TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE 4

THE BASIC FORM OF THE HINDU TEMPLE 5

SCULPTURE, ICONOGRAPHY AND ORNAMENTATION 6
Bairat, Jaipur 8
Temple 40 ,Sanchi 8
Temple 18,Sanchi 9
Aihole, karnataka 9
Temple 17 , Sanchi 10
THE NAGARA OR NORTH INDIAN TEMPLE STYLE 11
Central India 14
Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh 14
Temples at Khajuraho 17
Lakshmana temple 18
Mithun Sculptures 19
West India 20
Sun temple, Modhera, Gujarat 21
Nilakantha or Udayesvara Temple, Udaipur 22
Virupaksha Temple,Pattadakal 22
East India 23
Assam 24
Bengal 25
PALA AND SENA KINGS 25
Odisha 28
Parasurameshvara temple , Bhubaneswar 28
Rajarani Temple 29
Vaitala Deul 31
Mukateswara temple 32
Brahmeshwar Temple 33
Lingaraja Temple 33
Ananta Vasudeva temple 35
Sun Temple, Konark 36
The Hills 38
Pandrethan 38
THE DRAVIDA OR SOUTH INDIAN TEMPLE STYLE 40

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THE PALLAVAS AND THE CHOLAS 44
Pallavas 47
Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram 48
The Kailasanath temple , Kanchipuram 50
Rajarajeshwara or Brihadiswara Temple, Thanjavur 51
Pancha Ratha or Pandava Ratha, Mahabalipuram 52
Architecture in the Deccan 56
Rashtrakutas 56
Kailashnath Temple, Ellora 56
Gopurams 57
Chalukyas 60
Ravan Phadi , Aihole 60
Durga Temple ,Aihole 62
Lad Khan Temple, Aihole 63
Hoyasalas 64
Hoysaleshvara temple 65
Vijayanagara 66
BUDDHIST AND JAIN ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 67
NALANDA’S EMERGENCE AS A GREAT CENTRE OF LEARNING 68
Jain Temples 74
MAHABALIPURAM 78
RAVANA SHAKING MOUNT KAILASHA 81
LAKSHAMANA TEMPLE IN KHAJURAHO 82
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE GUPTA PERIOD 85
Architecture 86
Painting 87

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Temple architecture in India (Outline map not to scale)

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 TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE

Today when we say 'temple' in English we generally mean a devalaya,

devkula mandir, kovil, deol, devasthanam or prasada depending on
which part of India we are in.

Most of the art and architectural remains that survive from Ancient and
Medieval India are religious in nature. That does not mean that people did not
have art in their homes at those times, but domestic dwellings and the things
in them were mostly made from materials like wood and clay which have
perished, or were made of metal (like iron, bronze, silver and even gold)
which was melted down and reused from time to time. This chapter

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introduces us to many types of temples from India. Although we have
focussed mostly on Hindu temples, at the end of the chapter you will find
some information on major Buddhist and Jain temples too. However, at all
times, we must keep in mind that religious shrines were also made for many
local cults in villages and forest areas, but again, not being of stone the
ancient or medieval shrines in those areas have also vanished.

THE BASIC FORM OF THE HINDU TEMPLE

The basic form of the Hindu temple comprises the following:

(i) Garbhagriha: a cave-like sanctum (garbhagriha literally ‘womb-house’),

which, in the early temples, was a small cubicle with a single entrance
and grew into a larger chamber in time. The garbhagriha is made to
house the main icon which is itself the focus of much ritual attention.

(ii) Mandapa: the entrance to the temple which may be a portico or

colonnaded hall that incorporates space for a large number of
worshippers and is known as a mandapa;

(iii) Shikhar/ Vimana: from the fifth century CE onwards, freestanding

temples tend to have a mountain- like spire, which can take the shape
of a curving shikhar in North India and a pyramidal tower, called a
vimana, in South India;

(iv) Vahan, : the mount or vehicle of the temple’s main deity along with a
standard pillar or dhvaj is placed axially before the sanctum.

Two broad orders of temples in the country are known— Nagara in the north
and Dravida in the south.

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At times, the Vesar style of temples as an independent style created
through the selective mixing of the Nagara and Dravida orders is mentioned
by some scholars. Elaborate studies are available on the various sub-styles
within these orders.

As temples grew more complex, more surfaces were created for sculpture
through additive geometry, i.e., by adding more and more rhythmically
projecting, symmetrical walls and niches, without breaking away from the
fundamental plan of the shrine.

SCULPTURE, ICONOGRAPHY AND ORNAMENTATION

The study of images of deities falls within a branch of art history called
‘iconography’, which consists of identification of images based on certain
symbols and mythologies associated with them. And very often, while the
fundamental myth and meaning of the deity may remain the same for

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centuries, its specific usage at a spot can be a response to its local or
immediate social, political or geographical context.

Every region and period produced its own distinct style of images with its
regional variations in iconography. The temple is covered with elaborate
sculpture and ornament that form a fundamental part of its conception.

The placement of an image in a temple is carefully planned:

• for instance, river goddesses (Ganga and Yamuna) are usually found at the
entrance of a garbhagriha in a Nagara temple,

• dvarapalas (doorkeepers) are usually found on the gateways or gopurams

of Dravida temples,

• similarly, mithunas (erotic images), navagrahas (the nine auspicious

planets) and yakshas are also placed at entrances to guard them.

• Various forms or aspects of the main divinity are to be found on the outer
walls of the sanctum.

• The deities of directions, i.e., the ashtadikpalas face the eight key
directions on the outer walls of the sanctum and/or on the outer walls of a
temple.

• Subsidiary shrines around the main temple are dedicated to the family or
incarnations of the main deity.

• Finally, various elements of ornamentation such as gavaksha, vyala/yali,

kalpa-lata, amalaka, kalasha, etc. are used in distinct ways and places in a
temple.

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Evidence of the earliest known structural temples has been recovered
through excavations.

Bairat, Jaipur

A circular brick and timber shrine of the Mauryan period of 3rd century
B.C., was excavated at Bairat District of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

• The shrine measures 23 meters in

diameter and was made of lime-
plastered brick work, alternating
with 26 octagonal pillars, of wood. It
was entered from the east through a
small portico, supported by two
wooden pillars and was surrounded
by a seven feet wide ambulatory.

Temple 40 ,Sanchi
A second example of a Maurya temple
uncovered by excavations, Temple 40'
at Sanchi, has a similar plan, it was a
stone temple on an apsidal plan
enclosed by an ambulatory, and raised
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on a high, rectangular scale, approached by two flights of steps from
diagonally opposite sides. The super-structure was possibly built of wood,
and has disappeared.

In the following centuries the temple underwent a series of changes making it

difficult to recognise from the original plan.

Temple 18,Sanchi
Temple 18 at Sanchi also was an apsidal
stone temple probably with a timber
superstructure, originally dating from the
2nd century B.C. The present remains of
the apsidal temple with its stately
pillars and pilaster dates from about the
7th century A.D. though the temple
remained in use till the medieval period.

Aihole, karnataka

Perhaps the earliest structural temple still standing in its original condition is
the one constructed at Aihole in Karnataka. This is a little structure built of
huge almost boulder-like blocks of stones. The temple consists of a simple
square cell the garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum, in front of which there is a
covered verandah, a portico, which consists of four heavy pillars supporting a
stone roof. The pillars as well as the entire structure is as simple as can be,
except for a small frieze-like motif on the small parapet that runs on two sides
of the ground length of the portico.

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It is interesting to observe that the architect who built this edifice had not yet
discovered that the two pillars nearest the cell need not have been built
standing clear away from the wall but that they could easily have been
pilasters, half pillars, half jutting out of the back wall of the verandah. Nor had
he taken the climate into consideration and did not provide gargoyles to allow
the rain water to run off the roof. The entire structure is heavy, bulky and
clumsy. Probably, this was constructed near about 300 to 350 A.D.

Temple 17 , Sanchi

Temple No. 17, at Sanchi is a

small temple built about 400
A.D. and everything attempted
earlier, is done much better
here. The stones are smaller
and laid out in regular neat rows;
the roof has been separated so
that the portico has a slightly
less prominent height - the
Sanctum-Sanctorum being the
main house of the God. Gargoyles have been thoughtfully provided to drain
off rain water and the four back pillars are more slender and beautifully
carved. This temple truly belongs to the Classical Period and is marked by
elegance, harmony, balance and dignity. Decoration is minimal and is only
used where one structural form joins another.

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An inverted lotus is placed where the top of the shaft joins. The capital and
little lions, seated back to back, act as support where the roof rests on top of
the pillar. The entire structure is simple, with no complication.

However, in the course of time the extremely plain and simple temple
architecture becomes increasingly complicated, from a simple quadrangle it
evolves into salient and re-entering angles, protrusions are added, making
the outline more and more involved, till eventually it becomes almost like a
star with more than a hundred little corners on the ground level.

THE NAGARA OR NORTH INDIAN TEMPLE STYLE

The style of temple architecture that became popular in northern India is

known as nagara.

1. In North India it is common for an entire temple to be built on a stone

platform with steps leading up to it.

2. Further, unlike in South India it does not

usually have elaborate boundary walls or
gateways.

3. While the earliest temples had just one tower,

or shikhara, later temples had several.

4. The garbhagriha is always located directly

under the tallest tower.

There are many subdivisions of nagara

temples depending on the shape of the
shikhara.

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There are different names for the various parts of the temple in different parts
of India;

1. The most common name for the simple shikhara which is square at the
base and whose walls curve or slope inward to a point on top is called the
'latina' or the rekha-prasada type of shikara.

2. The second major type of architectural form in the nagara order is the
phamsana. Phamsana buildings tend to be broader and shorter than
latina ones. Their roofs are composed of several slabs that gently
rise to a single point over the centre of the building, unlike the latina
ones which look like sharply rising tall towers. Phamsana roofs do
not curve inward, instead they slope upwards on a straight incline.

In many North Indian temples you will notice that the phamsana design is
used for the mandapas while the main garbhagriha is housed in a latina
building.

Later on, the latina buildings grew complex, and instead of appearing like a
single tall tower, the temple began to support many smaller towers, which
were clustered together like rising mountain-peaks with the tallest one being
in the centre, and this was the one which was always above the garbhagriha.

3. The third main sub-type of the nagara building is what is generally called
the “valabhi type”. These are rectangular buildings with a roof that rises
into a vaulted chamber.

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The edge of this vaulted chamber is rounded,
like the bamboo or wooden wagons that would
have been drawn by bullocks in ancient times.
They are usually called ‘wagon- vaulted
buildings’. As mentioned above, the form of the
temple is influenced by ancient building forms
that were already in existence before the fifth
century CE. The valabhi type of building was one
of them. For instance, if you study the ground-
plan of many of the Buddhist rock-cut chaitya
caves, you will notice that they are shaped as long halls which end in a
curved back. From the inside, the roof of this portion also looks like a wagon-
vaulted roof.

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 Central India

Ancient temples of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan share

many traits.

1. The most visible is that they are made of sandstone.

2. Some of the oldest surviving structural temples from the Gupta Period are
in Madhya Pradesh.

3. These are relatively modest-looking shrines each having four pillars that
support a small mandapa which looks like a simple square porch-like
extension before an equally small room that served as the garbhagriha.

4. Importantly, of the two such temples that survive, one is at Udaigiri,

which is on the outskirts of Vidisha and is part of a larger Hindu complex
of cave shrines, while the other one is at Sanchi, which was a Buddhist
site. This means that similar developments were being incorporated in the
architecture of temples of both the religions.

Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh

The patrons and donors of the temple at Deogarh (in Lalitpur District, Uttar
Pradesh) are unknown; however on the basis of both architecture and
imagery, it is established that this temple was built in the early sixth century
CE. That is, about a hundred years or so after the small temples we just
learnt about in Sanchi and Udaigiri. This makes it a classic example of a late
Gupta Period type of temple.
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1. This temple is in the panchayatana style of
architecture where the main shrine is built on
a rectangular plinth with four smaller
subsidiary shrines at the four corners
(making it a total number of five shrines,
hence the name, panchayatana).

2. The tall and curvilinear shikhara also

corroborates this date.

3. The presence of this curving latina or rekha-

prasada type of shikhara also makes it clear
that this is an early example of a classic nagara style of temple.

4. This west-facing temple has a grand doorway with standing sculptures

of female figures representing the Ganga on the left side and the Yamuna
on the right side. The temple is west-facing, which is less common, as
most temples are east- or north-facing.

5. The temple depicts Vishnu in various forms, due to which it was assumed
that the four subsidiary shrines must also have housed Vishnu’s avatars
and the temple was mistaken for a dasavatara temple. In fact, it is not
actually known to whom the four subsidiary shrines were originally
dedicated.

6. There are three main reliefs of Vishnu on the temple walls:

• Sheshashayana on the south,

• Nara- Narayan on the east

• Gajendramoksha on the west.

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Sheshashayana is the form of Vishnu where he
is shown reclining on the sheshanaga called
Ananta.

Nara-Narayan shows the discussion between the

human soul and the eternal divine.

Gajendramoksha is the story of achieving moksha,

symbolically communicated by Vishnu’s suppression of an
asura who had taken the form of an elephant.

Numerous temples of smaller dimensions have been constructed over a

period of time. By contrast, if we study the temples of Khajuraho made in
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the tenth century, i.e., about four hundred years after the temple at
Deogarh, we can see how dramatically the shape and style of the nagara
temple architecture had developed.

Temples at Khajuraho

Khajuraho, twenty five miles North of Panna and twenty seven miles of
Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh is an important place because of the
exquisite temples built there by the Chandellas.

1. The Khajuraho temples are cruciform in plan with the long axis from
East to West.
2. Built of buff sandstone from the quarries of Panna, these temples have a
soft texture and a most pleasing colour.
3. The temples have usually been made on high terraces.
4. Almost all the temples have an inner shrine, an assembly hall or
mandapa, and an entrance portico.
5. The temples at Khajuraho have a circumambulatory passage also.
6. Some of the temples at Khajuraho are a cluster of five shrines - the
main temple surrounded by four others at each corner. In architecture,
these types of temples are known as Panchayatana - a temple that has a
central shrine surrounded by four other shrines.

The Kandariya Temple, the Mahadeva Temple, the Devi Jagadamba Temple,
the Chitragupta Temple, the Vishwanatha Temple, the Parvati Temple, the
Lakshamana or Chaturbhuja Temple; the Varaha Temple; the Chaunsat Yogini
Temple (the only temple made entirely of granite and dedicated to sixty four
yoginis) are some of the very famous and worth studying from the art and
architectural point of view.

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These temples were built between tenth to late
twelfth centuries. The South-East of Khajuraho is
famous for Jain Temples.

The Parsvanatha Temple is most important one

whereas the Ghantai Temple is named because of
the bell and chain ornaments at its pillars.

Lakshmana temple

1. Dedicated to Vishnu is the grandest temple of Khajuraho, built in 954 by

the Chandela king, Dhanga.

2. A nagara temple, it is placed on a high platform accessed by stairs.

3. There are four smaller temples in the

corners, and all the towers or
shikharas rise high, upward in a
curved pyramidal fashion,
emphasising the temple’s vertical thrust
ending in a horizontal fluted disc
called an amalak topped with a
kalash or vase.

4. The crowning elements: amalak and kalash, are to be found on all

nagara temples of this period.

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5. The temple also has projecting balconies and verandahs, thus very
different from Deogarh.

Mithun Sculptures

Khajuraho’s temples are also known for their extensive erotic

sculptures;

1. the erotic expression is given equal importance in human experience as

spiritual pursuit, and it is seen as part of a larger cosmic whole.

2. Many Hindu temples therefore feature mithun (embracing couple)

sculptures, considered auspicious.

3. Usually, they are placed at the entrance of the temple or on an exterior

wall or they may also be placed on the walls between the mandapa and
the main shrine.

4. Khajuraho’s sculptures are highly stylised with typical features: they

are in almost full relief, cut away from the surrounding stone, with sharp
noses, prominent chins, long slanting eyes and eyebrows.

5. The other notable example at Khajuraho is Kandariya Mahadeo temple

dedicated to Lord Shiva.

There are many temples at Khajuraho, most of them devoted to Hindu gods.

There are some Jain temples as well as a Chausanth Yogini temple, which
is of interest. Predating the tenth century, this is a temple of small, square
shrines of roughly-hewn granite blocks, each dedicated to esoteric devis or
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goddesses associated with the rise of Tantric worship after the seventh
century. Several such temples were dedicated to the cult of the yoginis across
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and even as far south as Tamil Nadu. They were
built between the seventh and tenth centuries, but few have survived.

West India

The temples in the north-western parts of India including Gujarat and

Rajasthan, and stylistically extendable, at times, to western Madhya Pradesh
are too numerous to include here in any comprehensive way.

1. The stone used to build the temples ranges in colour and type. While
sandstone is the commonest, a grey to black basalt can be seen in
some of the tenth to twelveth century temple sculptures. The most
exuberant and famed is the manipulatable soft white marble which is
also seen in some of the tenth to twelveth century Jain temples in
Mount Abu and the fifteenth century temple at Ranakpur.

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2. Among the most important art-historical sites in the region is Samlaji in
Gujarat which shows how earlier artistic traditions of the region mixed
with a post-Gupta style and gave rise to a distinct style of sculpture. A
large number of sculptures made of grey schist have been found in this
region which can be dated between the sixth and eighth centuries CE.
While the patronage of these is debated, the date is established on the
basis of the style.

Sun temple, Modhera, Gujarat

The Sun temple at Modhera dates back to early eleventh century and was
built by Raja Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty in 1026.

The Solankis were a branch of the later Chalukyas.

1. There is a massive rectangular stepped tank called the surya kund in

front of it. Proximity of sacred architecture to a water body such as a tank,
a river or a pond has been noticed right from the earliest times.

2. By the early eleventh century they had become a part of many temples.
This hundred-square-metre rectangular pond is perhaps the grandest
temple tank in India.
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3. A hundred and eight miniature shrines are carved in between the
steps inside the tank.

4. A huge ornamental arch-torana leads one to the sabha mandapa (the

assembly hall) which is open on all sides, as was the fashion of the times
in western and central Indian temples.

5. The influence of the woodcarving tradition of Gujarat is evident in the

lavish carving and sculpture work. However, the walls of the central small
shrine are devoid of carving and are left plain as the temple faces the
east and, every year, at the time of the equinoxes, the sun shines directly
into this central shrine.

Nilakantha or Udayesvara Temple, Udaipur

Udaipur, about 40 miles from Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh, is yet another

ancient and remarkable site. The finest and best preserved temple is the
Nilakantha or Udayesvara at Udaipur, built by Udayaditya Paramara between
1059 and 1080.
1. It has a covered porch, a pyramidal roof and a tower or Shikhara
ornamented by four narrow flat bands running from base to summit, the
intervening spaces being occupied with repeated ornaments consisting of
reduplication in miniature of the main tower.
2. The whole is carved with particular precision and delicacy, and both tower
and mandapa are in perfect preservation, the former surmounted by an
amalasila or a vase.

Virupaksha Temple,Pattadakal

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The most important of the temples at Pattadakal date from the first half of the
8th century and show the strongest possible evidences of Pallava influence.
The great Virupaksha temple, dedicated to Siva as Lokesavara, by the
queen of Vikramaditya II datable to 740 A.D., was most likely built by
workmen brought from Kanchipuram, and in direct imitation of the
Kailasanath at Kanchipuram.

1. The main shrine is distinct from the Mandapam, but has a pradakshana
passage, the pillared mandapamhas solid walls, with pierced stone
windows.
2. The square shikhara consists of clearly defined storeys each of
considerable elevation.
3. Chaitya window motifs are much used and there are many sculptured
lintels, slabs and monolithic pillars.
4. It is built of very large, closely-jointed blocks of stone without mortar, in
keeping with early Dravidian temple building practices. One of the noblest
structures in India, this is the only ancient temple at Pattadakal still in use.

East India

Eastern Indian temples include those found in the North- East, Bengal and
Odisha. Each of these three areas produced distinct types of temples.

The history of architecture in the North-East and Bengal is hard to study

because a number of ancient buildings in those regions were renovated, and
what survives now are later brick or concrete temples at those sites.

It appears that terracotta was the main medium of construction, and also
for moulding plaques which depicted Buddhist and Hindu deities in Bengal
until the seventh century. A large number of sculptures have been found in
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Assam and Bengal which shows the development of important regional
schools in those regions.

Assam

An old sixth-century sculpted door frame from DaParvatia near Tezpur and
another few stray sculptures from Rangagora Tea Estate near Tinsukia in
Assam bear witness to the import of the Gupta idiom in that region. This post-
Gupta style continued in the region well into the tenth century. However, by
the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, a distinct regional style developed in
Assam.

The style that came with the migration of the Tais from Upper Burma mixed
with the dominant Pala style of Bengal and led to the creation of what was
later known as the Ahom style in and around Guwahati.

Kamakhya temple, a Shakti Peeth, is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya and

was built in the seventeenth century.

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 Bengal

The style of the sculptures during the period between the ninth and eleventh
centuries in Bengal (including Bangladesh) and Bihar is known as the
Pala style, named after the ruling dynasty at the time, while the style of those
of the mid-eleventh to mid-thirteenth centuries is named after the Sena
kings.

PALA AND SENA KINGS

From the eighth to twelfth centuries, the eastern portion of India was host to a
florescence of artistic activity. Under the Pala dynasty, which ruled large
portions of Eastern-South Asia for nearly four hundred years span, many
centres of Buddhism and Hinduism flourished.

The Pala dynasty came to power around 750 A.D. The Pala school of art first
flourished in the Magadha region of Southern Bihar, the homeland of
Buddhist religion. Not surprisingly, the majority of early Pala-period remains
are Buddhist. Due to intense religious activity during Pala Sena period, many
religious structures were built or renovated. Most of these buildings have
vanished leaving no extant architecture from this period and making it very
difficult to reconstruct a systematic overview of the architectural development.
Inspite of non-availability of any building, a huge corpus of sculpture and a
few paintings survive from this period.

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During the Pala-period, a number of monasteries and religious sites that had
been founded in earlier periods grew into prominence. The large cruciform
stupa at Paharpur (ancient Somapura) in Bengal (now Bangladesh), for
example, measures more than one hundred meters from North to South. It
was built around the late eighth or early ninth century. The walls of the
courtyard contain 177 individual cells that served as shrines.

Although the first two hundred or so years of Pala-period art were dominated
by Buddhist art, the Hindu remains also exist in some quantities in that phase
and clearly dominate in the last two hundred years of the Pala-period.

The remains, though damaged, suggest that Bengali architecture styles in

particular shared many features with other northern schools especially that of
Orissa. The surviving examples from Bengal later than Pala-Sena period
especially from the sixteenth century and later show greater Islamic influence.
Thus, for an understanding of the Hindu artistic development from the eighth
to twelfth centuries, the greater attention must be placed on the surviving
sculptures.

While the Palas are celebrated as patrons of many Buddhist monastic sites,
the temples from that region are known to express the local Vanga style.

The ninth century Siddheshvara Mahadeva temple in Barakar in Burdwan

District, for example, shows a tall curving shikhara crowned by a large
amalaka and is an example of the early Pala style. It is similar to
contemporaneous temples of Odisha. This basic form grows loftier with the
passing of centuries.

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Many of the temples from the ninth
to the twelfth century were located at
Telkupi in Purulia District. They
were submerged when dams were
built in the region. These were
amongst the important examples of
architectural styles prevalent in the
region which showed an awareness
of all the known nagara sub-types that were prevalent in the rest of North
India. However, several temples still survive in Purulia District which can be
dated to this period.

The black to grey basalt and chlorite stone pillars and arched niches of these
temples heavily influenced the earliest Bengal sultanate buildings at Gaur and
Pandua.

Many local vernacular building traditions of Bengal also influenced the style of
temples in that region. Most prominent of these was the shape of the
curving or sloping side of the bamboo roof of a Bengali hut. This feature
was eventually even adopted in Mughal buildings, and is known across North
India as the Bangla roof.

In the Mughal period and later, scores of terracotta brick temples were built
across Bengal and Bangladesh in a unique style that had elements of local
building techniques seen in bamboo huts which were combined with older
forms reminiscent of the Pala period and with the forms of arches and domes
that were taken from Islamic architecture. These can be widely found in and
around Vishnupur, Bankura, Burdwan and Birbhum and are dated mostly to
the seventeenth century.
Page 27 of 87
 Odisha

The main architectural features of Odisha temples are classified in three

orders, i.e., rekhapida, pidhadeul and khakra.

Most of the main temple sites are located in ancient Kalinga—modern Puri
District, including Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri and Konark.

The temples of Odisha constitute a distinct sub- style within the nagara order.

1. In general, here the shikhara, called deul in Odisha, is vertical almost

until the top when it suddenly curves sharply inwards.

2. Deuls are preceded, as usual, by mandapas called jagamohana in

Odisha.

3. The ground plan of the main temple is almost always square, which, in
the upper reaches of its superstructure becomes circular in the crowning
mastaka. This makes the spire nearly cylindrical in appearance in its
length.

4. Compartments and niches are generally square, the exterior of the

temples are lavishly carved, their interiors generally quite bare.

5. Odisha temples usually have boundary walls.

Parasurameshvara temple , Bhubaneswar

The early Indian temple was provided with a flat roof and there was a problem
of letting out accumulated rain water. In the Aihole temples of Ladkhan and
Durga, the roof slabs have been given a slant and these slabs of large stones
which were used in the early Orissan temples datable to about the mid 7th
century, namely the Parasurameshvara temple at Bhubaneswar.
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1. In this case there are two roofs of slanting slabs, one above the other,
providing in between, small skylights allowing light to penetrate inside the
shrine.
2. Gradually these slanting slab-roofs begin to increase from one to two and
from two to three and gradually by multiplying these roofs, a pyramidal
roof results over the shrine, called Jagamohana in Orissa, which
precedes the main shrine.

Rajarani Temple
A masterpiece of Indian architecture is the Rajarani temple of
Bhubaneswar, a work of exquisite grace in which the masses of the
Jagamohana and the Vimana are admirably combined to express perfection.
1. There is a very lovely beehive shaped tower rising from the ground with a
gentle curvature over the sanctum sanctorum.
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2. Shikhara on Shikhara, miniature temple towers, one on top of the other,
mount higher and higher to ever loftier heights like the great Mount
Everest surrounded by smaller crags.
3. It is possible that the architect conceived the idea of the ever rising
succession of these miniature Shikharas and was inspired by the great
mountain range and the highest peak in the Himalayas which is
surrounded by lesser peaks and might well symbolise the aspirations of
the human soul to reach up till it merges and mixes with the Eternal and
the Almighty Spirit.
4. The Orissan temple stands as a great monument to the infinite patience
and loving care and perseverance that moves these architects and the
kings who carved ornaments and distinct from the severely simple
pyramidal roof of modest height over Jagamohana or the mandapa.
5. The multiplication of the slanting slabs has been carried to 13 horizontal
elements, diminishing as they reach towards the pinnacle on the top of
the pyramid.
6. But even this pinnacle is dwarfed by the importance of the lovely round
stone, the amlaka, the chhatra or the crown on top of the spire or tower.
7. The Jagamohana and the Vimana are connected by means of miniature
spires emerging from the pyramidal roof of the Jagmohana towards the
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 Shikhara of the sanctum sanctorum, making a transition a kind of step
that leads the eye towards the height of the tower.

We have seen that the evolution of temple architecture in Orissa is towards

the greater elaboration of the plan and pronounced ornamentation over the
outside of the walls, with decorative elements, including human figures, gods
and goddesses, flora and fauna. Early temples of modest size and somewhat
smaller shikharas such as the Parasurameswara temple at Bhubaneswar
datable to the middle of the 7th century, with a squat and heavy shikhara over
the sanctum sanctorum and a low flat roofed mandapa, embellished with a
relief of dancers and musicians of great charm, gradually matures into an
elaborate structure of towering height, embellished with sculptural
decorations.
Vaitala Deul

Then comes the Vaitala Deul which is known for its sculpture grace and
exuberance of decoration, with a rectangular sanctum with wagon-vault
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roof similar to that of the Parasurameswara temple, and is datable on the
basis of its decorative motifs and designs, which are mature, expressive and
dynamic, to the close of the 8th century.

Mukateswara temple

Then comes the Mukateswara temple regarded as a gem of Orissan

architecture.

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Brahmeshwar Temple

The Brahmesvara temple is a panchyatana temple securely dated by an

inscription, to about 1060 A.D. This is a temple in which the central shrine is
surrounded by four small shrines in the four corners of the compound.
Though a very beautiful shrine, the spire or shikhara appears to be curving
rather abruptly under the amlaka, unlike the spire of the Rajarani which is
perfect and admirable for its style and decoration. The Jagamohana has a
rather top heavy pyramidal roof, unlike the Rajarani which is of modest height
and much simpler.

Lingaraja Temple

The Lingaraja temple, datable to about 1000 A.D., is perhaps the most
marvellous temple ever erected in this century, the grandest and the loftiest
(above 36.50 m. high) marking the culmination of the architectural activities at
Bhubaneswar.
1. This temple consists of the sanctum sanctorum, a
closed hall, a dancing hall and a hall of offerings,
the last two being later additions.
2. The Lingaraja is surrounded by a large number of
additional shrines which clutters up the entire
compound.
3. The enormous height of the spire, 5 times the
height of the Rajarani, dominates the entire
surroundings by its soaring loftiness and volume,
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 emphasised by the deeply incised vertical lines of the rathas, a pair of
which flanking the central ratha, carry four diminishing replicas of the
spire itself as a decorative pattern.
4. The Jagamohana and the spire match each other splendidly and both
express the greatness of the Lord.
5. The nine lower roof and seven upper roofs of the Jagamohana are
exquisitely adorned with friezes representing a procession of infantry,
cavalry, elephants and miscellaneous other scenes that break the
monotony of the rising pyramid and a great shikhara surface too is
elegantly varied by the introduction of corner miniature shikharas and
flying lions.
6. The elegant and lovely female figures, loving couples in embrace, and
other gods and goddesses decorating the surface are all carved with
sensuous charm, beauty and delight in fine form.
7. The mature planning of the whole structure, the proportionate distribution
of its part, the graceful curve of its shikhara and its elegant architectural
and plastic decoration, together with its impressive dimensions make the
Lingaraja, at Bhubaneswar, one of the greatest creations of Indian
architecture. Technically speaking it is a marvellous architectural feat to
build a tower and a shrine of such enormous size, of the fashioned stone.

It may be mentioned at this juncture, that in the later temples of Orissa,

including the Lingaraja, there are two additional shrines attached along one
axis - in front of the Jagamohana, a natamandapa, or a hall of dance and
music, and a bhogmandapa, a hall of offerings. As a matter of fact, the
temple was a total work of art in which we have not only sculptures and
painting, but music, dancing and theatrical performance, making it a true civic
centre for artistic and cultural activities, somewhat like the modern community

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halls, which are places for social and cultural gatherings. In the olden days
the temple performed this task and was truly the hub around which all civic
and religious life of the community revolved.

Ananta Vasudeva temple

Among the later shrines of Bhubaneswar the Ananta Vasudeva temple,

founded in 1278, is remarkable in more ways then one.

1. It is the only temple dedicated to Vaishnava worship at this predominantly

Shiva site and stands on an ornate platform terrace.
2. It continues with the developed plan and decorative scheme of Lingaraja,
but the grouping of the roofs over the four compartments in a gradual
ascent is more spectacular here.
3. Further, the walls of the sanctum and the Jagamohana display images of
the Regents as well as those of their consorts.

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Sun Temple, Konark

The last great temple, the grandest achievement of the artistic and
architectural genius of Orissa is the Sun temple at Konark which was
constructed by the eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha Varmana, about 1250
A.D.
At Konark, on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, lie the majestic ruins of the
Surya or Sun temple built in stone around 1240. Its shikhara was a colossal
creation said to have reached 70m, which, proving too heavy for its site, fell in
the nineteenth century.

1. The vast complex is within a quadrilateral precinct of which the

jagamohana or the dance-pavillion (mandapa) has survived, which though
no longer accessible is said to be the largest enclosed space in Hindu
architecture.

2. It is a vast and wonderful structure, magnificently conceived as a gigantic

chariot with 12 pairs of ornamental wheels, pulled by seven rearing
horses. The Sun temple is set on a high base, its walls covered in
extensive, detailed ornamental carving. These include twelve pairs of
enormous wheels sculpted with spokes and hubs, representing the

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 chariot wheels of the Sun god who, in mythology, rides a chariot driven
by eight horses, sculpted here at the entrance staircase. The whole
temple thus comes to resemble a colossal processional chariot.

3. The colossal temple originally consisted of a sanctum sanctorum, with a

lofty curvilinear shikhara, a Jagamohana and a dancing hall, built on the
same axis, and an extensive compound wall with three entrance
gateways.

4. The sanctum sanctorum and the dancing hall have lost their roofs and it is
only the Jagamohana which has remained intact with its roof.

5. The sanctum sanctorum and the Jagamohana together stand on a lofty

platform, richly ornamented by friezes of elephants, decorative ornaments
interspersed with figures sculptures, often of a highly sensuous character.

6. Over the stupendous roof of the Jagamohana consisting of horizontal

tiers, grouped in three stages, stand life size female sculptures of great
charm, dancers, cymbal players and others adorning each stage.

7. The whole structure of the Jagamohana unparalleled for its grandeur and
structural propriety, is surmounted by an effective contrast of light and
shade.

8. On the southern wall is a massive sculpture of surya carved out of

green stone. It is said that there were three such images, each carved
out of a different stone placed on the three temple walls, each facing
different directions. The fourth wall had the doorway into the temple from
where the actual rays of the sun would enter the garbhagriha.

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 The Hills

A unique form of architecture developed in the hills of Kumaon, Garhwal,

Himachal and Kashmir.

Kashmir’s proximity to prominent Gandhara

sites (such as Taxila, Peshawar and the
northwest frontier) lent the region a strong
Gandhara influence by the fifth century CE.
This began to mix with the Gupta and post-
Gupta traditions that were brought to it from
Sarnath, Mathura and even centres in
Gujarat and Bengal. Brahmin pundits and
Buddhist monks frequently travelled
between Kashmir, Garhwal, Kumaon and religious centres in the plains like
Banaras, Nalanda and even as far south as Kanchipuram. As a result both
Buddhist and Hindu traditions began to intermingle and spread in the hills.
The hills also had their own tradition of wooden buildings with pitched
roofs.

At several places in the hills, therefore, you will find that while the main
garbhagriha and shikhara are made in a rekha-prasada or latina style,
the mandapa is of an older form of wooden architecture. Sometimes, the
temple itself takes on a pagoda shape.

Pandrethan

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The Karkota period of Kashmir is the most significant in terms of
architecture. One of the most important temples is Pandrethan, built during
the eighth and ninth centuries.

In keeping with the tradition of a water tank

attached to the shrine, this temple is built
on a plinth built in the middle of a tank.
Although there are evidences of both Hindu
and Buddhist followings in Kashmir, this
temple is a Hindu one, possibly dedicated to
Shiva. The architecture of this temple is in
keeping with the age-old Kashmiri tradition of
wooden buildings. Due to the snowy
conditions in Kashmir, the roof is peaked and slants slowly outward. The
temple is moderately ornamented, moving away from the post-Gupta
aesthetics of heavy carving. A row of elephants at the base and a decorated
doorway are the only embellishments on the shrine.

Like the findings at Samlaji, the sculptures at Chamba also show an

amalgamation of local traditions with a post- Gupta style. The images of
Mahishasuramardini and Narasimha at the Laksna-Devi Mandir are
evidences of the influence of the post-Gupta tradition. Both the images show
the influence of the metal sculpture tradition of Kashmir. The yellow colour of
the images is possibly due to an alloy of zinc and copper which were
popularly used to make images in Kashmir. This temple bears an inscription
that states that it was built during the reign of Meruvarman who lived in the
seventh century.

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Of the temples in Kumaon, the ones at Jageshwar near Almora, and
Champavat near Pithoragarh, are classic examples of nagara architecture in
the region.

THE DRAVIDA OR SOUTH INDIAN TEMPLE STYLE

1. Unlike the nagara temple, the dravida temple is enclosed within a

compound wall.

2. The front wall has an entrance gateway in its centre, which is known as
a gopuram.

3. The shape of the main temple tower known as vimana in Tamil Nadu is
like a stepped pyramid that rises up geometrically rather than the
curving shikhara of North India.

4. In the South Indian temple, the word ‘shikhara’ is used only for the
crowning element at the top of the temple which is usually shaped like
a small stupika or an octagonal cupola— this is equivalent to the amlak
and kalasha of North Indian temples.

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5. Whereas at the entrance to the North Indian temple’s garbhagriha, it
would be usual to find images such as mithunas and the river goddesses,
Ganga and Yamuna, in the south you will generally find sculptures of
fierce dvarapalas or the door-keepers guarding the temple.

6. It is common to find a large water reservoir, or a temple tank, enclosed

within the complex.

7. Subsidiary shrines are either incorporated within the main temple tower,
or located as distinct, separate small shrines beside the main temple.

8. The North Indian idea of multiple shikharas rising together as a

cluster was not popular in South India. At some of the most sacred
temples in South India, the main temple in which the garbhagriha is
situated has, in fact, one of the smallest towers. This is because it is
usually the oldest part of the temple. With the passage of time, the
population and size of the town associated with that temple would have
increased, and it would have become necessary to make a new boundary
wall around the temple. This would have been taller that the last one, and
its gopurams would have been even loftier. So, for instance, the
Srirangam temple in Tiruchirapally has as many as seven
‘concentric’ rectangular enclosure walls, each with gopurams. The
outermost is the newest, while the tower right in the centre housing
the garbhagriha is the oldest.

Temples thus started becoming the focus of urban architecture.

Kanchipuram, Thanjavur or Tanjore, Madurai and Kumbakonam are the

most famous temple towns of Tamil Nadu, where, during the eighth to twelfth

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centuries, the role of the temple was not limited to religious matters alone.
Temples became rich administrative centres, controlling vast areas of land.

Just as there are many subdivisions of the main types of nagara temples,
there are subdivisions also of dravida temples.

These are basically of five different shapes:

1. square, usually called kuta, and also caturasra;

2. rectangular or shala or ayatasra;

3. elliptical, called gaja-prishta or elephant- backed, or also called

vrittayata, deriving from wagon- vaulted shapes of apsidal chaityas with
a horse-shoe shaped entrance facade usually called a nasi;

4. circular or vritta; and

5. octagonal or ashtasra.

Generally speaking, the plan of the temple and the shape of the vimana were
conditioned by the iconographic nature of the consecrated deity, so it was
appropriate to build specific types of temples for specific types of icons. It
must, however, be remembered that this is a simplistic differentiation of the
subdivisions. Several different shapes may be combined in specific periods
and places to create their own unique style.

Let us turn our attention once again towards the South of India, where the
Dravidian style of temple architecture flourished roughly from the 8th century
to about the 13-14 century A.D. Unlike the North, the South is literally dotted
with thousands of temples, having been relatively free from repeated foreign
invasions to which the North was subject. Behind the architectural
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achievements of the country, lay the urge of the Hindu mind to give vent to its
religious and spiritual hopes and aspirations, and the construction and
maintenance of a temple became an act of merit or Dharma both here and in
the hereafter for all - Kings, nobles and laymen alike. It was the centre of all
cultural and social life, the hub around which all activities revolved. Its
influence extended beyond the purely religious and spiritual realms and made
the temple an important centre. The temple was a leading landowner, thanks
to the frequent donations from kings, nobles and lay-devotees. The
construction of a temple usually took many years and it gave employment to
hundreds of artists and engineers. The finest craftsmen from neighbouring
provinces found employment and a whole generation of talented sculptors
were trained by them during its construction. The daily routine gave assured
employment to a large number of people, priests, musicians, dancing girls,
teachers, florist, tailors, etc. In course of time the simple unostentatious
temple became a vast conglomeration of structures, consisting of subsidiary
shrines, Natamandaps and Bhogamandapas, or a dance hall and hall of
offerings. Poet pavillions, confectioners and others were allowed to become
part of temple complex.

In other words the temple almost embraced and enveloped the town or
the town embraced and enveloped the temple. With the increase in all
these additional structures, more compounds were added to the original
temple compound, one inside the other, like Chinese boxes.

The present South Indian temple, therefore, consists of walls, quadrangles,

one within the other. The inner most wall in the area contains the temple
proper, a much smaller and unpretentious structure than the other larger

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gateways which now began to attract the attention of architects, sculptors and
carvers.

The Brihadesvara temple which was erected about 1000 A.D. is a

contemporary of the Rajarani temple of Bhubaneswar. The temple is a
magnificent and dignified edifice consisting of a pyramidal spire, made up of
ever diminishing tiers, regularly tapering towards the top surmounted by a
domical pinnacle. In many respects this shrine resembles the Shore Temple
at Mahabalipuram. The domical pinnacle, however, is different in conception
and execution from the amlaka of the Orissan Shrine. The highest shikhara
rises straight over the garbha griha from the sanctum sanctorum. The
structure is adorned with beautiful sculpture and paintings; inside as well as
outside. The Brihadesvara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, stands in a courtyard
500 ft. by 200 ft. and consists of the sanctum sanctorum, large hall a pillared
hall and a Nandimandapa arranged on the same axis. The pyramidal vimana
is about 190 ft. high consisting of 13 zones in diminishing order and has been
so conceived that at no time during the day does the shadow of its pinnacle
fall anywhere outside the temple base.

THE PALLAVAS AND THE CHOLAS

Any account of ancient India is incomplete without referring to the two

dynasties of South India i.e. the Pallavas and the Cholas and their
contribution to art, architecture, administration and conquests.

Quite a few dynasties rose in the South from the early centuries of the
Christian era. Among them the Pallavas were great patrons of art and
architecture.
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The ‘ratha’ at Mahabalipuram style of temples built by them were fine
examples of rock-cut temples.
The Pallavas also built structural temples like the Kailashanath and
Vaikunthperumal temples at Kanchipuram.
The Kailashanath temple is a huge structure with thousands of images and is
said to be the “largest single work of art ever undertaken in India”. There is
also a set of bas reliefs found at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) which is
attributed to the pallava period. The Group of monuments at Mahabalipuram
near Chennai

Pagodas built at Mahabalipuram go back to the first century AD.

Temple building activity flourished in India from the 5th century AD onwards.
While the North Indian temples were built in the Nagara style consisted of the
shikaras (spiral roofs), the garbhagriha (sanctum) and the mandap (pillared
hall), the temples in the South were built in the Dravida style completed with
vimana or shikhara, high walls and the gateway topped by gopuram. After the

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Pallavas (6th to 8th century AD) the tradition of building temples was further
developed by the Cholas (l0th – 12th century AD) in the south.

Do you know that the temple was the central place in the village? It was
the gathering place for the villagers who would come here everyday and
exchange ideas and discuss all matters of common interests. It served as a
school too. During festival days dances and dramas were also performed in
the temple courtyard.

The achievements of the Cholas also lie in their conquests across the seas
and developing democratic institutions for governance at the village level. The
village panchayat called sahha or ur had extensive powers. It had control
over finances too. This body included several committees which looked after
various aspects of village administration. A very detailed account of the
functioning of the sabhas is available from one of the Chola inscriptions. The
Chola rulers were also great builders. The Dravida style of temple
architecture reached its zenith under the Chola rulers. One of the finest
example of this style is the Rajarajeshwar or Brihadeshwara temple.
During this period one also notices great achievements in the field of
sculpture.
Great progress was made in literature both religious and secular. Sanskrit
also became the language of the courts in many parts of the country. Tamil
literatures also made great progress. The Alvars and the Nayanars, the
Vaishnavite and Shaivite saints made lasting contributions to it. Inspite of the
dominants position of Sanskrit in most parts of the country, this period marks
the beginning of many Indian languages as well as distinct scripts in different
parts of the country. In short, we can say that by the time, the ancient period

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of Indian history came to an end, India had developed a culture which was
marked by features that have characterized it ever since.

Pallavas

1. The Pallavas were one of the ancient South Indian dynasties that were
active in the Andhra region from the second century CE onwards and
moved south to settle in Tamil Nadu.

2. Their history is better documented from the sixth to the eighth century,
when they left many inscriptions in stone and several monuments.

3. Their powerful kings spread their empire to various parts of the

subcontinent, at times reaching the borders of Odisha, and their links with
South–East Asia were also strong.

4. Although they were mostly Shaivite, several Vaishnava shrines also

survived from their reign, and there is no doubt that they were influenced
by the long Buddhist history of the Deccan.

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5. Their early buildings, it is generally assumed, were rock- cut, while the
later ones were structural. However, there is reason to believe that
structural buildings were well known even when rock-cut ones were being
excavated.

6. The early buildings are generally attributed to the reign of

Mahendravarman I, a contemporary of the Chalukyan king, Pulakesin II
of Karnataka.

7. Narasimhavarman I, also known as Mamalla, who acceded the Pallava

throne around 640 CE, is celebrated for the expansion of the empire,
avenging the defeat his father had suffered at the hands of Pulakesin II,
and inaugurating most of the building works at Mahabalipuram which is
known after him as Mamallapuram.

Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram

1. The shore temple at Mahabalipuram was built later, probably in the reign
of Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimha who reigned from
700 to 728 CE.

2. Now it is oriented to the east

facing the ocean, but if you
study it closely, you will find
that it actually houses three
shrines, two to Shiva, one
facing east and the other
west, and a middle one to
Vishnu who is shown as
Anantashayana. This is

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 unusual, because temples generally have a single main shrine and not
three areas of worship. This shows that it was probably not originally
conceived like this and different shrines may have been added at different
times, modified perhaps with the change of patrons.

3. In the compound there is evidence of a water tank, an early example of a

gopuram, and several other images.

4. Sculptures of the bull, Nandi, Shiva’s

mount, line the temple walls, and
these, along with the carvings on the
temple’s lower walls have suffered
severe disfiguration due to erosion by
salt-water laden air over the centuries.

The Shore temple at Mahabalipuram

datable to late 7th century is specially known because of its location on the
sea-shore. This temple though very similar stylistically to the Dharmaraja
ratha, differs from it in an important respect that it is a structural temple and
not a rock-cut one. It is about 3 to 4 times the size of the Dharmaraja ratha
and is made a triple structure by adding a shrine at the back and slightly
jutting out in the front. There are two spires, much loftier than in the case of
the previous temples, the higher spire has more storeys than the Dharmaraja
ratha and the pinnacle is higher and pointed. It is much more complicated,
enlarged and enriched. The shrine is enclosed by a massive wall, having the
typical Pallava rampart lion pilasters at regular intervals. On its outer side, the
wall is surmounted by seated bull figures.

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The Kailasanath temple , Kanchipuram

1. The Kailasanath temple at Kanchipuram was built by Raja Simha shortly

after the Shore temple in the 8th century A.D., and compared to the latter,
is larger in dimensions and more majestic in appearance.

2. The Kailashnath temple is situated in a rectangular courtyard surrounded

by a peristyle composed of a continuous series of cells resembling rathas.

3. But there the Pallava style is further evolved and more elaborate.

4. It consists of the sanctum (garbha griha), a pillared hall (mandapa), the

ambulatory, the vestibule in the shape of a hall.

5. The flat roofed pillared mandapa, which was a separate building originally,
was connected with the sanctum by a vestibule.

6. An interesting feature of this temple is that on the three sides of the

garbha griha, there are nine shrines.

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7. The pyramidal tower, having graceful contours, is a storeyed elevation,
each having heavy cornices and stupikas.

8. The shikhara is well-proportioned, substantial, yet at the same time

rhythmic in its mass and elegant in its outlines.

Rajarajeshwara or Brihadiswara Temple, Thanjavur

1. The magnificent Shiva temple of Thanjavur, called the Rajarajeswara

or Brihadiswara temple, was completed around 1009 by Rajaraja
Chola 1, and is the largest and tallest of all Indian temples.

2. Temple building was prolific at this time, and over a hundred important
temples of the Chola period are in a good state of preservation, and many
more are still active shrines.

3. The entire temple structure is made out of granite.

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4. Bigger in scale than anything built by their predecessors, the Pallavas,
Chalukyas or Pandyas, this Chola temple’s pyramidal multi-storeyed
vimana rises a massive seventy metres (approximately two hundred feet),
topped by a monolithic shikhara which is an octagonal dome-shaped
stupika.

5. It is in this temple that one notices for the first time two large gopuras
(gateway towers) with an elaborate sculptural programme which was
conceived along with the temple.

6. Huge Nandi-figures dot the corners of the shikhara, and the kalasha
on top by itself is about three metres and eight centimetres in height.

7. Hundreds of stucco figures decorate the vimana, although it is

possible that some of these may have been added on during the Maratha
Period and did not always belong to the Chola Period.

8. The main deity of the temple is Shiva, who is shown as a huge lingam
set in a two storeyed sanctum. The walls surrounding the sanctum
have extended mythological narratives which are depicted through
painted murals and sculptures.

Pancha Ratha or Pandava Ratha, Mahabalipuram

Apart from structural temples the other variety of temples are rock cut,
found at Mahabalipuram, about 38 miles down south of Madras on the sea
shore, datable to the 5th century A.D.

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In local parlance they are known as Ratha or chariots and are named after
the five Pandava brothers and Draupadi but they neither have anything to
do with chariots nor probably with the Pandavas and these associations are
purely of a local character.

The great Pallava rulers of Kanchipuram, were great builders and the
Pallava craftsmen, seized upon the long outcrop or rocks and boulders
available on the sea shore, carved them and gave to them the shape of
temples (monolithic) as well as colossal statues of lions, elephants and bulls,
etc. carved out of smaller boulders.

One of these rock cut temples is known as the Draupadi Ratha.

1. It is a rock cut imitation of a mud hut, supported by wooden posts,
crowned by an imitation of a thatched roof.
2. The Draupadi Ratha consists of a
square cell, with not even a portico,
surmounted by a hanging roof
suggestive in its shape of a Bengali hut.
3. There is every reason to believe that
this, like so many other forms of

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 structural Indian architecture is an imitation of a proto-type construction of
bamboo and thatch.
4. Two lovely girls adorn the entrance, each carved in a small niche provided
for the purpose on either side of the entrance.
5. A floral decoration runs along the edge of the roof which, according to
some, is nothing but a rock cut representation of the original brass or
copper edging over the thatching to keep it in position.

In shape and appearance the rest of the rathas seems to have evolved out of
a building composed of cells arranged round a square courtyard. As the
community of monks occupying the monastery increased another storey was
added, and then another and still another, the whole structure eventually
being topped with a domical roof. These are square in plan and are
surmounted by a pyramidal tower such as Arjuna's ratha and the Dharmaraja
ratha.

There is another type of the Ratha which has a longitudinal and barrel
vaulted roof, i.e., they have a roof of the so called elephant-back type
(Gajapristhakara). The Durga temple at Aihole, and the Vaital deul at

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Bhubaneswar are examples. The roof, in the case of the
square shrines consists of a simple multiplication of hut
roofs, very much the way we can see them in Buddhist
monuments and other little huts. Though these are carved
in rock they show a so-called Buddhist chaitya window
with a little Buddha head. In the case of Arjuna's ratha and
Dharmaraja ratha, their wonderful proportions, magnificent
disposition of mass of light and shade reveal their classic
character. The simple upright posts imitations, of wooden pillars support
brackets and the pilasters have small animal bases. Whereas earlier at
Sanchi the animals were used for the capital, here they are used as a
base.
A temple, named after the twin heroes, Nakula and Sahadeva, is an apsidal
one, with ornamental features as in the Dharmaraja, Arjuna and other rathas.
There is a slight forward extension of the roof to form a porch supported by
two lion pillars. There are no figure-carvings on this temple. Close to this is a
monolithic elephant suggesting the Gajapristhakara (elephant back) shape of
the apsidal temple.

The Ganesh-rath is one of the finest monolithic temples at Mahabalipuram.

Though three-storeyed and of better
workmanship, it resembles the Bhima-ratha in
roof form. The gable-ends of the wagon-roof have
a finial showing a human head decorated by a
trident shaped head-gear, the slide prongs
suggesting the usual horns in the dvarpala-
figures and the central one long and narrow
crown. This motif is repeated in the finials of the

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decorative gables along the wagon-roof. There is, as usual, the pavilion and
Kudu ornamentation. The elaborately worked roof has nine vase-shaped
finials and is the precursor of the later gopuram. A row of pilasters decorates
the sides and the back, while the main opening is to the west. Between the
dvarapalas at either end are two lion pillars in the centre and two pilasters.

Architecture in the Deccan

Many different styles of temple architecture influenced by both North and

South Indian temples were used in regions like Karnataka. While some
scholars consider the buildings in this region as being distinctly either nagara
or dravida, a hybridised style that seems to have become popular after the
mid-seventh century, is known in some ancient texts as vesara.

Rashtrakutas

By the late seventh or the early eighth century, the ambitious projects at
Ellora became even grander. By about 750 CE, the early western Chalukya
control of the Deccan was taken by the Rashtrakutas.

Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

1. This temple was constructed during the reign of the Rashtrakuta King
Krishna and belongs to the middle of the 8th century A.D.

2. The famous Kailasa temple at Ellora is in a class by itself because it is a

rock-cut temple complex, which in many respects resembles the various
rathas at Mahabalipuram

3. The carvers at Ellora cut three trenches down into the rock and then
began to carve the rock from the top downwards.
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4. Even though it is carved on the
model of a structural temple, the
Kailashnath temple is a rock-cut
shrine within a rectangular court.

5. The different parts of the temple are

the entrance portico, the vimana
and the mandapa as well as a
pillared shrine for Shiva's bull,
Nandi.

6. Both inside as well as outside the temple, there are beautiful, graceful
and dignified sculptural decorations, largely pertaining to the theme of
Shiva and Parvati, Sita's abduction and Ravana shaking the mountain.

7. It is a complete dravida building with a Nandi shrine—since the temple is

dedicated to Shiva—a gopuram-like gateway, surrounding cloisters,
subsidiary shrines, staircases and an imposing tower or vimana rising to
thirty metres.

8. Importantly, all of this is carved out of living rock. One portion of the
monolithic hill was carved patiently to build the Kailashnath temple.

9. The sculpture of the Rashtrakuta phase at Ellora is dynamic, the figures

often larger than life-size, infused with unparalleled grandeur and the
most overwhelming energy.

Gopurams

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1. The gopuram, is the tower, an oblong quadrangle, sometimes a square,
with a passage through the centre and is situated on the entrance
gateway unlike in the north, or even at the Brihadesvara temple in
Tanjore, where the tower-like structure was on the top of the sanctum
sanctorum or garbha-griha.

2. In many ways the gopuram could have descended from the Buddhist
gateway such as we have already seen at Sanchi and Bharhut, etc.

3. It is crowned by a barrel-vault roof over which a large number of

pinnacles rise which remind us once again of a barrel roof on a
longitudinal hut which used to be made of timber.

4. As stated earlier these gopurams are towering structures, some having

9 storeys, others even 11.

5. The gopuram provided an excellent opportunity to the sculptor to practice

his craft and contain some of the finest sculptures produced in the
country.

6. The gopuram at Chidambaram has a series of sculptures showing dance

poses of Bharatanatyam.

7. At night time, lights used to be lit in each storey of the gopuram tower and
these acted as a sure guide to the nocturnal traveller, acting like a light
house or beacon.

8. As a rule the highest gopuram tower was the latest, the earliest being the
least high size as in the gopuram of the Meenakshi temple at Madurai.

9. Visitors can climb into these towers to appreciate the carvings at close
quarters and incidentally get a marvellous view of the temple complex.

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10. South Indian temples of this period are remarkable for the great size of
their structures, mandapas and gopurams.

11. In addition elaborate mandapas of hundred pillared type are also

constructed during the period of late Vijaynagar and the period of the
Nayakas in the 16th century A.D.

12. This is an interesting departure from the evolution of the temple from early
times. These pillared halls now become more and more elaborate with
pillars showing donor couples, kings, queen, mythical animals with
fantastic shapes and size. The paintings over these as well as over the
pillars and ceiling are very colourful.

In some temples there are tanks surrounded by elegant pillared halls which
are functionally and architecturally admirable structures. The temples built in
the 12-13th centuries under the patronage of the Hoysalas of Mysore, are at
Somnathpur, Belur and Halebid.

The well-known Kesava temple at Somnathpur, and the Hoysala temple at

Halebid and Belur are veritable treasure houses of ornamental and decorative
elements, carved in niches, and intricate vegetal and floral carvings. The
vimana is of a star shaped plan with salients and reentering angles with
mouldings, multiplication and over-decoration. Not an inch of space is left
uncarved and there are animals and other denizens of the forest shown on
the lower most three or four mouldings, interspersed with floral and creeper
designs and, above them all, in more than life size, are shown huge sculptural
representations of gods and goddesses, completely covered with by lavish
decorations and rich ornaments.

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 Chalukyas

In the southern part of the Deccan, i.e., in the region of Karnataka is where
some of the most experimental hybrid styles of vesara architecture are to be
found.

Pulakesin I established the early western Chalukya kingdom when he

secured the land around Badami in 543. The early western Chalukyas ruled
most of the Deccan till the mid-eighth century when they were superseded by
the Rashtrakutas.

Early Chalukyan activity also takes the form of rock-cut caves while later
activity is of structural temples.

Ravan Phadi , Aihole

The earliest is probably the Ravana Phadi cave at Aihole which is known for
its distinctive sculptural style.
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1. One of the most important sculptures at the site is of Nataraja,
surrounded by larger-than-life-size depictions of the saptamatrikas: three
to Shiva’s left and four to his right.

2. The figures are characterised by

graceful, slim bodies, long, oval
faces topped with extremely tall
cylindrical crowns and shown to
wear short dhotis marked by fine
incised striations indicating pleating.

3. They are distinctly different from contemporary western Deccan or

Vakataka styles seen at places such as Paunar and Ramtek.

The hybridisation and incorporation of several styles was the hallmark

of Chalukyan buildings.

The most elaborate of all Chalukyan

temples at Pattadakal made in the reign
of Vikramaditya II (733-44) by his chief
queen Loka Mahadevi, for instance,
shows complete knowledge of Pallava
buildings at Kanchipuram and as a
corollary, Mahabalipuram. The temple is
one of the best early examples of the
dravida tradition.

By contrast other eastern Chalukyan temples, like the Mahakuta, five

kilometres from Badami, and the Swarga Brahma temple at Alampur show
a greater assimilation of northern styles from Odisha and Rajasthan.
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Durga Temple ,Aihole

At the same time the Durga temple at

Aihole is unique having an even earlier
style of an apsidal shrine which is
reminiscent of Buddhist chaitya halls
and is surrounded by a veranda of a
later kind, with a shikhara that is
stylistically like a nagara one.

1. The Durga temple at Aihole is an apsidal temple of about 550 A.D. in

which the architect has made immense improvements upon his previous
attempts.

2. This temple is provided with a high pedestal, an open pillared verandah

serving as pradakshanapatha, in place of a dark, ambulatory passage
as in the case of the Ladkhan temple.

3. Instead of perforated jallies is a pillared verandah running round the

shrine, open, well ventilated and well lit.

4. There is a high entrance with steps leading up to a tall base; the roof is
almost double in height and in this particular case the turret is beginning
to take the shape of a little spire, which, during the course of the next
centuries; evolved into a towering Shikhara.

5. The pillars would have looked very dull had they not provided an
opportunity to the sculptors to carve with beautiful figures. Carving is also
done under the row of pillars and for the first time we come across
brackets supporting the beam of the roof across the wide opening of the
temple. This again reminds us of the practice followed by the architect
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 working in wood, who wanted to make either a house or a shrine by
putting up pillars or posts of bamboo or wood on top of which he put
horizontal beams so as to hold the roof. To make this construction doubly
strong, he hit upon the 'idea of making brackets, an essential element in
Hindu and Buddhist architecture in India and used much earlier in China;
a slanting piece of stone emerging as it were from the pillars or posts,
reaching out like an arm to hold the lintel or beam steadily. This kind of
construction is known by the architectural term, trabeate, as distinct from
accurate which was later made use of by the Muslims.

Lad Khan Temple, Aihole

Finally, mention must be made of the Lad Khan temple at Aihole. This
seems to be inspired by the wooden-roofed temples of the hills, except
that it is constructed out of stone.

The Ladkhan temple of Aihole belongs

to about 5th century A.D. Here the
architect has tried to give attention to
the circumambulation path which is
enclosed by means of a wall allowing
devotees to have pradakshana or
cirumambulatory of the holy of holies.
Obviously when a large number of
people would be going round in a dark
gallery the consideration of light and ventilation would naturally arise and for
that purpose the architect has provided perforated jallies. The entrance
portico is in this particular case kept relatively small and not too much stress
is laid on it. After all, it is only the entrance gateway. The structure still
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reminds us of a wooden prototype with stone walls, supporting a slanting roof
made of large boulders of stone slabs. Cleverly enough the roof has been
given a slant and provided with gargoyles to allow rain water to run off and on
the sanctum sanctorum proper the roof is a little higher, and very rightly so,
for that is the, abode of the God. On the top of the structure is the very first
attempt to raise a turret, a precursor to the future loftier spire, the Shikhara.
The idea behind it must have been that, a temple being the home of the God
must be seen from far and near, from different parts of the village or town so it
must be tall and higher than the surrounding buildings.

How then shall we understand these different styles at one place? As

curiosities or as innovations?

• Undoubtedly, they are dynamic expressions of a creative set of architects

who were competing with their peers in the rest of India. Whatever one’s
explanation is, these buildings remain of great art-historical interest.

Hoyasalas

With the waning of Chola and Pandya power, the Hoysalas of Karnataka
grew to prominence in South India and became the most important patrons
centred at Mysore. The remains of around hundred temples have been found
in southern Deccan, though it is only three of them that are most frequently
discussed: the temples at Belur, Halebid and Somnathpuram.

Perhaps the most characteristic

feature of these temples is that they
grow extremely complex with so
many projecting angles emerging
from the previously straightforward
square temple, that the plan of
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these temples starts looking like a star, and is thus known as a stellate-
plan.

Since they are made out of soapstone which is a relatively soft stone, the
artists were able to carve their sculptures intricately. This can be seen
particularly in the jewellery of the gods that adorn their temple walls.

Hoysaleshvara temple

1. The Hoysaleshvara temple (Lord of the Hoysalas) at Halebid in

Karnataka was built in dark schist stone by the Hoysala king in 1150.

2. Hoysala temples are sometimes called hybrid or vesara as their unique

style seems neither completely dravida nor nagara, but somewhere in

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 between. They are easily distinguishable from other medieval temples by
their highly original star-like ground-plans and a profusion of decorative
carvings.

3. Dedicated to Shiva as Nataraja, the Halebid temple is a double building

with a large hall for the mandapa to facilitate music and dance.

4. A Nandi pavilion precedes each building.

5. The tower of the temple here and at nearby Belur fell

long ago, and an idea of the temples' appearance can
now only be gleaned from their detailed miniature
versions flanking the entrances.

6. From the central square plan cut- out, angular

projections create the star effect decorated with the most
profuse carvings of animals and deities. So intricate is
the carving that it is said, for instance, in the bottom-
most frieze featuring a continuous procession of
hundreds of elephants with their mahouts, no two elephants are in the
same pose.

Vijayanagara

1. Founded in 1336, Vijayanagara, literally ‘city of victory’, attracted a

number of international travellers such as the Italian, Niccolo di Conti, the

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 Portuguese Domingo Paes, Fernao Nuniz and Duarte Barbosa and the
Afghan Abd, al- Razzaq, who have left vivid accounts of the city.

2. In addition, various Sanskrit and Telugu works document the vibrant

literary tradition of this kingdom.

3. Architecturally, Vijayanagara synthesises the centuries-old dravida temple

architecture with Islamic styles demonstrated by the neighbouring
sultanates.

4. Their sculpture too, although fundamentally derived from, and

consciously seeking to recreate Chola ideals, occasionally shows the
presence of foreigners.

5. Their eclectic ruins from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries
preserve a fascinating time in history, an age of wealth, exploration and
cultural fusion.

BUDDHIST AND JAIN ARCHITECTURAL

DEVELOPMENTS

So far, although we have focused on the nature of developments in Hindu

architecture from the fifth to fourteenth centuries, it must constantly be kept in
mind that this was also the very period when Buddhist and Jain developments
were equally vibrant, and often went hand- in-glove with Hindu ones.

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Sites such as Ellora have Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments; however,
Badami, Khajuraho and Kannauj have the remains of any two of the religions
right next to each other.

When the Gupta empire crumbled in the sixth century CE, this eastern region
of Bihar and Bengal, historically known as Magadha, appears to have
remained unified whilst numerous small Rajput principalities sprang up to the
west.

In the eighth century, the Palas came to power in the region. The second Pala
ruler, Dharmapala, became immensely powerful and established an empire
by defeating the powerful Rajput Pratiharas. Dharmapala consolidated an
empire whose wealth lay in a combination of agriculture along the fertile
Ganges plain and international trade.

NALANDA’S EMERGENCE AS A GREAT CENTRE

OF LEARNING

Nalanda became a great centre of learning during Harsha’s reign. Students

from different parts of the world came here to imbibe learning. Although all the
remains mounds of Nalanda have not yet been excavated, yet the evidence
of a huge complex of buildings has been uncovered. Some of these were as
many as four storey high. According to Hiuen Tsang, Nalanda housed as
many as 10,000 students. It was supported by the revenues of 200 villages.

Although this huge monastic-educational establishment was primarily a

centre for learning of Mahayana Buddhism, yet the curriculum included
secular subjects as well. Grammar, logic, epistemology and sciences were
taught here. Students were encouraged to develop a spirit of enquiry and
reasoning. Active discussions and debates were taking place. Harsha is said

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to have invited a thousand learned monks of Nalanda to take part in the
philosophical assembly at Kanauj. In his account, Hieun-Tsang has given a
detailed account of Nalanda.
Thus university continued to be the centre of intellectual activity till the twelfth
century.

The pre-eminent Buddhist site is, of course,

Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is a pilgrimage site since
Siddhartha achieved enlightenment here and
became Gautama Buddha. While the bodhi tree
is of immense importance, the Mahabodhi
Temple at Bodhgaya is an important
reminder of the brickwork of that time.

The first shrine here, located at the base of the

Bodhi tree, is said to have been constructed by
King Ashoka; the vedika around it is said to be
post-Mauryan, of about 100 BCE; many of the sculptures in the niches in the
temple are dated to the eighth century Pala Period, while the actual
Mahabodhi temple itself as it stands now is largely a Colonial Period
reconstruction of the old seventh century design.

The design of the temple is unusual. It is, strictly speaking, neither dravida or
nagara. It is narrow like a nagara temple, but it rises without curving, like
a dravida one.

The monastic university of Nalanda is a mahavihara as it is a complex of

several monastries of various sizes. Till date, only a small portion of this
ancient learning centre has been excavated as most of it lies buried under
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contemporary civilisation, making
further excavations almost impossible.

Most of the information about Nalanda

is based on the records of Xuan Zang
—previously spelt as ‘Hsuan-tsang’—
which states that the foundation of a
monastery was laid by Kumargupta I
in the fifth century CE; and this was
carried forward by the later monarchs
who built up a fantastic university here.

There is evidence that all three Buddhist doctrines— Theravada,

Mahayana and Vajrayana—were taught here and monks made their way to
Nalanda and its neighbouring sites of Bodh Gaya and Kurkihar from China,
Tibet and Central Asia in the north, and Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and
various other countries from the south-eastern parts of Asia. Monks and
pilgrims would take back small sculptures and illustrated manuscripts from
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here to their own countries. Buddhist monasteries like Nalanda, thus, were
prolific centres of art production that had a decisive impact on the arts of all
Buddhist countries in Asia.

The sculptural art of Nalanda, in stucco, stone and bronze, developed out
of a heavy dependence on the Buddhist Gupta art of Sarnath. By the ninth
century a synthesis occurred between the Sarnath Gupta idiom, the local
Bihar tradition, and that of central India, leading to the formation of the
Nalanda school of sculpture characterised by distinctive facial features,
body forms and treatment of clothing and jewellery. The characteristic
features of Nalanda art, distinguished by its consistently high quality of
workmanship, are that the precisely executed sculptures have an ordered
appearance with little effect of crowding. Sculptures are also usually not
flat in relief but are depicted in three-dimensional
forms. The back slabs of the sculptures are detailed
and the ornamentations delicate. The Nalanda bronzes,
dating between the seventh and eighth centuries to
approximately the twelfth century outnumber the
discovery of metal images from all other sites of
eastern India and constitute a large body of Pala Period
metal sculptures. Like their stone counterparts, the
bronzes initially relied heavily on Sarnath and Mathura
Gupta traditions. The Nalanda sculptures initially depict
Buddhist deities of the Mahayana pantheon such as
standing Buddhas, bodhisattvas such as Manjusri
Kumara, Avalokiteshvara seated on a lotus and Naga-Nagarjuna.

During the late eleventh and twelveth centuries, when Nalanda emerged as
an important tantric centre, the repertoire came to be dominated by Vajrayana

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deities such as Vajrasharada (a form of Saraswati) Khasarpana,
Avalokiteshvara, etc.

Depictions of crowned Buddhas occur commonly only after the tenth century.
Interestingly, various brahmanical images not conforming to the Sarnath style
have also been found at Nalanda, many of which are still worshipped in small
temples in villages around the site.

Sirpur in Chhattisgarh is an early-Odisha-style site belonging to the period

between of 550–800, with both
Hindu and Buddhist shrines. In
many ways the iconographic and
stylistic elements of the Buddhist
sculptures here are similar to that
of Nalanda. Later other major
Buddhist monasteries developed
in Odisha. Lalitagiri, Vajragiri and
Ratnagiri are the most famous of
them.

The port-town of Nagapattinam was also a major Buddhist centre right until
the Chola Period. One of the reasons for this must have been its importance
in trade with Sri Lanka where large numbers of Buddhists still live. Bronze
and stone sculptures in Chola style have come to light at Nagapattinam and
generally date back to the tenth century.

The Dhamekh stupa at Sarnath is an imposing cylindrical structure (ht. 43.5

m., dia at base 28.3 m.) of the Gupta age, partly built of stone and partly of
brick. Its stone basement has eight projecting faces with large niches for

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statuary and is further adorned with
delicately-carved floral and geometrical
patterns. Making the holy spot of the
enlightenment of the Master, this site is
looked upon with, greatest sanctity and
b e c a m e a fl o u r i s h i n g B u d d h i s t
establishment with numerous temples,
stupas and monasteries. According to
tradition a large number of shrines and
memorials were created at the site to
commemorate the incidents before and
after enlightenment.

The main brick built shrine known as the Mahabodhi temple which appears to
have been originally erected in circa 2nd century A.D. is encumbered with
heavy renovation, the four corner-towers being an arbitrary addition of circa
14th century A.D. Its central tower, standing on a high plinth, is about 55m.
high and is a straight-edged pyramid of seven storeys, by pilasters and
chaitya niches.

According to literary tradition, Nalanda, 10 kilometres north of Rajgir and a

suburb of the ancient city, was visited by Buddha and Mahavira. Ashoka is
said to have worshipped at the chaitya-niches of Sariputra, Buddha's disciple,
and erected a temple. By the time of Harsha A.D. 606-648, Nalanda had
become the principal centre of Mahayana learning and a famed University
town with numerous shrines and monasteries which attracted scholars from

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far and near. The Chinese Pilgrims Huien Tsang and Fa-hien studied at
Nalanda and have left account of the settlement and its life.

Temple 3 was more than 31 m. high and consisted of seven successive

accumulations of which the two latest belonged to the 11th and 12th centuries
and the fifth one, dating from circa 6th century, was notable for its sculptural
wealth. The monasteries were imposing rectangular buildings, each with an
open courtyard, enclosed by a covered verandah which leads into cells,
arranged on the four sides. The cell facing the entrance served as a shrine.
Nalanda was an important centre of Pala sculptures and bronzes and has
also yielded seals and sealings of great historical significance.

Jain Temples

Jains were prolific temple builders like the Hindus, and their sacred shrines
and pilgrimage spots are to be found across the length and breadth of India
except in the hills. The oldest Jain pilgrimage sites are to be found in Bihar.
Many of these sites are famous for early Buddhist shrines. In the Deccan,
some of the most architecturally important Jain sites can be found in Ellora
and Aihole. In central India, Deogarh, Khajuraho, Chanderi and Gwalior have
some excellent examples of Jain temples. Karnataka has a rich heritage of
Jain shrines and at Sravana Belagola the famous statue of Gomateshwara,
the granite statue of Lord Bahubali which stands eighteen metres or fifty-
seven feet high, is the world’s tallest monolithic free-standing structure. It was
commissioned by Camundaraya, the General-in-Chief and Prime Minister of
the Ganga Kings of Mysore.

Gujarat and Rajasthan have been strongholds of Jainism since early

times.
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A famous hoard of Jain bronzes was found at Akota, on the outskirts of
Baroda, dated between the end of the fifth and the end of the seventh century
CE. Finely cast through the lost-wax process, these bronzes were often
subsequently inlaid with silver and copper to bring out the eyes, crowns and
details of the textiles on which the figures were seated. Many famous Jain
bronzes from Chausa in Bihar are now kept in the Patna Museum. Many Jain
bronzes from Hansi in Haryana and from various sites in Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka are kept in various museums in India.

The Jain temples at Mount Abu were constructed by Vimal Shah. Notable
for a simplistic exterior in contrast with the exuberant marble interiors, their
rich sculptural decoration with deep undercutting creates a lace-like
appearance. The temple is famous for its unique patterns on every ceiling,
and the graceful bracket figures along the domed ceilings. The great Jain
pilgrimage site in the Shatrunjay hills near Palitana in Kathiawar, Gujarat, is
imposing with scores of temples clustered together.

In this chapter we have read about the prolific sculptural and architectural
remains in different types of stone, terracotta and bronze from the fifth to the
fourteenth centuries. Undoubtedly there would have been sculptures made of
other media like silver and gold, but these would have been melted down and
reused. Many sculptures would also have been made of wood and ivory, but
these have perished because of their fragility. Often sculptures would have
been painted, but again, pigments cannot always survive hundreds of years,
especially if the sculptures were exposed to the elements. There was also a
rich tradition of painting at this time, but the only examples that survive from
this period are murals in a few religious buildings. A large number of bronze
scupltures have been found in the country which shall be discussed in the
next chapter.

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We have focussed on the dominant art styles and some of the most famous
monuments from different parts of India in the medieval period. It is important
to realise that the enormous artistic achievements that we have studied here
would never have been possible if artists worked alone. These large projects
would have brought architects, builders, sculptors and painters together.

Above all, by studying these artworks, we are able to learn much about the
kind of society that made these objects. Through them we can surmise what
their buildings were like, what types of clothes they wore and above all we
can use the art material to reconstruct the history of their religions. These
religions, as we have seen were many and diverse and constantly changing.
Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism each have a plethora of gods and
goddesses, and this was the period when bhakti and tantra — two major
developments, affected them. Temples also became a space for many other
art forms: such as music and dance and, from the tenth century onward,
temples became large landowners and performed an administrative role as
well.

Project Work

Find any temple or monastery in or around your town and note down its
important features such as different artchitectural features, sculptural style,
identification of images, dynastic affiliation and patronage.

EXERCISE

1. Mark out all the places discussed in this chapter on a map of India.

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2. What are the commonalities and differences between North Indian and
South Indian temples? Make a diagram to supplement your answer.

3. Bring out the stylistic differences of any two sculptural traditions (such
as Pala, Chola, Pallava, Chandella, etc.) using either drawing, painting
or clay-modelling. Supplement your project with a written assignment
that explains the salient features of the two styles you have chosen.

4. Compare any two temple styles in India; supplement with a line

drawing.

5. Trace the development in Buddhist art.

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MAHABALIPURAM

1. Mahabalipuram is an important coastal town from the period of the

Pallavas.

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2. It is dotted with several important rock-cut and free-standing structural
temples mostly made in the seventh and eighth centuries.

3. This large sculptural panel, one of the largest and oldest known in the
world, is nearly thirty metres long and fifteen metres high.

4. There is a natural cleft in the rock

which has been cleverly used by
its sculptors as a channel for
water to flow down. This water
collects in a massive tank in front
of the sculpted wall.

5. Scholars have interpreted the

story depicted on the panel differently.

• While some believe that it is the story of the descent of the Ganga from
heaven to earth,

• the main story is of Kiratarjuniya or Arjuna’s penance, a poetic work

by Bharvi which is known to have been popular in the Pallava court.

• Other scholars have interpreted the symbolism behind the sculptures to

show that the whole tableau was created to be a prashasti, or
something to praise the Pallava king, who, they say, would have sat
enthroned in the tank in front of this extraordinary backdrop.

6. A temple has been given prominence in the relief. Ascetics and

worshippers sit before it.

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7. Above it is an emaciated bearded figure standing in penance on one
leg, his arms raised above his head. He has been identified by some as
Bhagirath and by others as Arjuna.

8. Arjuna’s penance was to obtain the pashupata weapon from Shiva,

whereas Bhagirath prayed to have Ganga
brought to earth.

9. Next to this figure stands Shiva who has one

hand in the boon bestowing gesture or
varada mudra. The small gana or dwarf
who stands below this hand may be a
personification of the powerful pashupata
weapon.

10. All the figures are shown with a slender and

linear quality in an animated state of
movement.

11. Apart from humans and flying celestials there are several naturalistically
carved birds and animals as well. Particularly noteworthy are the
extraordinarily well-modelled, and life- like elephants, and the pair of
deer who are under the shrine.

12. The most humorous, however, is a cat who has been shown standing on
his hind legs, with his hands raised, imitating Bhagirath or Arjuna. Close
examination, however, reveals that this cat is, in fact, a symbolic
device. He is surrounded by rats, which are unable to disturb him from his
penance. Perhaps this is a metaphor used by the artist to show how
strong Arjuna's or Bhagirath’s penance was, who is also standing still,
undisturbed by his surroundings.

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RAVANA SHAKING MOUNT KAILASHA

The theme of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha has been depicted several
times in the caves of Ellora. But the most noteworthy of all is the one depicted
on the left wall of Kailashnath temple (Cave No.16) at Ellora.

The image is dated to the eighth century CE. It is a colossal sculpture and is
considered as one of the masterpieces of Indian sculpture.

1. It depicts the episode of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha when Lord

Shiva along with Parvati and others were on the mountain.

2. The composition is divided into several tiers.

3. The lower tier depicts Ravana, multi-faced and

multi- armed shaking the mount with ease.

4. The depth of carvings of the multiple hands

brings out the effect of three-dimensional
space.

5. Ravana’s body is angular pushing one leg

inside. The hands are expanded on the sides of
the inside chamber created by the image of
Ravana.

6. The upper half is divided into three frames. The centre occupied by the
image of Shiva and Parvati. Parvati is shown moving close to Shiva
scared by the commotion on the hill. Her stretched legs and slightly

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 twisted body in the recessed space create a very dramatic effect of light
and shade.

7. The volume of sculpture is very pronounced; the attendant fiures are

equally voluminous.

8. The gana (dwarf) figures are shown in action, involved in their activities.

9. The celestial beings above Shiva and Parvati witnessing the event are
shown in frozen movement.

10. Protrusion of volume and recession in the space are important landmarks
in the images of the Ellora caves.

11. Light and darkness has been exploited by creating

the images in full round.

12. Their torsos are slender with heaviness in its surface

treatment, arms are slim in full round.

13. Attendant figures on the two sides have angular

frontality. Every image in the composition is
beautifully interwoven structurally with each other.

LAKSHAMANA TEMPLE IN KHAJURAHO

1. The temples at Khajuraho are all made of sandstone.

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2. They were patronised by the Chandella dynasty.

3. The Lakshamana temple represents the full- fledged, developed style of

temple architecture during the time of the Chandellas.

4. Its construction was completed by 954, the year as per the inscription
found at the base of the temple, by Yashovarman, the seventh ruler of
the Chandella dynasty.

5. The temple plan is of a panchayana type.

6. The temple is constructed on a heavy plinth.

It consists of an ardhamandapa (porch),
mandapa (porch), the maha mandapa
(greater hall) and the garbhagriha with
vimana.

7. Each part has a separate roof rising

backward.

8. All the halls have projected porches on their

walls but are not accessible to visitors. Their
use is functional, mainly for light and
ventilation.

9. The outer walls of the garbhagriha and the

outer and inner walls around the
circumambulatory path are decorated with
sculptures.

10. The shikhara on the garbhagriha is tall.

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11. The Khajuraho temples are also known for their erotic sculptures. Many
erotic sculptures are carved on the plinth wall. Some erotic sculptures are
carved on the actual wall of the temple. Tier arrangements on the walls
provide a very specific space for the placement of the images.

12. The interior halls are also decorated profusely.

13. The entrance to the garbhagriha is sculpted with heavy voluminous pillars
and lintels carved with small images as part of the door decoration.

14. An image of Chaturmukha Vishnu is in the garbhagriha.

15. There are four shrines in each corner of the temple. There are images of
Vishnu in three shrines and Surya in one, which can be identified by
the central image on the lintel of the shrine-doors.

16. Drapery and ornaments are given a lot of attention.

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 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE GUPTA
PERIOD

The last phase of ancient Indian history starts in early fourth century A.D. and
ends in about the 8th A.D. The Guptas built a strong and powerful kingdom
and under the political unity and state patronage that was provided by them,
cultural activities increased manifold. You will recall that following the Greek
invasion, various art forms in India had been markedly influenced by Graeco-
Roman styles. This art mainly depicted the Buddha or Buddhist thought. But
during the Gupta period art became more creative and Hindu gods and
goddesses also came to be portrayed.

The artistic achievement of the age is exhibited in the delicate workmanship

and the variety of designs shown in different kinds of Gupta coins.

The general scheme that was followed was to exhibit the portrait of the king
on one side of the coin or an appropriate goddess with her associated
symbols on the other side. The king is shown in many positions - shooting a
tiger or a lion, playing a musical instrument seated on a high backed couch
etc. On the reverse in most cases was Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and in
some cases Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts.

Besides coins, Gupta art found adequate expression in monuments and

sculptures. The skilled artists of this age used their tools and skills to express
the ideals and philosophical traditions of India through various art forms. They
decorated even the niches and corners of religious places with statues of
gods and goddesses. The images of gods were treated as symbols
representing attributes associated with the gods. Hence the god were shown
having four or eight arms in each carrying a symbol or an ayudha (weapon)
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although they were depicted in human forms. Stone, terracotta, and other
materials were used to construct the abodes of gods and goddesses.

Examples of the Gupta art can be seen at the dashavatara temple at

Deogarh and the cave temples in Udaigiri hills. However, the most famous
examples of Gupta art that still remain are the numerous seated and standing
images of Buddha from Sarnath.

The school of art that thrived at Sarnath provides us with some of the most
pleasing and graceful images of the Buddha. Besides stone, Gupta artists
were also skilled in bronze. A two metre high bronze image of Buddha has
been discovered at Sultanganj (near Bhagalpur in Bihar). Examples of
sculptures in caves created during this period are traced to the famous Ellora
Caves.

Architecture

The Gupta architecture has survived in a few shrines, rock cut caves (Ajanta)
and temples, such as the Dashavatara temple at Deogarh. These structures
were mainly made of stone and bricks. Some references in the works of
Kalidasa give us a glimpse of Gupta architecture. The poet has given a vivid
picture of a well-planned town with a network of roads, market places, big
sky-touching palaces and mansions with terraces. The palaces had many
inner apartments. They had court-yards, prisons, court-room and sabhagriha.
Their verandahs opened on roofs lit with moon-beam at night. The pleasure
garden which was attached to palace contained all sorts of seasonal flowers
and trees.

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Archaeological evidence about Gupta architecture is however poor. However,
examples of Gupta shrines have been discovered in the jungles of Central
India, especially in the Bundelkhand region. These include the one at
Bhitargaon in Kanpur district.

Painting

Painting as an art form reached a high degree of perfection during the Gupta
times. The wall frescoes at the Ajanta caves (Aurangabad) and the one at
Bagh caves (near Gwalior) bear evidence of this. Although Ajanta paintings
belong to the period between the first to the seventh century AD yet most of
these were produced during the Gupta time. These m paintings depict various
scenes from the life of the Buddha. The skill with which the human, animal
and plant figures have been drawn shows the refined and sensitive nature of
Gupta art. The conception of beauty was a characteristic of Gupta art.
Expression through art was given importance as it was regarded as a means
for the attainment of spiritual joy.

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