Ar.

Ruchy Lakhani

HINDU ARCHITECTURE
The earliest Hindu temples evolved during the Gupta period. It was a sanctum of stone
called the garbha griha, a small chamber square in plan, its interior walls perfectly plain and
without any other opening except the doorway, the darkness inside providing the
atmosphere of mystery and housing the effigy of God.

Contrasting with the bare walls of the interior the outer side of the doorway was richly
carved, and in front of this was a shallow porch, which was enlarged in Gupta period to a
pillared portico.

The specific characteristics of the earliest Hindu temples are the shape of the pillars and
columns, the treatment of intercolumnation , the system of continuing the architrave as a
string course round the entire building and the design of the doorway.

The principle examples of this kind are temples at Tigawa and Sanchi.

Sanchi temple
The Sanchi temple has a single cell, a dark hollow cube housing the deity. The meticulously
joined stone block walls of the cell support a roof of flat stone slabs.

The pillars of the entrance portico attached to the only opening in the garbhagriha are
stunted versions of free standing Ashoka pillars complete with inverted bell capital and
animal motifs

The roof of the small 12 ft. wide portico is supported on as many as four columns. To allow
for a reasonable entrance in the middle , the columns are erected in pairs, situated at the
either end of the longer length.

Temple at Tigawa
The temple at Tigawa was built on a similar plan with the sanctum being a square structure
of 12.5 feet enclosing a cella of eight feet diameter, while the porch projects in front to the
extent of seven feet.

The portico pillars are distinct to the Gupta period. They are square in plan unlike Ashoka
pillars which were ocatagonal.

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 A distinct feature of these portico pillars is the intercolumnation, the middle interval being
wider than those on either side.

Each pillar consists of a massive abacus surmounted by a device of lions, a capital

resembling a purana kalasa, a short shaft of many sides and a plain square pedestal.

The other outstanding decorative feature is the doorway to the cella.

Chalukyan Architecture

Aihole temples like Gupta temples have flat or slightly sloping roofs but in some cases are
surmounted by a small upper storey or tower, which appear to have been added later.
The main difference between the two lies in the treatment of the structure in front of the
sanctuary, which assumed the character of a pillared assembly hall or the mandapa.

Lad Khan Temple at Aihole

This temple is the oldest building of the Aihole group.

In plan it is a square hall 50 feet side, roofed with huge sloping stone slabs.

The roof is supported by double row of massive stone columns.

The peripheral columns are reduced to mere pilasters, the load of the roof being taken up
by a wall of large stone blocks piled one over the other without the use of binding material.

Three of its sides are completely enclosed by walls , two of which have open panels which
are relieved by perforated stone grilles.

In the middle wall of the main hall, a square portion was partitioned off to create a
workable sanctum or the garbhagriha.

Durga temple, Aihole

This temple is a brahaminical version of a Buddhist Chaitya hall.
It is an apsidal ended structure measuring externally 60 feet by 36 feet. In addition
there is a large portico on the eastern side 24 feet in depth, so that its entire length
is 84 feet.
It is raised on a high and heavily moulded plinth, the top most tier of flat roof is 30
feet from the ground; over the apse a short pyramidal tower or shikhara has beed
added later.

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 The interior consists of a hall 44 feet long and divided by two rows of four pillars into
a nave and two aisles with apsidal shaped cella.
The aisles around the inner sanctum or garbhgriha become an open pradakshina
path.
The portico is approached by two flights of steps. One on each side of the front and
inside it is a vestibule, pillared, within which is the entrance doorway.