Nagara

One of the three developed styles in
medieval Hindu temple architecture,
along with the Dravida and the Veshara.
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Nadi
The Nagara style is found throughout
northern and eastern India. One of its
prominent features is a shikhara or
tower. The shikhara is often surrounded
by smaller towers that lead the eye up to
the highest point, which is directly over
the image of the temple’s primary deity.
Within this general pattern there are two
variants, exemplified by the temples at
Khajuraho and Orissa.
In Khajuraho the series of shikharas are connected, forming a continuous rising swell that draws the eye
upward, similar to a series of hills
leading to a distant peak. This verticality is accentuated through the use of
turrets (urushringas) on the sides of
the towers, which replicate the shape
of the final peak. The entire temple is
set on a raised base (adhishthana).
Within the temple there are usually
several different zones: an entrance
porch (ardhamandapa), a hall (mandapa), an intermediate area (antarala),
and a central shrine (garbhagrha) surrounded by a processional path
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Nagara
Built in the Nagara style, the Triloknath Temple in Mandi consists of a series of towers,
the largest of which contains an image of the presiding deity.
(pradakshina). Despite their different
parts, temples built in the Khajuraho
style convey the artistic impression of
an integrated, unified whole.
The Orissan style emphasizes the
contrast between the temple’s constituent parts. The two central components are the entrance hall (jagamohan)
and the beehive-shaped temple tower
(deul). The tower is often three or four
times taller than the entrance hall, a difference that tends to heighten the contrast between the two. Other sections
include a dance-hall (natamandira),
traditionally used for performances, and
a “food pavilion” (bhogamandapa),
where the prasad was cooked. These
architectural elements are connected
like beads on a string, as seemingly separable parts lined up with one another.
The most important temples in the
Orissan style are the Lingaraja Temple
in Bhubaneshvar, the Jagannath
temple in Puri, and the Sun Temple
at Konarak.