In architecture, a wide slab at the top of a load-bearing column, forming the uppermost section of the capital and helping transfer the weight of the supported beam or arch to the column’s shaft. In freestanding columns the abacus may be mounted with decorative or emblematic sculptures. From the Ancient Greek ábax, meaning ‘slab’.
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A term referring to the shape of an apse, an architectural element that serves as a semi-circular end for a…
A three-storeyed Mahayana cave temple in Ellora dating to the eighth century CE. Marked as Cave 12, it houses a…
A decorative motif similar to a barrel-vaulted roof, with a circular dormer-shaped or horseshoe-shaped arch. It is commonly found in…
A painted room in the form of a gallery commissioned by kings, nobles and merchants. The chitrashala in Bundi Palace,…
Shrine north of Kandahar in Afghanistan, dedicated to Shah Maqsud, a companion of Ali ibn Abi Talib — cousin of…
Bell tower; or the upper part of this or a steeple, which houses bells; or specifically the timber structure by…
A row of columns, typically equidistant from each other and joined by an entablature. A colonnade may be freestanding or…
Straight enclosure wall surrounding the shrine and other structures, and demarcating pathways around them, in Dravida-style temples of South India.…