Temple Architecture

Temple architecture is a major recurring theme in the IJA, addressed through architectural surveys, iconographic studies, sculpture catalogues, and textual analysis. Coverage encompasses North Indian Nagara temples, South Indian Dravida temples, Kashmiri temple architecture, Jain temples of central India, brick temples, wooden temples, and the evolution of architectural elements such as pillars and toranas.

Key Sites

• Nilkaṇṭha Temple, Kalinjar - the most extensively treated single temple in the corpus; Vijay Kumar’s study covers all sculptural programmes, iconographic schemes, and architectural features of this Chandela-period temple
• Deogarh, Lalitpur, U.P. - Jain temples documented in two-part study (Vols. 1–2), one of the most important concentrations of early medieval Jain architecture in north India
• Jageshwar, Almora, Uttarakhand - cluster of Shaiva temples in a Himalayan valley; architectural features documented
• Kardameśvara Temple, Varanasi - detailed sculpture study
• Pashupatinatha / Nepali Temple, Lalita Ghat, Varanasi - three-storey pagoda-style wooden Shiva temple built in Nepal style; living cultural link between India and Nepal
• South Kashmir temple sites - study traces architectural evolution from 7th to 13th century A.D. including pre-Islamic Hindu temples
• Osian, Rajasthan - decorated ceilings classified into ten types and correlated with textual descriptions
• Trilochan-Nath Mahadera Temple, Basohli, Kathua (J&K) - architectural and cultural setting
• Thirukazhukundram / Tirukalukundram (Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu) - Vedagiriswarar Temple traced from Pallava period through Pandya repairs
• Rasamancha, Bishnupur, Bankura (West Bengal) - terracotta temple, symbol of eastern Indian cultural integration
• Jamuniya, Katni (Madhya Pradesh) - lesser-known Shiva temple documented
• Tarighat and Jamraon, Patan, Durg (Chhattisgarh) - early historical and medieval temple remains excavated

Key Findings

1. North Indian architectural tradition: Amar Singh’s textual study grounds the evolution of North Indian temple architecture in the canonical Sanskrit treatises (śilpaśāstra), mapping them onto surviving buildings.
2. Pillar evolution: The evolution of North Indian temple pillars is traced from the Mature Harappan period through to the 16th century A.D., providing a continuous typological sequence.
3. Brick temples in the Ganga plains: Brick temples are documented from a Mauryan-period example at Bairat to 12th-century medieval examples, establishing a north Indian brick-temple tradition independent of stone temples.
4. Kashmiri temples: The unique features of ancient Kashmiri Hindu temple architecture - including the trefoil arch, the cella on a high plinth, and the pyramidal superstructure - are documented for both early and later medieval periods.
5. Panchayatana puja: The development of the five-shrine arrangement (Panchayatana) is traced across Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnava, and Buddhist traditions.
6. Torana typology: Amar Singh’s study catalogues eleven named types of torana (gateway arch) from Sanskrit literature and matches each to surviving examples.
7. Osian ceilings: The decorated ceilings of Osian temples are classified and their textual basis established, contributing to the understanding of Rajasthani temple workshops.

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