Dravidian (South) and Nagara (North) Style Temples

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Mountain Or Curved Pagoda
 DRAVIDIAN ARCHITECTURE
Dravidian style temples consist almost invariably of the four following parts, differing only according to the age in which they were executed:

• The principle part, the temple itself, is called the Vimana (or vimana). It is always square in plan and surmounted by a pyramidal roof of one or more
stories; it contains the cell where the image of the god or his emblem is placed.

• The porches or Mandapas (or Mantapams), which always cover and precede the door leading to the cell.

• Gate-pyramids, Gopurams, which are the principal features in the quadrangular enclosures that surround the more notable temples.

• Pillared halls or Chaultris—properly Chawadis -- used for various purposes, and which are the invariable accompaniments of these temples.

• Besides these, a temple always contains temple tanks or wells for water (used for sacred purposes or the convenience of the priests), dwellings for all
grades of the priesthood are attached to it, and other buildings for state or convenience.

• Badami Chalukya architecture

• Stone used as medium for funerary monuments.

• Religion developments, particularly bhakti cult, played an important role.
• Early phases of architecture consisted of rock-cut monuments.
• Later phase is dominated by structural buildings; Gopuras became larger than the main building.
• The emphasis is on horizontality lines; one or more stories, topped with stepped-pyramidal shikhara and a mushroom cap.
 NAGARA
• Refers to art in the regions of Bengal, Orissa, NE, and NC, Delhi and Gujarat region.
• Used stone such as Chlorite, sandstone and white marble
• Temple emphasis is primarily on vertically; horizontality is suppressed.
• High base emphasis the vertically of the whole
• The porch and congregational halls are called mandapa, which in the S style was clearly separated with the tower over the shrine.
• Sikhara is the tallest structure, symbolizing the center of the universe; often rose around 24-30 meters (79-98 ft) some reached over 60
m (196 ft).
Amalaka is a capstone.
Nagara temples have two distinct features :
• In plan, the temple is a square with a number of graduated projections in the middle of each side giving a cruciform shape with a
number of re-entrant angles on each side.
• In elevation, a Shikhara, i.e., tower gradually inclines inwards in a convex curve, using a concentric rotating-squares and circles principle.
• Temples built between the 7th and the 14th centuries CE in the nagara style had mandapas (pavilions)
• The projections in the plan are also carried upwards to the top of the Shikhara and, thus, there is strong emphasis on vertical lines in
elevation. The Nagara style is widely distributed over a greater part of India, exhibiting distinct varieties and ramifications in lines of
evolution and elaboration according to each locality. An example of Nagara architecture is the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple.