Hindu architecture evolved from a combination of indigenous Dravidian styles and those of invading Aryan groups. Key characteristics include ornate temples centered around a small inner shrine (garbha-griha) topped with a spire-shaped roof (sikhara) and surrounded by porch-like prayer halls (mandapas). Two major styles developed - the northern Nagara style using stone and emphasizing vertical elements, and the southern Dravidian style using stone for burial monuments and emphasizing horizontal lines. Important examples include the Sun Temple at Konark, known for its massive stone chariot-shaped structure, and early Chalukyan structural temples at Aihole that blended northern and southern features into a distinctive

1. Hindu Architecture

2. History of Hindu.
• Hindu are religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the
Indian subcontinent.
• The word "Hindu" is attributed to all persons professing any Indian
religion (i.e. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism or Sikhism)
• The word Hindu is derived (through Persian) from the Sanskrit word
Sindhu, the historic local name for the Indus River in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.
• Hinduism is the world's third largest religion. The vast majority of
Hindus, approximately 940 million, live in India. Other countries with
large Hindu populations include Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Mauritius, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, United States,
Fiji, United Kingdom, Singapore, Canada and the island of Bali in
Indonesia.

3. Flag of India

4. Map of India

5. Religious
• Hindu religion envolved from a combination of the faiths of the
indigenous Dravidians and the Aryan invaders; Hindu worship is
essentially an individual act.

6. A young Nepali Hindu devotee
during a traditional prayer
ceremony at Kathmandu's Durbar
Square.
The name of the idol of Kali
worshiped in the temple is
Bhavatarini. Shown here, is a picture
of the deity adorned with priceless
jewelleries and other accessories in
the Dakshineswar Kali Temple,
Kolkata.

7. Goddess Adi Shakthi at
Parashakthi Temple in
North America is a Tirtha
Peetam.
Ganesha — has become
one of the commonest
mnemonics for anything
associated with Hinduism.
This not only suggests the
importance of Ganesha,
but also shows how
popular and pervasive this
deity is in the minds of the
masses.

8. BUDDHIST AND HINDU
ARCHITECTURE
Stupas and temples from the 1st century BC.
Buddhist stupa,is known in India from the 1st century BC.
• Stupa is a brick and plaster hemisphere with a pointed
superstructure.
• The Great Stupa at Sanchi, from the 1st century BC. Hinduism and
Buddhism are closely interconnected
• The stupa provides the architectural model for Hindu temples in
India, for Buddhist temples in southeast Asia and for pagodas in
China and Japan.
• Stupa evolves into the complex superstructure of later Hindu
temples - rich in architectural ornament and often encrusted with
teeming sculptures of deities and devils.

9. Images of Stupa

10. Form of Stupa structure
came from Buddha.
Evolution of Stupa

12. Vastu Shastra
What is Vastu Shastra?
• Vastu Shastra is ancient teachings from the Indian civilization. It
deals with the science of the architecture and tells how a building
should be planned.
History of Vastu.
• The Indian civilization is the oldest in the world and has a rich
heritage of developing different branches of science. Vastu Shastra
is one such discipline that developed over the years based on the
traditional knowledge gained from studying the nature. The age old
Indian philosophers knew a lot about the five elements that made
the universe.

13. The five elements of
Vastu Shastra-
• Earth
• Water
• Fire
• Air
• Space
Directions in Vastu
Shastra
• Other than the elements there
are eight directions in Vastu
Shastra.

15. Dravidian Style (South)
• 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

18. Nagara Style (North)
• 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.

22. Hindu Temple Architecture
• In all types, the fundamental plan consist of a small unlit shrine
called the ''Garbha-griha'' crowned with spire-shaped ''Sikhara'' roof,
formed of horizontal stone, and also introduced by porch-like halls
''Madapas'' for religious dancing and music.
• ''Garbha-griha'' shrine • ''Sikhara'' roof

24. Layout of 'Garbha-griha''

25. • ''Madapas'' used for ritual dance
and also as a theatre for ritual
prayer.

26. Hindu architecture sub-divided into
2style.
 Northern Hindu style.
 Central Hindu style.

27. Northern Hindu style
• This style had spread over at least 3 to 4th
part of northern India.
• The earliest movement started in the state of Orissa, its ancient
name is Kalinga.
• It is offered strong resistance to mauryas but finally sudued to
ashoka in 260 B.C
• After ashokas death kalinga regained its independence and later
become more powerful under kharavela.
• Beginning of this Orissa group is seen at Bhuvaneshwar where
there are thirty temples.
• The most important are the temple of jaganath at puri ,
Mahashivagupta Yayati , Sun temple at konark
• The other groups are confined to some area such as at khajuraho ,
the largest of entire series is shiva temple of kandariya mahadeva at
khajuraho.

28. Temples of Orissa group (kalinga)
Sun temple of
konark
The magnificent
temple was
therefore built to
glorify ‘surya’ the
sun god at konark
The plan of this
temple was
that of genious
and its scale
was too great
for its
execution.
The temple of sun god , surya, the source of life, origin of light,
the dispeller of darkness, and sin, the source and instrument of
purity and health is unique in its construction.

29. •The temple is formed like a ‘ratha’ or wheeled
chariot being carried by seven.
•Horses symbolizing the seven rays of the sun
who blazes his way through the heaven and
proceded by the charioteer arun.
•The width of the cubical portion or ''Bada'' of
jaga mohan is twice its own height
•Upper tapering part ''pida'' and which is
crowned with a melon shaped ''kalasha'' or
''amlaka'' is fluted

30. Central Hindu style
The architecture falls into two distinct types
i. rock-cut
ii. structural
Rock –cut cave temples at Badami
• The chalukyan capital city badami was protected by a fort wall
surrounded by a moat.
• Badami was also a religious centre.
• These are brahminical in nature , one shaivite, two vishnavites, and
the fourth belongs to jaina.

31. shaiva cave
vaishnava cave

32. Structural Temples
• In addition to the rock cut cave temples at badami chalukyans also
built several structural temples along the edge of the lake and hill
tops.
• The early chalukyans combined some some features of
contemporary north and south indian style of construction
• i.e nagar and dravidian respectively to create their own style of
construction
• Which is characterized by high platform , pithas ornate door frames,
plinth moulding , vestibule

33. • The temple stands on square plan of 15 m side with high platform.
• It is consist of an open pillared porch leading to a large square
mantapa with 2 square group of pillars
• The nanthi fills the central bay
• Whose ceiling contains sculpture of naga with its tail twisted around
Lad khan temple at aihole

34. • The pillars have cushion capitals with floral abacus supporting the
ponderous bracket
• There are lattice window on north and south sides and perforated
circles ofradiating fish design set in square frame in the eastern and
western sides
• The roof is sloping , rising in two tires , with a sma;ll cubical shikara
containg images of surya , shiva , and vishnu on its three sides.
• No mortar is used for the construction of this temple.

35. The End.