Shikhara

Temple tower that was the central feature of the Nagara architectural style,
prevalent in northern and eastern India.
The temple’s tallest tower was always
directly over the image of the temple’s
primary deity, although there were
often also smaller, subsidiary towers to
lead the eye up to that primary one.
Within this general pattern there are two
important variations, exemplified by the
temples at Khajuraho and Orissa. In the
Khajuraho style a group of shikharas is
unified into one continuous upward
swell, which draws the eye upward like a
series of hills leading to a distant peak.
In contrast, the Orissan style tends to
emphasize the differences between the
temple’s parts, with a low entrance hall
(jagamohan) next to a beehive-shaped
temple tower (deul), which is often
three or four times taller than the
entrance hall.