What is the Nagara style of temple architecture?

The Ramjanmbhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya has been built following the principles of the Nagara style of temple architecture, a building design form that originated in North India and then gradually speared across the country. In this guide, we will learn about the key features of this temple architecture style.

Origin and popularity

This style of temple architecture originated around the 5th century AD. While this style flourished through the Gupta dynasty, it has evolved over the years.  The Nagara style of architecture is prevalent in North India, Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Name and significance

Showcasing unique elements and influences from central Asia, the aptly named Nagara (which means city) style has a close association with urban architectural principles. It is also closely associated with the Shaivite and Vaishnavite sects of Hinduism.

Basic structure

It is common for temples built using the Nagara-style to be built on a stone platform with steps leading up to it.

Unique features

A unique feature of the Nagara style of temple architecture is Shikharas, the tall, pyramidal towers, and kalasha, a bulbous finial topping the Shikharas. While the earliest temples had just one shikhara, later temples had several.

Composition

Made of four chambers, the Garbha-Griha, Jagmohan, Natyamandir, and Bhogamandir, the temple complex is made up of two buildings. These include a taller main shrine and a shorter mandapa adjacent to it.

Sanctum-sanctorum

Built on a square or rectangular plan, Nagara-style temples feature Garbha-Grihas, is sanctum-sanctorum of the temple. In this small room accessible only to the priests the deity is enshrined. The Garbha-Griha is always located directly under the tallest tower.

No elaborate boundary walls or gateways

Unlike the temple architecture of South India, the Nagara temple architecture does not have elaborate boundary walls or gateways (Gopurams).

Sub-divisions

The Nagara style is not heterogeneous in nature. There are spatial and geographical distinctions across time and space. In fact, there are many subdivisions of Nagara temples, depending on the shape of the shikhara. These include:

• Latina or Rekha Prasada style: This is the most common name for the simple shikhara, which is square at the base and whose walls curve or slope inward to a point on top is called the ‘latina’ or the rekha-prasada type of shikara. Latina types are mainly used for housing the Garbha-Griha.

• Phamsana style: The roofs of temples built in this style are composed of several slabs that gently rise to a single point over the centre of the building.Unlike the latina ones which look like sharply rising tall towers, Phamsana-style temples are broader and shorter. Their roofs do not curve inward but slope upwards on a straight incline. In many North Indian temples, Phamsana was used for mandapa and latina for Garbh-Griha.

• Valabhi style: These are rectangular buildings with a roof that rises into a vaulted chamber. The edge of this vaulted chamber is rounded, like the bamboo or wooden wagons that would have been drawn by bullocks in ancient times. They are usually called wagonvaulted buildings.

Examples of 11 Nagara-style temple architecture

Ayodhya Ram Mandir

Source: Instagram/shriramteerthkshetra

The Sun Temple, Konark

The Sun Temple, Modhera

Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho

Jagdish Temple, Udaipur

Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho

Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho

Jageshwar Temple, Almora

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi

Somnath Mahadev Temple, Somnath

Sun Temple, Ranakpur