The prevalent style of temple architecture in northern India is known as nagara. Northern temples are often constructed on a stone platform with steps leading up to it. Unlike South India, there is typically an absence of elaborate boundary walls or gateways. The temple architecture’s form is influenced by ancient building forms existing before the fifth century CE.

• The Valabhi type of Shikhara, for instance, finds similarities with the ground plan of Buddhist rock-cut chaitya caves.
• This evolution in Nagara temple architecture showcases the dynamic development and diversification of styles in response to regional and temporal influences.

About Nagara type Temples

Evolution of Temple Towers (Shikhara)

• Early temples had a single tower (shikhara), but later ones featured multiple towers.
• The garbhagriha (sanctum) is always situated directly under the tallest tower or shikhara.
• Multiple types of shikhara evolved over time. 

• Latina Type Shikhara

• • • This is a simple shikhara, famously known as the ‘latina’ or ‘rekha-prasada’ type.
    • It has a square base and walls that curve or slope inward, culminating in a point at the top.
    • It is often considered as a basic form of shikhara.
    • Latina buildings evolved to support many smaller towers, clustered together like rising mountain peaks.

• Phamsana Type Shikhara

• • • Phamsana buildings are broader and shorter than latina ones.
    • Their roofs consist of several slabs gently rising to a single point, presenting a different profile compared to the sharply rising towers of the latina type.
    • In many North Indian temples, phamsana design is applied to mandapas (halls), while the main garbhagriha is housed in a latina building.

• Valabhi Type Building

• • The Valabhi type is characterized by rectangular buildings with a roof rising into a vaulted chamber.
  • The edge of the vaulted chamber is rounded, resembling ancient bamboo or wooden wagons.
  • Often referred to as ‘wagon-vaulted buildings.’

Subdivisions of Nagara temples

Variations in the shape of the shikhara lead to different subdivisions of Nagara temples.

• Central India

• • Ancient temples in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan share common traits.
  • Gupta Period shrines in Madhya Pradesh, notably at Udaigiri and Sanchi, are made of sandstone.
  • Early Gupta temples are relatively modest with four pillars supporting a mandapa and garbhagriha.
  • The two surviving temples, one in Udaigiri near Vidisha and the other in Sanchi near the stupa represent a significant architectural development, featuring a flat roof and indicating shared design elements in Hindu and Buddhist temple construction.

• Deogarh Temple Architecture

• • Deogarh in Uttar Pradesh, dating to the early sixth century CE, exemplifies late Gupta Period temple architecture.

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  • Deogarh temple follows the panchayatana (a total number of five shrines, hence the name, panchayatana) style with a main shrine (built on a rectangular plinth) and four subsidiary shrines (at the four corners).
  • The curvilinear shikhara (curving latina or Rekha-prasada type of shikhara) indicates an early example of the classic nagara style.
  • This west-facing temple has a grand doorway featuring sculptures of Ganga and Yamuna.
  • The temple’s depictions of Vishnu in various forms led to the misconception that it was a Dasavatara temple with our subsidiary shrines housing Vishnu’s avatars. 
  • However, the original dedication of these shrines remains unknown, while main reliefs of Vishnu, such as Sheshashayana, Nara-Narayan, and Gajendramoksha, adorn the west-facing temple walls.

Development in Khajuraho Temples

Temples at Khajuraho, constructed by Chandela Kings in the tenth century, show significant evolution.

• Lakshmana temple (dedicated to Vishnu), built in 954 CE, by the Chandela king, Dhanga, displays a curved pyramidal fashion in shikharas and prominent amalak (a horizontal fluted disc) and kalash (or vase).
• All Nagara temples from this period feature the standard crowning elements of amalak and kalash, and distinctively, this temple exhibits projecting balconies and verandahs, setting it apart from Deogarh.

Khajuraho’s Sculpture Style

Kandariya Mahadeo temple in Khajuraho epitomizes Central Indian temple architecture during the medieval period.

• Sculptures at Khajuraho are highly stylized, in full relief with sharp features like noses, chins, and slanting eyes.
• Erotic sculptures, including Mithun (embracing couple) sculptures, are considered auspicious and are integral to the temples.

Diversity in Khajuraho Temples

Khajuraho has numerous Hindu temples, Jain temples, and a Chausanth Yogini temple; most of them devoted to Hindu gods.

• Chausanth Yogini temple predates the tenth century and is dedicated to goddesses associated with Tantric worship.
• Temples in Khajuraho showcase the coexistence of spiritual and erotic expressions in Hindu temple art.
• Built between the seventh and tenth centuries, a number of temples dedicated to the cult of yoginis are scattered across Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and extending as far south as Tamil Nadu.

West India

Temples in north-western India, spanning Gujarat, Rajasthan, and western Madhya Pradesh, showcase a variety of stones.

• Sandstone is common, while grey to black basalt appears in tenth to twelfth-century temple sculptures.
• Soft white marble, manipulatable and exuberant, is seen in Jain temples in Mount Abu (tenth to twelfth century) and the fifteenth-century temple at Ranakpur.

Art-Historical Site: Samlaji in Gujarat

Samlaji in Gujarat is a significant art-historical site, blending earlier regional traditions with a post-Gupta style.

• Grey schist sculptures in the region, dating between the sixth and eighth centuries CE, showcase a distinctive style influenced by the mix of traditions.

Surya Kund and Sun Temple at Modhera

The Sun temple at Modhera, built in 1026 CE by Raja Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty, is a prominent eleventh-century structure.

• A massive rectangular stepped tank, Surya Kund, is situated in front of the temple, showcasing the influence of water bodies in sacred architecture.
• The temple tank, measuring a hundred square meters, features 108 miniature shrines carved between its steps.
• The sabha mandapa, open on all sides, follows the fashion of western and central Indian temples in the early eleventh century.
• The temple’s intricate carving and sculpture work reflect the influence of Gujarat’s wood carving tradition (evident in the lavish carving and sculptures, showcasing a blend of artistic styles).
• The central small shrine, facing east, remains plain to allow the sun to shine directly into it during the equinoxes.
• Proximity to water bodies, such as tanks, rivers, or ponds, becomes integral to temple architecture in the region.
• The deliberate plainness of the central shrine highlights the solar alignment during equinoxes, emphasizing the temple’s connection with celestial events.