describe the main features of North Indian and South Indian temples of the mediaeval period in short answer
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The typical Hindu temple in northern India, on plan, consists of a squaregarbhagriha preceded by one or more adjoining pillared mandapas (porches or halls), which are connected to the sanctum by an open or closed vestibule (antarala). The entrance doorway of the sanctum is usually richly decorated with figures of river goddesses and bands of floral, figural, and geometricornamentation. An ambulatory is sometimes provided around the sanctum. The shikhara is usually curvilinear in outline, and smaller rectilinear shikharas frequently top the mandapas as well. The whole may be raised on a terrace (jagati) with attendant shrines at the corners. If a temple is dedicated to the god Shiva, the figure of the bullNandi, the god’s mount, invariably faces the sanctum, and, if dedicated to the god Vishnu, standards (dhvaja-stambha) may be set up in front of the temple.
The centre of each side of the square sanctum is subjected to a graduated series of projections, creating a characteristic cruciform plan. The exterior walls are usually decorated with sculptures of mythological and semidivine figures, with the main images of the deities placed inniches carved on the main projections. The interior is also frequently richly carved, particularly the coffered ceilings, which are supported by pillars of varying design.
That the prototype of the North Indian temple already existed in the 6th century can be seen in surviving temples such as the temple atDeoghar, Bihar state, which has a small, stunted shikhara over the sanctuary. The style fully emerged in the 8th century and developed distinct regional variations in Orissa(Odisha), central India, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. North Indian temples are generally classified according to the style of the shikhara: thephamsana style is rectilinear, and the latina is curvilinear and itself has two variations, the shekhari and thebhumija.
One typical form of the North Indian style is seen in the early temples at Orissa, such as the graceful 8th-century Parashurameshvara Temple at Bhubaneshwar, a city that was a great centre of temple-building activity. From the 10th century a characteristic Oriya style developed that exhibited a greater elevation of the wall and a more elaborate spire. The 11th-century Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneshwar is an example of the Oriya style in its fullest development. The 13th-century Sun Temple (Surya Deul) at Konarak, the sanctum of which is badly damaged, is the largest and perhaps the most famous Oriya temple.
The centre of each side of the square sanctum is subjected to a graduated series of projections, creating a characteristic cruciform plan. The exterior walls are usually decorated with sculptures of mythological and semidivine figures, with the main images of the deities placed inniches carved on the main projections. The interior is also frequently richly carved, particularly the coffered ceilings, which are supported by pillars of varying design.
That the prototype of the North Indian temple already existed in the 6th century can be seen in surviving temples such as the temple atDeoghar, Bihar state, which has a small, stunted shikhara over the sanctuary. The style fully emerged in the 8th century and developed distinct regional variations in Orissa(Odisha), central India, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. North Indian temples are generally classified according to the style of the shikhara: thephamsana style is rectilinear, and the latina is curvilinear and itself has two variations, the shekhari and thebhumija.
One typical form of the North Indian style is seen in the early temples at Orissa, such as the graceful 8th-century Parashurameshvara Temple at Bhubaneshwar, a city that was a great centre of temple-building activity. From the 10th century a characteristic Oriya style developed that exhibited a greater elevation of the wall and a more elaborate spire. The 11th-century Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneshwar is an example of the Oriya style in its fullest development. The 13th-century Sun Temple (Surya Deul) at Konarak, the sanctum of which is badly damaged, is the largest and perhaps the most famous Oriya temple.
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- There are two main style of temple architecture: the Nagara or Indo-Aryan or Northern Style and the Dravida or Southern Style
- One of the most noticeable differences between the temples in the north and those in the south is their size. In comparison to their southern counterparts, the temples in Northern India are a tiny fraction of their size.
- The shape of the towers comes next. The northern style is known as a shikhara, which literally translates as "mountain top," and gradually inclines inwards in a gently curved form. It is the centerpiece of the temple and was constructed above the garba griha. On the other hand, a southern-style temple's tower has a pyramidal structure with multiple levels or pavilions that get smaller and smaller as they rise.
- The temples' entrances also clearly distinguish the two architectural types. However, in the southern variety of Indian temples, the biggest towers, the gopurums, enormous gate-pyramids, adorn the entrance, dominate the temple site, and lead to the smaller tower of the temple itself. Northern Indian temples have a lower-height gate that leads to a much taller tower above the garba griha.
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