A superstructure, tower or spire characteristic of North Indian temple architecture, it usually rises above the innermost sanctuary or the main pillared hall. In South India, however, shikhara refers solely to the topmost part of the superstructure, which is usually a decorated dome. Derived from Sanskrit, the word literally translates to “mountain peak.”
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A tier or storey in a shikhara, vimana or gopuram, found primarily in Dravida temple architecture.
Shrine north of Kandahar in Afghanistan, dedicated to Shah Maqsud, a companion of Ali ibn Abi Talib — cousin of…
A pavilion found within a temple complex that is used to celebrate the divine wedding of the temple’s principal deity…
A three-storeyed Mahayana cave temple in Ellora dating to the eighth century CE. Marked as Cave 12, it houses a…
Architecture patronised by the Andhra Ikshvakus (c. fourth to third century BCE) (not to be confused with the legendary Ikshvaku dynasty…
Also known as taranga potika, it is a corbel-bracket with a roll-like pattern or moulding.
A small antechamber connecting the garbhagriha (inner sanctum) of the temple to its mandapa (pillared hall). It is a feature…
A pillared hallway characteristic of Dravida temple architecture, used for rituals, gatherings and marriage ceremonies. A temple may have one…