Distinguish with the help of sketches between the temple of North India and the temples of Central India.
Give examples
Answers
Answer:
Size of Temples:
The first obvious difference you would see between North and South Indian temples is the sheer size. Southern temples are much larger in comparision. It is fair to say that, South Indian kings invested a lot in temples than their palaces, which is quite the opposite in the North. Srirangam Ranganathar temple in Tamilnadu occupies an area of 156 acres, making it the largest working worship place in the world. In perspective, the entire area of the country of Monaco (2 sq. km) can only hold three Srirangam temples. Vatican City can only hold 2/3rd of Srirangam temple. None of the North Indian temples are as grand as these structures.
For a person travelling from South, the first impression of North Indian temples is “wait… that’s it?!”. South Indians aren’t simply accustomed to temples being in modest sizes.
But who needs a grand structure when you have a backdrop with the million dollar view?! North Indian temples are truly gifted in the sense they have more natural beauty to them. The majestic Ganga flowing through Rishikesh, or the breath taking backdrop of Himalayas in Kedarnath and Badrinath adds serenity to these temples. In Sanskrit there is a beautiful word called ‘sanidhyam’ – which means feeling closer to God. North Indian temples are naturally gifted in sanidhyam.
Agamam (ritual modality):
South Indian temples follow very strict agamam culture. Agamam is a set of text that defines the worship, temple traditions and ritual protocols. There are three agamams: Saiva (for Shiva temples) and Vaikanasam & Paancharaatram (for Vishnu temples). Shaiva agamam are quite simple and less formal. In my opinion, rituals in Paancharatra agamam is very elaborate than Vaikanasa agamam. The exception to this agamic culture is Kerala temples where they perform tantric rituals.
Architecture:
Dravidian temple architecture usually has a Raja Gopuram (biggest tower) at the main gate and a small tower for the sanctum sanctorum (exception being Tanjore Big temple). South Indian temple gopurams are extremely intricate filled with statues, whereas most.
Answer:
The first obvious difference you would see between North and South Indian temples is the sheer size. Southern temples are much larger in comparison. It is fair to say that, South Indian kings invested a lot in temples than their palaces, which is quite the opposite in the North.