CURRENT AFFAIRS
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Description
The Nagara temple architectural style arose in northern India during the late Gupta period, during the 5th century CE, as a contrast to the Dravida style of southern India, which was growing concurrently.
Debates About Defining A "Style"
Scholars question whether Nagara and Dravida should be classified as independent architectural "styles" because they span enormous territories and time periods. Architect Adam Hardy's statement "the two great classical languages of Indian temple architecture" may be more appropriate.
Key Features Of Nagara Temples
Nagara temples stand on raised platforms, with tall spires known as shikharas rising above the garbha griha sanctuary, which houses the deity. Shikharas are symbolic representations of the sacred Mount Meru. Other features include circumambulation passages surrounding the sanctuary and connecting mandapa gathering halls.
Five Architectural Modes Of Nagara
Nagara temples have a wide range of shikhara shapes and designs. Hardy specifies five modes: Valabhi, Phamsana, Latina, Shekhari, and Bhumija. The first two refer to Early Nagara Style. Latina has a single curving shikhara tower on all four corners. Later Shekhari features tiny attached spirelets, whereas Bhumija incorporates grid-like miniature spires.
Comparison With Dravida Vimana Spires
In contrast to Nagara shikharas, Dravida vimana spires are often smaller than the colossal gopuram entrances that are more common in Dravida temple complexes. Nagara temples also lack the enclosing walls found in Dravida design.
Ayodhya's Ram Mandir Features
The design of Ayodhya's new Ram Janmabhoomi temple incorporates Nagara and Dravida features. While it lacks towering gopurams, the surrounding wall is in Dravida design. Prominent shikharas exemplify the Nagara emphasis on tiered spires, which represent Mount Meru's sacred heights.
Main Shikhara Inspiration
The massive shikhara above Ram Lalla's sanctum is based on Madhya Pradesh's 5th century Gupta period brick Mukteshvara Temple, the earliest Nagara temple still standing. This inspiration connects the new temple with ancient customs.
Use Of Stone And Marble
While made of stone, the shikharas feature marble, carved sandstone, and Rajasthani pink stone. The walls are adorned with ornate carvings and murtis, as is typical of the classical Nagara style. The shikharas increase the sanctum's height by sevenfold, reaching nearly 161 feet.
Surrounding Little Shikharas
The design, which incorporates numerous shorter shikharas around the main central spire, is consistent with Hardy's description of later composite Latina and Shikhara forms. This exhibits Nagara style's durability while also remaining innovative by combining earlier and subsequent sub-trends.
Deity Images Spanning History
The shrines' imagery includes well-known deities such as Shri Ram as well as other venerated murtis from Hindu history, including Parashurama, Balarama, Shiva-Parvati, and Ganesha. Thus, while honoring Ram in particular, the temple pays architectural and iconographic tribute to the Nagara style's significance in portraying India's rich Hindu religio-cultural past over the last 15 centuries.
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