Indian Temple Architecture

Presented by :
Ar.Shruti
•  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  
 History of India

Indus valley Buddhist Hindu Islamic Mughal

influence temples influence empire
civilizations
Temple Architecture*
 Gupta Period (320 AD –
•  480
After the decline of Mauryans, AD)
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

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500 healing
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Gupta
Printed Achievements
medicinal guides Kalidasa

Plastic Literature
Surgery Medicine

Inoculations
C-sections Gupta
Solar
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Calendar

Astronomy
Decimal Mathematics
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 Principal architectural features of a temple

SHIKHARA

MANDAPA

VIMANA garbha-griha
Mini Shikhara repeating themselves

Dravida (south)
2 types make up the Indian
temple 'orders

Sculpture on a mass scale Indo-Aryan (north)

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
Makeshift battlements around their cities, towns-the temples

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

 Gopurams
Towering, massive &
impressive

Importance of the temple

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

Natural population increase

Rectangle dynamic form
Erect yet another wall around
the existing one

City grew much like the annular

rings of a tree

Buddhist origin Great temple of Srirangam at

Tiruchirapalli
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.