south indian temple architecture upsc

1. What are the three styles of temple architecture?
2. What was the main features of Dravidian style of temple architecture?
3. What are the unique features of the South Indian temples?
4. Which are the main temples of South India?
5. Why Hindu temples are built?
6. What are the two styles of temple architecture?
7. Which is the main point of the Indian architecture?
8. Which is the oldest Indian temple of Nagara style?
9. Which temple is oldest in India?
10. Which Indian state has most temples?
11. Is Lord Shiva South Indian?
12. Which Indian state has many temples?

What are the three styles of temple architecture?

Three main styles of temple architecture are the Nagara or the Northern style, the Dravida or the Southern style and the Vesara or Mixed style.

What was the main features of Dravidian style of temple architecture?

The features of the Dravidian Style of Architecture are mentioned below: The temple is enclosed within a compound wall. Gopuram: The entrance gateway in the centre of the front wall. Vimana: The shape of the main temple tower.

What are the unique features of the South Indian temples?

The South Indian temple consists essentially of a square-chambered sanctuary topped by a superstructure, tower, or spire and an attached pillared porch or hall (maṇḍapa, or maṇṭapam), enclosed by a peristyle of cells within a rectangular court.

Which are the main temples of South India?

Top 11 Temples To Visit In South India

• Virupaksha Temple.
• Meenakshi Temple.
• Venkateswara Temple.
• Ramanathaswamy Temple.
• Airavateswara Temple.
• The Brihadeshwara Temple.
• Sabarimala Temple.
• Vitthala Temple.

Why Hindu temples are built?

Temples marked the transition of Hinduism from the Vedic religion of ritual sacrifices to a religion of Bhakti or love and devotion to a personal deity. Temple construction and mode of worship is governed by ancient Sanskrit scriptures called agamas, of which there are several, which deal with individual deities.

What are the two styles of temple architecture?

The two major styles of temple architecture in the country are known as Nagara in the north and Dravidian in the south. The third style, Vesara Style, is fusion of Nagara and Dravidian style of architecture.

Which is the main point of the Indian architecture?

The rock-cut Udayagiri Caves are among the most important early sites. The earliest preserved Hindu temples are simple cell-like stone temples, some rock-cut and others structural, as at Sanchi. By the 6th or 7th century, these evolved into high shikhara stone superstructures.

Which is the oldest Indian temple of Nagara style?

Architecture of a Hindu temple (Nagara style). These core elements are evidenced in the oldest surviving 5th–6th century CE temples. The Meenakshi temple complex of Madurai, mostly built between 1623 and 1655 CE, a large complex in the Dravidian architecture of South India, dominated by gopuram gatehouse towers.

Which temple is oldest in India?

It is an ancient temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Shakti and is considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in India. It is also considered as the oldest functional Hindu temple of India.
...

Which Indian state has most temples?

The temple, located in Tamil Nadu, occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m²) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet), making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world.

Is Lord Shiva South Indian?

Yet he is also an ancient god of fertility. Sometimes he is shown in sensuous, loving rapport with his wife Parvati and their children. Shiva was especially predominant in south India. ... His hair is the Ganges, mother of rivers, within which is Shiva's emblem, the crescent moon.

Which Indian state has many temples?

The largest number of Hindu temples under the ASI's protection is in Karnataka, followed by Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.