the sun
rays fall directly into the central shrine.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE IN SOUTH INDIA
• Temple architecture in South India began under the Pallava ruler [Link] temples
developed during the pallava dynasty reflected the stylistic taste of the individual rulers and can be
divided into four stages chronologically:
[Link] GROUP:This was the first stage of Pallava temple [Link]
temple built under Mahendravarman were basically rock-cut [Link] him,the
temples were known as mandapas,unlike the Nagara style in which the mandapas
meant only the assembly hall.
[Link] GROUP:This represented the second stage of the development of
temple architecture in South [Link] rock-cut temples were decorated with intricate
[Link] Narasimhavarman,the mandapas were now divided into separate
[Link] biggest one was called the Dharmaraja ratha while the smallest one was
called the Draupadi [Link] design of a temple in the Dravidian style of architecture
is a successor of the Dharmaraja ratha.
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3. RAJASIMHA GROUP:Rajasimha led the third stage of temple [Link]
him,development of real structural temples started in place of rock-cut temples.
[Link] GROUP:This was the fourth stage of temple development during the
Pallava [Link] temples built were smaller in [Link] features were almost similar
to the Dravidian style of temple architecture.
After the decline of Pallava dynasty,temple architecture acquired a new style under the
Chola kingdom,known as the Dravidian style of temple [Link] marked a new
era in the development of temples in South [Link] the later periods,three other styles-
Vesara style ,Nayaka style and Vijayanagara style-also emerged in this region.
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2. DRAVIDIAN STYLE OF TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE (CHOLA ARCHITECTURE)
Under the patronage of the chola rulers,hundreds of temples were built in South [Link] was a
continuation of the previous Pallava architecture,with some [Link] is what came to be known as
the Dravidian style of temple [Link] features of the Dravidian style or chola style are:
* Unlike the Nagara temples,the Dravidian temples were surrounded by high boundary walls.
* The front wall had a high entrance gateway known as gopuram.
* The temple premise was laid out in panchayatan style with a principal temple and four subsidiary
shrines.
* Under Dravidian style,the spire is in the form of a stepped pyramid that rises up linearly rather than
[Link] is known as vimana.
* The crowning element is shaped in the form of an octagon and is known as [Link] is similar to the
kalash of the Nagara temple,but not spherical.
* There is only one vimana in the Dravidian architecture on top of the main [Link] subsidiary shrines
do not have vimanas,unlike Nagara architecture.
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*The assembly hall was connected with
the garbhariha by a vestibular tunnel
known as antarala.
*The entrance of the garbhariha had
sculptures of Dwaarpal,Mithun and yaksha.
*The presence of a water tank inside the
temple enclosure was a unique feature of
this style.
CHOLA SCULPTURE
• An important feature of the chola sculpture of the chola temples was the importance placed on the
decoration through [Link] important piece of chola sculpture was the sculpture of Nataraja
in the Tandava dance [Link] the earliest known Nataraja sculpture,which has been
excavated at Ravana Phadi Cave at Aihole,was made during the early Chalukya rule,the sculpture
reached its peak under the cholas.
• Some of the features of the Nataraja sculpture are:
* The upper right hand holds the drum,which signifies the sound of [Link] creations spring from
the great sound of the damru.
* The upper left hand holds the eternal fire,which represents destruction.
* The lower right hand is raised in the gesture of Abhaya mudra signifying benediction and reassuring
the devotee not to be afraid.
* The lower left hand points towards the upraised foot and indicates the path of salvation.
*Shiva is dancing on the figure of a small [Link] matted and flowing locks of shiva represent the flow of river Ganges.
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• VESARA SCHOOL:
Also known as the Karnataka school of architecture,it was conceptualised under the later
chalukya rulers in the mid-7th century [Link] combined features of both the Nagara and Dravidian
school and resulted in a hybridised [Link] of the features are:
• Emphasis on vimana and mandapa.
• Open ambulatory passageway.
• The pillars,doorways and the ceilings were decorated with intricate carvings.
Three prominent dynasties who made this style were:
* CHALUKYA of Badami and Kalyani.
* RASHTRAKUTAS(750-983 AD).for example:kailasha temple in Ellora
* HOYSALA DYNASTY(1050-1300 AD).Temples at Halebidu ,Belur,etc.
Influence of Nagara style is in the curvilinear shikhara and the square base of Vesara temples
and influence of Dravidian style is seen in intricate carvings and sculptures,design of Vimana and
step or terraced Shikhara of Vesara temples.
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• VIJAYANAGARA SCHOOL:
The rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire (1335-1565 AD)were great patrons of art and architecture
with capital at [Link] combined the features of Chola,Hoysalas,Pandyas,Chalukyas
architectural [Link] them,the architectural style began getting influenced by the Indo-
Islamic style of Bijapur,which in turn was reflected in the temples built during this [Link]
features of the temples were:
• The walls of the temples were highly decorated with carvings and geometrical patterns.
• Goupurams,which were previously present on the front side,were now built on all the sides.
• Monolithic rock pillars.
• Generally,temple pillars had a mythical creature Yali engraved in them.
• The enclosing walls were larger and more than one mandapas were built in each [Link]
central mandap came to be known as Kalyana mandapa.
• The concept of secular buildings inside the temple premises was also [Link]
complex was enclosed by boundaries.
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a)VITTALASWAMI TEMPLE’S STONE CHARIOT b)LAKSHMI NARASIMHA SCULPTURE,HAMPI 20XX
HOYSALA ART:
• In the region of Karnataka(near mysore),the temples built under the Hoysala rulers developed a
distinct style of their own as the Hoysala school of [Link] developed in the period from 1050-
1300 AD with the promiment seats being Belur,Halebidu and Sringeri.
Some of the prominent features are:
• Multiple shrines were built around a central pillared hall.
• Unlike the crucified ground plan of the Panchayatan style,the shrines led outi in the shape of an
intricately designed [Link] was known as the Stellate plan.
• Soft soapstone was the main building material.
• Massive emphasis was laid on the decoration of the temple through [Link] the interior
and exterior walls,even the jewelleries worn by the deities were intricately carved.
• Temples were built on a upraised platform known as Jagati,which was about 1metre high.
• The walls and stairs of the temple followed a zigzag pattern.
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GROUND PLAN OF HOYSALESWARA TEMPLE,HALEBIDU
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PALA AND SENA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE:
• In Bengal region,this style developed in the period between 8th and 12th century AD under the
patronage of Pala dynasty and Sena [Link] Palas were primarily Buddhist rulers following
Mahayana tradition,but were very tolerant and tbey patronised both the [Link] kings
built lots of Viharas,Chaityas and [Link] Senas were Hindus and built temples of Hindu
gods,and also sustained Buddhist [Link],the architecture reflected the influence of
both the religions.
• MONUMENTS UNDER PALA RULERS ARE:
Universities of Nalanda,Jagaddala,Odantapuri and Vikramshila.
• MONUMENTS UNDER SENA RULERS ARE:
Dhakeshwari temple in Bangladesh and temples of Bishnupur
*The Sena architecture was characterized by sloping roofs,tall as well as curving Shikhara,
lustrous finish, etc.
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Summary
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Thank you
Mirjam Nilsson
