An architectural descriptor for ceilings or roofs that feature self-supporting arches known as vaults. In its simplest form, the vault has been used in architecture since 6000 BCE. There are several types of vaults, including barrel vaults, groin vaults and rib vaults, to name a few.
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A small antechamber connecting the garbhagriha (inner sanctum) of the temple to its mandapa (pillared hall). It is a feature…
A structure that is excavated or carved out of a single block of rock. Monoliths are usually not moved from…
Longitudinal beam along the top of a pitched or vaulted roof. The ridge beam is a load-bearing structural member of…
Sanskrit for 'stool' or 'pedestal', it is the platform on which idols are installed in the garbhagriha or innermost sanctum…
The name of the vimana (the sanctum sanctorum and the tower over it) of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra…
An ornamental feature in Hindu temple architecture which lies over the entrance to the garbhagriha (the inner shrine). It literally…
A three-storeyed Mahayana cave temple in Ellora dating to the eighth century CE. Marked as Cave 12, it houses a…
A niche in the wall of a mosque which indicates the qibla (direction of the Kaaba in Mecca) and is…