This globalized and digital world has significantly reduced the importance of exploring and educating ourselves about our rich art and architecture. Our Indian Constitution mentions some Fundamental Duties, which every Indian citizen is supposed to abide by. One of the fundamental duties is to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. The art, architecture, and culture of our country still have a great impact on our country’s economy, education, and society overall.

It not only enriches one’s inner world but also illuminates one’s inner life and increases one’s creativity and imagination. This further enhances our tolerance and provides opportunities to unite with each other. This also helps in boosting well-being for communities and individuals alike. Temple architecture is an important aspect of art and architecture, which developed during ancient India and had distinct styles in different parts of the country as a result of its geographical, climatic, ethnic, racial, historical, and linguistic diversities. 

Talking about the Hindu Temple architecture, it reflected a synthesis of arts, beliefs, values, and the way of life cherished under Hinduism. The temple was considered a place for pilgrimage. Hindu temples were looked at as a place of a link between the man and his God. This helped him in his spiritual liberation that ultimately led to Moksha.

Here, we would be discussing the Nagara or the Northern style and the Dravida or the Southern style of temple architecture. Let us begin by first understanding the differences and similarities between the two styles. The temples of North and South India were distinguished based on some specific features like sikhara and gateways. In the north Indian temples, the most prominent component was the sikhara while the gateway was generally unassuming. The most prominent features of South Indian temples were enclosures around the temples and the Gopurams (huge gateways), which led the devotees into the sacred courtyard. 

There were, however, many common features in the Northern and the Southern styles. These included the ground plan, positioning of stone-carved deities on the outside walls and the interior, and the range of decorative elements.

Let us see some of the prominent features of  the Nagara school of Architecture:

• It developed from the 5th century onwards in the northern part of India. 
• The temple followed the Panchayatana style of temple making, which has the main shrine in between and is surrounded by subsidiary shrines.
• In front of the main shrine, they had the assembly halls.
• Outside the garbhagriha (womb chamber), sculptures of Ganga and Yamuna were placed.
• Water reservoirs were absent here.
• The vertical end of the shikhara ended in a horizontal fluted disc, known as the Amalak. On top of that Amalak, there was a spherical-shaped object known as the Kalash.
• The ambulatory passageway or the pradakshina path around the sanctum sanctorum was covered. 
• Elaborate boundary walls or gateways were not present around the temple premises.
• The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh is a fine example of this style.

The Dravida School of Architecture developed in the Southern part of India and spread to many countries. Some of its important features are:

• Unlike the Nagara temples, the Dravidian temples were surrounded by high boundary walls. 
• The front wall had a high entrance gateway known as gopuram.
• The temple premise was laid out in panchayatan style.
• Under the Dravidian style, the spire is in the form of a stepped pyramid. It is known as vimana. 
• The assembly hall was connected with the garbhagriha by a vestibular tunnel known as antarala.
• The entrance of the garbhagriha had sculptures of Dwaarpal, mithun, and yaksha.
• The presence of a water tank inside the temple enclosure was a unique feature of the Dravidian style. 
• Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur is an example of the same. It was built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and is referred to as the “Great Living Chola Temples”.

The importance of temples in our daily lives, inspired many intellectual and religious movements engaging the different cohorts like the architects, artisans, and artists from different parts of the society to be actively engaged in the evolution of temple architecture.

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