Presented by : Ar.Shruti

Indian Temple Architecture

•  A  notable  feature  of  these  temples  is  the  wider  intercolumnina5on  of  the  pillars  in  the  middle  than  on  the  sides.  As  suggested  by  the  flat  roof,  square  or  rectangular  form  the  plain  treatment  of  the  walls  and  modestness  of  size,  these  temples  must  obviously  have  been  derived  from  rock-­‐cut  proto-­‐types  of  which  early  Gupta  examples  occur  at  Udaigiri  near  Sanchi.  

History  of  India  

Indus valley

civilizations

Buddhist influence

Hindu temples

Islamic influence

Mughal empire

History of India

Temple Architecture*

Gupta Period (320 AD – 480 AD) •  After the decline of Mauryans, Gupta rulers rose to power

•  The Gupta period in Indian history is known as the Golden Age of India.

•  Era of the most advanced civilization, flush with wealth, higher education, trade with foreign countries, and an overall happy life.

•  Religious tolerance and freedom of worship •  Period of Hindu renaissance.

•  Emperor Ashoka promoted Buddhism, but Gupta rulers showed a preference for Hindu religion

•  Music, architecture, sculptures and painting were at its best.

•  Various copper statues images of Buddha reflect the craftsmanship of the Gupta period.

•  After the death of the last Gupta ruler in 570 AD, the Gupta empire declined and broke off.

Extensive Trade 4c

spices

gold & ivory gold & ivory

rice & wheat horses

cotton goods

cotton goods

Medicine Literature

Mathematics Astronomy

Printed medicinal guides

1000 diseases classified

Plastic Surgery

C-sections performed

Inoculations

500 healing plants identified

Decimal System

Concept of Zero

PI = 3.1416

Kalidasa

Solar Calendar

The earth is round

Gupta India

Gupta Achievements

Principal architectural features of a temple

VIMANA

MANDAPA

SHIKHARA

garbha-griha

Mini Shikhara repeating themselves

Dravida (south)

2 types make up the Indian temple 'orders

Indo-Aryan (north) Sculpture on a mass scale

Little structural inventiveness or technical ingenuity

Structure to stand-piling of massive blocks one on top of the other ensured stability without using mortar

Fine appreciation of mass & value & effects of shadow to a marked degree

Reduced in appearance to a fortress

Raise the gates of the fortress to the level of architecture

Gopurams-entrance gateways of the temple cities of the south

Makeshift battlements around their cities, towns-the temples

Gopurams

Importance of the temple within the city precincts without in altering the form of the temple

Natural population increase

Erect yet another wall around the existing one

City grew much like the annular rings of a tree

Great temple of Srirangam at Tiruchirapalli

Rectangle dynamic form

Towering, massive & impressive

Buddhist origin

Gopuram

Buddhist and Hindu Temples during the Mauryan and Gupta Periods

Hindu Temples

•  During the Mauryan period, temples were small, stone structures with one or two rooms and flat roofs.

•  During the Gupta period, the temples were more complex, with huge towers and intricate carvings.

Buddhist Temples

•  Some Buddhists carved entire temples out of mountainsides.

•  The temples at Ajanta and Ellora are two of the most famous of this type of Buddhist temple.

•  Another type of Buddhist temple was the stupa.