2@ hagara style of lomple architecture The Vemples at Mount Abu (Raj the Solanki rulers, marble, They are » Dilwara athan) were built by These temples are of white decorated with beautifully carved sculptures and have designs such as flowers and plants, South India Vhe Patlavas, Pandyas and the Cholas were gteat temple builders, The Pallava kings built the Ratha Temple and the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and the Kailasanath Temple at Kanchi, The Pandyas constructed numerous temples in Madurai. The Cholas The Chola kings built a large number of temples. The Brihadesvara Temple, also called the Raj vara Temple, at Tanjore (Thanjavur) is very well known, Rajaraja Chola dedicated it to Lord Shi Chola temples were built in the dravidian style. Early temples were simple structures, Later, they became bigger and grander, The gateway of The Shore Temple the temple was called gopuram. The main shring whore Images af gods and goddesses were kept was known as garbhageiha, The mandapa was generally situated in front of the main shrine, It was an audience hall where people gathered for prayers, On top of the main shrine was a tall structure or ower called shikhara, Life in the Chola period was centred around the temple, Temples were not only places of worship but much more. Settlements often grew around temples. Many temples were centres of craft production as well. Large temples owned a lot of land, gifted to them by kings and rich landowners. Land given to a temple was called ‘devadana’, The taxcollected from this land was used for the upkeep of the temple and to maintain the people who worked there—priests, dancers, musicians, garland makers, idol makers, cooks and many others, Temples also participated in inland and overseas trade. The priests taught children in temple courtyards. Thus, temples during the Chola period were the hub of social, economic and cultural life. THE SULTANATE PERIOD The Turks and the Afghans introduced new styles and techniques of architecture. When fused with the existing Indian styles, they gave birth to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, Palaces, mosques, forts and towers were constructed in this new style. Features The two main features used in the buildings of this period were the arch (later refined and called the true atgh) and the dome, ‘There was no longer the need to construct pillars to support the roof, Starting with half- domes, there was a shift towards full domes. Some buildings also. Had minarets, Most early structures were built of red sandstone. Later, monuments began to be made of stone covered with plaster: They were © scanned with OKEN Scanner