| Title | Nagara architecture style |
|---|---|
| Description | Canonical example of North Indian Hindu temple design with towering curvilinear shikharas, sculpted mandapas, and axial sanctum planning refined during the medieval period across the Ganga plains and western India. |
| Tags | Shikhara Mandapa Pradakshina Garbhagriha Hindu Temple Nagara Temple Nagara Temple North India North Indian Temple Hindu Architecture Panchayatana Northern India Hindu North Indian Temple Architecture North Indian temple Curvilinear tower Hindu architecture North Indian temples Shikhara architecture Temple architecture Prasada Amalaka North Indian architecture Rekha-Prasada Latina Sekhari Bhumija Urushringa Kalinga Utkala Rekha Prasada Nagara architecture North Indian temple architecture Pancharatha Hindu temple Panchayatana layout Indo-Aryan Northern Indian temples Kalasha Deula Stone carving Latina style Early Nagara Stone Temple Gupta Art Phamsana Valabhi North Indian Architecture Curvilinear Tower Ratha North Indian Style Temple Architecture Curvilinear Amlaka Northern Indian temple architecture Shikhara Architecture Devalaya Deccan North Indian Lata Northern Style Vertical Emphasis Northern Indian Temple Architecture Silpa Shastras North Indian style Northern Indian temple Hinduism Jainism Kandariya Central India Katoch Sandstone Verticality Cruciform Hindu Temple Architecture Mandir Religious Architecture Rekha Deul Mandira shikhara garbhagriha mandapa amalaka kalasha Vertical emphasis Ratha projections Khajuraho Solanki Hindu temple architecture Sculpture Sikhara Kalinga architecture Vastu Shastra temple Stone Carvings Kalasam Surya Temple Art Trabeate Cruciform plan Shikhara style north India Northern Indian Temple Deul Mandala Religious Sanctum Rock-cut Relief Cave Shaiva Shikhara temple Stone temple Modhera Solar |
| Style ID | INHF-123456789-13-11-25-NA |
| URI | https://www.inheritage.foundation/aat/styles/nagara-architecture-style |
| API Endpoint | https://inheritage.foundation/api/v1/aat/styles/nagara-architecture-style |
| Total Sites | 361 |
| Primary Sites | 85 |
| Created | November 19, 2025 |
| Last Updated | November 19, 2025 |
| Regions | Ganga-Yamuna Doab Western India Uttar Pradesh Haryana North India Central India Arunachal Pradesh Northern India Assam Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand Gujarat Rajasthan Odisha Gangetic Plains Eastern India East India Maharashtra Tripura Telangana West Bengal Himachal Pradesh Goa Uttarakhand Meghalaya Punjab Nagaland Northeast India Bengal Deccan Chhattisgarh Manipur Mizoram Bihar Assam (subtle influence) Manipur (potential influence) West India Afghanistan (influence) Cambodia Jammu and Kashmir Sikkim Arunachal Pradesh (subtle influences) |
|---|
| Time Periods | 7th-13th century CE Post-Gupta Period 5th century CE 13th century CE 5th-13th century CE 6th Century CE 13th Century CE Contemporary 6th century CE onwards 8th century CE 6th century CE 7th century CE 9th century CE 10th century CE 11th century CE 12th century CE 5th century CE to 13th century CE 8th century CE onwards 6th-13th century CE 8th Century CE 9th Century CE 10th Century CE 11th Century CE 12th Century CE 20th century CE 18th Century CE 5th Century CE 7th Century CE 8th-13th century CE Later periods 6th-13th Century CE Gupta Period 5th-6th Century CE 6th Century CE onwards Late Medieval 6th century CE - 13th century CE 16th Century CE 8th century CE to 13th century CE 5th century CE - 13th century CE 8th-13th Century CE Medieval Period Modern adaptations 5th century CE-13th century CE Modern Later adaptations 21st century CE 5th century CE onwards Later Nagara Revivals 6th century CE to 13th century CE Later reconstructions 19th Century CE Later Nagara Period Gupta Period (4th-6th century CE) Early Medieval Period (6th-13th century CE) Early Medieval Period Kushan Period (influence) 6th century CE-13th century CE 8th century CE-13th century CE 5th Century CE - 13th Century CE Pala Period (8th-12th century CE) 8th-13th centuries CE |
|---|---|
| Dynasties | Gurjara-Pratihara Chandela Tomara dynasty Gupta Dynasty Chandela Dynasty Solanki Dynasty Pala Dynasty Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty Chandela dynasty Solanki dynasty Koch Dynasty Paramara Dynasty Paramara dynasty Rajput dynasties Mughal dynasty (later additions/renovations) Ghurjara-Pratihara dynasty Chandelas of Khajuraho Tomaras of Delhi Chaulukya dynasty Sompura Shilpins Gupta dynasty Malla dynasty Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty Somavamshi dynasty Chandelas of Jejakabhukti Kalachuri dynasty Various dynasties including Gurjara-Pratihara, Chandela, Solanki Eastern Ganga dynasty Guhila dynasty (Mewar) Ghurjar-Pratihara dynasty Gurjara-Pratiharas Chandellas Solankis Paramaras Gupta Solanki Paramara Chandelas Various dynasties including Solankis, Chandellas, and Paramaras Ahom dynasty Various North Indian Dynasties Various North Indian dynasties Chauhan Dynasty Tomar Dynasty Pala dynasty (possible influences) Eastern Ganga Various regional dynasties Katyuri Kalachuri Various dynasties including Solanki, Chandela, Paramara Various Rajput Dynasties Katoch dynasty Various dynasties including Solanki, Chandela, and others Maratha Empire Various Hindu Dynasties Various Rajput dynasties Pala dynasty Early Chalukya dynasty Chalukya dynasty Pala Sena Various regional Hindu dynasties Likabali Local Rulers Kalinga Dynasty Kushan Empire (influence) Gahadavala dynasty Gahadavala Chaulukya Dynasty Khmer Empire Sompura Shilpis Various dynasties including Gurjara-Pratiharas, Chandellas, Solankis Paramaras of Malwa Solankis of Gujarat Parmara dynasty Ghurjara-Pratihara Ghurjar Pratiharas Ahom kingdom Koch dynasty Various regional dynasties including Chalukya Kalinga rulers |
| Sacred Contexts | Shaivite temple complexes Vaishnavite temple complexes Hindu temples Vaishnava temples Shaiva temples Shakta temples Hindu Temples Swaminarayan temples Jain temples Shiva temples Shakti temples Royal patronage Pilgrimage sites Hindu Temple Royal temples Public worship spaces Vaishnava shrines Shaiva shrines Shakta shrines Hindu temples dedicated to various deities Hindu temple Mandir Hindu temple architecture Jain temple architecture Royal complexes Shaiva Vaishnava Shakta Shaivism Vaishnavism Shaktism Buddhist Shrines Shiva Temple Vishnu Temple Devi Temple Saivite temples Buddhist temples Hindu Mandir Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, and Surya Surya temples Sacred Precincts Hindu temple complexes Brahmanical temples |
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| Associated Deities | Shiva Shakti Vishnu Devi Surya Ganesha Durga Swaminarayan Bhadrakali Various Hindu deities Devi (various forms) Jain Tirthankaras Jinas Buddha Other Hindu Deities Lakshmi Krishna Radha Hanuman Other Hindu deities |
| Primary Materials | Sandstone Granite Marble Stone Brick Laterite Local stone granite Sun-baked brick Limestone Rock |
|---|---|
| Architectural Features | Curvilinear shikhara Mandapa halls Axial garbhagriha Trabeate construction Shikhara Garbhagriha Mandapa Amalaka Kalasha Ratha projections Urushringa Shikhara (curvilinear tower) Garbhagriha (sanctum) Mandapa (assembly hall) Urushringa (subsidiary spires) Ratha (projections) Mandapa (hall) Rekha-Prasada Latina Jagati Cruciform plan Amalaka (crowning element) Urushringa (subsidiary towers) Shikhara (tower) Pancharatha plan Ratha (faceted walls) Elevated platform Urushringas Elaborate carvings Shikhara (Curvilinear Tower) Garbhagriha (Sanctum) Mandapa (Hall) Amalaka (Crowning element) Absence of ambulatory Panchayatana layout Rekha-Deul Panchayatana (possible) Carvings Raised plinth Mandap Shikhara (curvilinear spire) Pradakshina patha (circumambulatory path) Raised platform Cruciform ground plan Absence of ambulatory passageway Panchayatana layout (sometimes) Mandapa (Assembly Hall) Pradakshina Patha (Circumambulatory Path) Amlaka (Crowning Element) Intricate carvings Kalasha (finial) Latina Shikhara (one type of Nagara Shikhara) Curvilinear towers Ratha Projections Ratha Mandapa (pillared hall) Sculptural ornamentation Mandapa (Pillared Hall) Amalaka (Crowning Element) Cruciform Plan Adhisthana Pradakshina patha Rathika projections Pradakshina Patha Shikhara (curvilinear) Mandapa (porch) Amlaka Rekha-deul Curvilinear tower Rock-cut reliefs Cave temples |
| Keywords | Shikhara Mandapa Pradakshina Garbhagriha Hindu Temple Nagara Temple Nagara Temple North India North Indian Temple Hindu Architecture Panchayatana Northern India Hindu North Indian Temple Architecture North Indian temple Curvilinear tower Hindu architecture North Indian temples Shikhara architecture Temple architecture Prasada Amalaka North Indian architecture Rekha-Prasada Latina Sekhari Bhumija Urushringa Kalinga Utkala Rekha Prasada Nagara architecture North Indian temple architecture Pancharatha Hindu temple Panchayatana layout Indo-Aryan Northern Indian temples Kalasha Deula Stone carving Latina style Early Nagara Stone Temple Gupta Art Phamsana Valabhi North Indian Architecture Curvilinear Tower Ratha North Indian Style Temple Architecture Curvilinear Amlaka Northern Indian temple architecture Shikhara Architecture Devalaya Deccan North Indian Lata Northern Style Vertical Emphasis Northern Indian Temple Architecture Silpa Shastras North Indian style Northern Indian temple Hinduism Jainism Kandariya Central India Katoch Sandstone Verticality Cruciform Hindu Temple Architecture Mandir Religious Architecture Rekha Deul Mandira shikhara garbhagriha mandapa amalaka kalasha Vertical emphasis Ratha projections Khajuraho Solanki Hindu temple architecture Sculpture Sikhara Kalinga architecture Vastu Shastra temple Stone Carvings Kalasam Surya Temple Art Trabeate Cruciform plan Shikhara style north India Northern Indian Temple Deul Mandala Religious Sanctum Rock-cut Relief Cave Shaiva Shikhara temple Stone temple Modhera Solar |
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| Title | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASI Monograph on Khajuraho Temples | institutional report | Foundational overview of Nagara idiom |
| The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent | Book | Provides context for Nagara style within broader Indian architectural traditions. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Decoration | book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara temple architecture. |
| The Art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain | book | General overview of Nagara style. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation | book | |
| Adam Hardy, 'The Temple Architecture of India' | Book | Scholarly analysis of Nagara temple forms. |
| The Art of Indian Asia: Its Mythology and Transformations | Book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara architectural principles. |
| Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture | Book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara architectural styles. |
| P.K. Acharya, An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture | Book | Comprehensive overview of Hindu architectural terms and principles. |
| The Art of India: Hindu, Buddhist, Jain | Book | |
| The Art of Indian Asia | Book | General overview of Nagara style |
| The Art of the Paramaras of Malwa | book | |
| The Art of the Gurjara-Pratiharas | Book | Details on the Gurjara-Pratihara style within Nagara architecture. |
| The Art of the Gupta Empire | Book | Background on early Nagara forms |
| The Art of the Temple: Hindu Architecture in India | book | General overview of Nagara temple architecture. |
| Please provide a relevant source | book | Further research needed to identify specific sources. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Celebration | book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara style. |
| The Art of the Temple | Book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara temple architecture. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Meaning | book | |
| Adam Hardy, The Temple Architecture of India | book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara temple architecture. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Structure | Book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara style. |
| History of Indian and Eastern Architecture | Book | Classic text on Indian architectural styles. |
| Indian Architecture (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain) | Book | General overview of Nagara style. |
| The Art of the Indian Subcontinent | Book | General overview of Nagara style. |
| Dhaky, M.A. Indian Temple Forms in Karnata Inscriptions and Architecture. | Book | Detailed analysis of Nagara temple forms. |
| The Temples of India | Book | |
| Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu) | Book | Percy Brown |
| The Art of the Indian Subcontinent, 3rd Edition | Book | |
| Indian Architecture by A.K. Coomaraswamy | book | Classic text on Indian art and architecture. |
| Nagara - Wikipedia | website | General information on Nagara style. |
| Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Substance | Book | Comprehensive overview of Nagara style. |
| The Art of India | Book | General overview of Nagara temple architecture. |
| The Art of the Temple: Nagara Style in India | Book | Detailed analysis of Nagara temple architecture. |
| The Art of the Kushans | Book | Explores Kushan artistic influences. |
| Wikipedia: Nagara Architecture | website | General information on the style. |
| The Art of Assam | Book | Discussion of Nagara influences in Assamese temple architecture. |
| The Art of the Maru-Gurjara Style | book | |
| The Art of the Temple: Hindu Shikhara | article | Details on the shikhara element |
| The Art of the Temple: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain | Book | Provides context on Nagara style within broader Indian temple architecture. |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | website | Example of Nagara architecture |
| History of Indian Architecture | book | Comprehensive history of Indian architecture |
| Krishna Deva, 'Temples of North India' | book | Comprehensive survey of Nagara temple architecture. |
| The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent | book | J.C. Harle |
| Adam Hardy, 'Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation' | Book | Scholarly analysis of Nagara temple forms. |
| The Nagara Temples of North India | Book | Detailed analysis of Nagara temples |
| Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture: North India | Book | Detailed analysis of Nagara temple architecture. |
| P. Chandra, The Sculpture of India, 3000 B.C.-1300 A.D. | Book | |
| The Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture | Book | Comprehensive resource on Nagara temple forms and regional variations. |