The curving tower raised over the sanctum of a north Indian temple is called the:
- A.Vimana
- B.Shikhara
- C.Gopuram
- D.Antarala
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Shikhara. In the Nagara style of north India the tower over the garbhagriha is the shikhara. Its outline curves inward as it rises, it is topped by a ribbed disc called the amalaka and a pot shaped kalasha, and its commonest form, the square based curvilinear tower, is called latina or rekha-prasada. Phamsana and valabhi are the other Nagara tower forms.
Option A, vimana, is the word used in the south for the tower over the sanctum, and it is a pyramid of receding storeys rather than a curve. Option C, gopuram, is the gateway tower in the enclosure wall of a South Indian temple and stands away from the shrine. Option D, antarala, is not a tower at all but the small vestibule that links the mandapa to the sanctum. Distinguishing shikhara from vimana is the most frequently tested pair in this topic.
Read the full article: Temple Architecture: Nagara, Dravida and Vesara Styles
Practice Questions
View allIn the context of temple architecture, the most important part of the temple is:
- A.Gopuram
- B.Mandapam
- C.Pradakshina Patha
- D.Garbhagriha
Show answer
The garbhagriha, the womb house, is the small square windowless cell that holds the image of the presiding deity. Every other part of a temple is added around it: the tower rises over it, the hall stands in front of it and the circumambulatory passage runs around it.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following heritage sites shows the Dravidian style of architecture?
- A.Konark
- B.Bodh Gaya
- C.Akshardham
- D.Hampi
Show answer
Hampi on the Tungabhadra in Karnataka was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire, and its Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples are Dravidian work of the most elaborate kind: walled enclosures, towering gopurams, pillared kalyana mandapas, the famous stone chariot and the musical pillars.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following features distinguishes the Elephanta Caves from other rock-cut sites of early India?
- A.They are primarily Buddhist caves with large stupas.
- B.The caves focus on Shaivite themes and feature sculptural depth through light and shadow.
- C.They contain a mix of Jain and Vaishnavite depictions in pillar halls.
- D.The caves are entirely monolithic structures from the Mauryan period.
Show answer
Elephanta, on Gharapuri island near Mumbai, is a Shaivite rock-cut group whose panels tell Shiva stories: the Trimurti Sadashiva, Ardhanarishvara, Gangadhara, the marriage of Shiva and Parvati and Shiva as Nataraja.
Read the full explanation →The famous caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri are located in ______.
- A.Uttarakhand
- B.Chhattisgarh
- C.Tripura
- D.Odisha
Show answer
The twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri stand near Bhubaneswar and hold Jain rock-cut cells cut for monks in the first century BCE.
Read the full explanation →The Kanheri Caves, built by Buddhists, are located in which of the following states?
- A.Maharashtra
- B.Odisha
- C.Rajasthan
- D.Delhi
Show answer
The Kanheri caves are cut into a basalt hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.
Read the full explanation →