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Temple Architecture
As human beings began to fear and respect the forces of nature, they also started worshipping them.
Man personified these forces so that the concept of ‘god’ took form in people’s minds.
The gods in their human forms came to be housed as idols in structures called temples.
The temples in India developed in every region of the country, often the geographical, climatic,
ethnic, racial, historical and linguistic aspects of the region had a greater part to play in shaping
the style of the temples in India
Early Temples in India
Basic form of Hindu temple
Dravida style of temple architecture
Nagara Style or North India Temple style
Vesara style of temple architecture
UPSC Prelims 2012 Question
The Nagara, the Dravida and the Vesara are the
a) three main racial groups of the Indian subcontinent.
b) Three main linguistic divisions in to which the languages of India can be classified
c) three main styles of Indian temple architecture
d) three main musical Gharanas prevalent in India
+ Check Solution
Solution C
Explanation:
Ancient Indian temples are classified in three broad types. This classification is based on
different architectural styles, employed in the construction of these temples. The three
types are- Nagara, Vesara and Dravida. Nagara style temples are found in Northern India,
Vesara style temples in region between Vindhyas and the river Krishna and Dravida style
temples are found between Godavari and Krishna rivers. Hence, option C is correct
Nagaraor North Indian Temple Style in North India it is common for an entire temple to be
built on a stone platform with steps leading up to it. Further, unlike in South India it does
not usually have elaborate boundary walls or gateways.
Vesarais one of a number of terms for a distinct stylistic tradition of Indian Hindu temple
architecture primarily used in the Deccan, parts of North India and Central India, between
the Vindhyas and the river Krishna.
Dravidian architectureor the South Indian temple style is an architectural idiom in Hindu
temple architecture that emerged in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South
India and in Sri Lanka, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century.
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