🏛️ Architecture Styles
Three great schools governed Hindu temple architecture for over a millennium.
⚖ Comparison Table — 12 Features
| Feature | Nagara | Dravida | Vesara |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tower form | Shikhara (curvilinear) | Vimana (stepped pyramid) | Stellate / hybrid |
| Crowning element | Amalaka + Kalasha | Stupi / Shikhara-finial | Kalasha on domed roof |
| Layout | Panchayatana (5-shrine) | Axial enclosure with Gopurams | Star-shaped (stellate) plan |
| Entrance gateway | Simple torana / porch | Towering Gopurams | Modest porch / Mandapa entry |
| Mandapa | Open or closed hall | Pillared maha-mandapa | Navaranga + richly-carved pillars |
| Wall articulation | Projections (rathas) | Pilasters, niches, kudus | Star-points with deep carving |
| Iconography focus | Shaivite / Shakta / Vaishnava narrative | Dikpalas, avatars, Nataraja | Narrative panels, ornate brackets |
| Stone | Sandstone, marble | Granite | Soapstone (chloritic schist) |
| Period peak | 8th–13th century CE | 7th–17th century CE | 11th–13th century CE |
| Region | North & Central India | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal AP | Deccan (Karnataka, Telangana) |
| Key patrons | Chandelas, Solankis, Gangas | Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagara | Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Rashtrakutas |
| Exemplars | Khajuraho, Konark, Modhera | Brihadisvara, Meenakshi, Airavatesvara | Chennakeshava Belur, Hoysaleshwara, Pattadakal |
All Styles (0)
No styles published yet.