Consider the following statements about the Nagara style of temple architecture : 1. This style of temples are commonly found in the areas between Himalayas and Vindhyas. 2. The most striking feature of this style is its pyramidal shikhara. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, 1 only. Nagara temples belong to north India, but their shikhara is curvilinear, not pyramidal.
The Nagara style spread over the land between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas, from Gujarat and Rajasthan to Odisha. Its temple usually stands on a raised platform (jagati) and its tower, the shikhara, rises over the sanctum and curves gradually inward towards the top, where it is crowned by a ribbed stone disc called the amalaka and a kalasha. Examples include the Kandariya Mahadeva at Khajuraho, the Lingaraja at Bhubaneswar and the Sun Temple at Modhera. The pyramidal tower that rises in storeys is the vimana of the Dravida style of the south, as at the Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur.
B is wrong because statement 2 is false: a pyramidal tower marks the Dravida style. C is wrong because only statement 1 is true. D is wrong because statement 1 is correct.
Exam tip: Nagara, north India, curvilinear shikhara with amalaka; Dravida, south India, pyramidal vimana with gopuram; Vesara mixes the two.
Practice Questions
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