Section 4 of 6
Temple Structure
Two structural traditions are routinely filed as one. These entries separate the curved shikhara from the storeyed vimana, and take the base mouldings as the more reliable evidence of which is which.
Entries in this section
4 entries-
15
Nagara and DravidaTwo structural traditions routinely lumped together: a curved shikhara in the north, a stepped pyramidal vimana in the south.
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16
Between the twoRegions where the traditions meet and produce hybrids that fit neither description.
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17
Rock-cutExcavated rather than built — subtractive architecture with no possibility of correction.
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18
Plan and mouldingsThe base mouldings carry the classification more reliably than the tower does.
As register rows
All 25 entries| № | Tradition | Region | Worked by | Material | What holds it up, or how it is made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Nagara and Dravida | North, west and east; the Tamil country | Mason and sculptor lineages | Sandstone; granite | A curved shikhara against a storeyed vimana |
| 16 | Between the two | The Deccan and Telangana | Mason and sculptor lineages | Sandstone, basalt | Plans and towers that fit neither classification cleanly |
| 17 | Rock-cut | The western Deccan escarpment | Excavators and sculptors | Living rock | Cut away rather than built up; nothing can be added back |
| 18 | Plan and mouldings | Across both traditions | Mason lineages | Dressed stone | The base mouldings classify a temple more reliably than the tower |