NAGARA STYLE OR NORTH INDIA TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

NAGARA STYLE TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

* Nagara is the name given to a type of temple architecture that gained prominent in northern India. It is usual in North India for a temple to be erected entirely on a stone platform with steps going up to it.
* Another distinguishing feature is that it rarely has extensive boundary walls or gateways.
* The garbhagriha is always found beneath the tallest tower.
*Nagara temples are divided into numerous categories based on the shape of the shikhara.
* Another distinguishing aspect of this temple style is the Amalaka or Kalash, which is erected on the Shikhara.
* The Nagara style of temple architecture is exemplified by the Kandariya Mahadev Temple in Madhya Pradesh.Sun temple in Konark, Sun temple in Modhera, Gujarat, and Ossian temple in Gujarat are all examples of Nagara style temples in India.

Nagara temple architecture is classified according to Shikhara style.

* A simple Shikara with a square base and inward curving walls with a pointed top characterises Rekha-Prasad or Latina temples. Temples from the early Middle Ages, such as the Sun Temple in Markhera, Madhya Pradesh (MP). Odisha’s Sri Jagannath Temple was built in the Rekha-Prasad Shikara style.
* Shekari: is a variant of the Latina, with a primary Rekha-Prasad Shikara and one or more rows of lesser steeples on both sides of the centre spire. Mini Shikaras can also be found at the base and on the corners. One of the most well-known temples created in this style is the Khajuraho Kandariya Mahadev Temple.
* The Bhumija architecture emerged in Malwa under the Paramara kingdom and was another type of Nagara temple that grew from the Latina style. A central Latina spire and tiny spires on the quadrant produced by the tapering tower make a flat upward tapering projection for these temples. Both laterally and vertically, these miniature Shikaras scooped out. This is the style of the Udayeshwar Temple in MP.
* Temples of the Valabhi style have barrel-vaulted roofs and are rectangular in design. Wagon vaulted buildings/structures are so named because of the vaulted chamber roof. This style was used to construct Gwalior’s Teli Ka Mandir, a 9th century temple.
* Phamsana: are shorter but wider constructions with multiple slabs rising upwards in a moderate slope on a straight incline like a pyramid, meeting at a single point above the building’s mid-point. Constructed in the Phamsana style, the Jagmohan of Konark Temple.

Where can we find nagara style temple architecture in India?

MADHYA PRADESH

Madhya Pradesh is home to some of the earliest surviving Nagara-style structural temples from the Gupta period.
Each of these shrines has four pillars that support a small mandapa that looks like a simple square porch-like extension before an equally small garbhagriha.
Deogarh (in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur District) is a classic example of a late Gupta Period temple, having been constructed in the early sixth century CE. The main shrine is situated on a rectangular pedestal with four smaller subsidiary shrines at the four corners, and the temple is designed in the panchayatana style of architecture (making it a total number of five shrines, hence the name, panchayatana).This date is also supported by the towering, curved shikhara. The existence of a curving latina or rekha-prasada type of shikhara indicates that this is an early example of a traditional Nagara temple style.
Dhanga, the Chandela king, erected the Lakshmana temple of Khajuraho, which is devoted to Vishnu.It’s a Nagara temple on a high platform with stairs leading up to it. There are four smaller temples in each corner, and all of the shikharas (towers) climb high, upward in a curved pyramidal shape, accentuating the temple’s vertical thrust and finishing with a horizontal fluted disc called an amalak topped with a kalash or vase.
On all Nagara temples of this period, the crowning components amalak and kalash may be found.
In Central India, the Kandariya Mahadeo temple in Khajuraho is the pinnacle of Nagara temple construction. The temples of Khajuraho are also noted for their rich erotic sculptures; in human experience, sensual expression is given equal value to spiritual endeavour, and it is considered as part of a broader cosmic whole.

KHAJURAHO TEMPLES SPECIAL FEATURES

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a collection of Hindu and Jain temples located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, India, approximately 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They’ve been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples are known for its nagara-style architectural symbolism and erotic sculptures, which make up less than 10% of the total.
Khajuraho, also known as Kharjuravhaka, is a name derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, which means date palm, and vhaka, which means “one who carries” or bearer). According to mythology, the temples had two golden date-palm trees as its entrance (missing when they were rediscovered). Kharjuravhaka, according to Desai, also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).

The temple is located in the central Indian Vindhya mountain range. According to folklore, the Hindu god Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the Kalinjar area’s impressive hill formation. Khajuraho, at the heart of the region, is surrounded by hills and rivers. The temple complex pays homage to the Hindu custom of erecting temples where gods might pray.
The temples are grouped together near water, which is a common feature of Hindu temples. Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also known as Ninora Tal), and Khudar Nadi are the current water bodies (river). According to local folklore, the temple complex included 64 water bodies, of which 56 have so far been physically identified by archaeologists.

STYLE OF KHAJURAHO TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION

Except for one (Chaturbhuja), all Hindu temples face the sunrise, which is a common emblem. The interdependence is highlighted by the temples’ relative layout, which incorporates both male and feminine deities and symbols.  In Hinduism, the four aims of life — dharma, kama, artha, and moksha – are symbolically highlighted in the artworks.
Six temples are dedicated to Shiva, eight to Vishnu and his affinities, one to Ganesha, one to the Sun god, and three to the Jain Tirthankars, among the surviving temples.In the case of some ruins, there isn’t enough evidence to confidently attribute the temple to a specific deity.Mandapa, or pillared halls, are seen in the larger Khajuraho temples. A waiting room for pilgrims and devotees can be found at the entrance on the east side. A symmetry concept, grids, and mathematical precision are also used to organise the mandapas. Hindu temples all around India employ the same core design philosophy.  Each Khajuraho temple is uniquely carved while still repeating the basic common principles found in almost all Hindu temples, a phenomenon Susan Lewandowski describes as “an organism of repeating cells.”

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view.The builders didn’t use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons. Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however, these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be carved precisely. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails, and intricate jewelry.The Khajuraho temples are an example of a variety of art types that flourished in India’s Rajput kingdoms from the eighth to the tenth centuries CE. Poems and dramas such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika, and Kavyamimansa, for example, were published contemporaneously with Khajuraho. In Khajuraho temples, some of the topics portrayed in these literary works have been sculpted into sculpture. Vyalas, which are hybrid mythical animals with lions’ bodies and may be found in various Indian temples, are among the sculptures at the Khajuraho structures devoted to Vishnu. Vrik Vyala (a wolf-lion hybrid) and Gaja Vyala are two examples of hybrid legendary artwork (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas could reflect a syncretic, creative mix of energies innate in both.

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