Indian Hindu Traditional Architecture

Ancient Indian Architecture

Introduction:

Ancient Indian architecture was classified into 3 different styles.

• Nagara sytle
• Dravida Style
• Versa style. (The versa style is the mixing of nagara and Dravida Styles)

and some other regional styles are there.

These categories of styles are based on geographic and climatic conditions, with unique regional influences. Some of the temples are built more than 1000years and more that stand strong and make us delight.

The Traditional Indian architecture is around 800CE. The Vedas are having the factors of the Indian architecture. We can find the shreds of evidence in the Indus Valley Civilization. In the Indian epic Mahabharath, we can see the greatest architectures called Mayan or Mayudu and Viswakarma. Mayudu builts the Mayasabha with amazing skills, and Viswakarma builts Indraprastha for Pandavas. So we can understand the Traditional Indian Architecture was coming to form in the Ancient ages.

We can see the marvels of Indian architecture in the temples which are located in India. Some of the Greatest temples which are having perfect planning and engineering works are discussed with brief concepts as below.

Brief notes of different styles of Temples built with Amazing Architecture skills are:

• Tanjore Brihadeeswar Temple.
•  Kailasa Temple.
• Meenakshi Amman Temple.
• Sun Temple.
• PurijaganadhTemple.

Tanjore brihadeeswar temple:

The actual name of these temples is Bruhat - Eswara Temple. In Sanskrit the word Bruhat means Huge. This temple was built at the time of King Raja Raja Chola in the 11th century. The age of this temple is above 1000 years with a height of 216 feet, and on the top, there is a kalasa with a weight of more than 81,800 kgs. The Granite used for this temple is 1,30,000 tonnes. No Machinery, No cranes, No limestone are used to build this temple. So it remains as a question that how it was constructed without any technology with great architecture.

It was built only in the span of six years that is 1104-1110 CE by the Kunjala Raja Raja Perumthachan who was an ancient Legendary architect from Kerala.

Tamil Nadu government had Celebrated festivals in 2010 for the completion of 1000 years.

The Kalasa was bought from a distance of 60km aways and kept on the top of 216 feet height of Sikharam, with the help of 3000 Elephants.

The main technique used in this temple is Inter Locking Puzzle method. Another special thing is it is built without a basement which is impossible nowadays. Many more interesting facts are there for Buildings such great architecture in those days.

Meenakshi Amman temple/Madurai Meenakshi temple:

This Great traditional architecture was located in Madurai Tamilnadu. It is a Dravidian architecture. In sansakrit Madhura means Sweet. As per the Historical shreds of evidence, this temple was constructed 2500 years. This temple describes the living life and culture in those days. At present, it was in the area of 15 Acres with 16 Gopuras and approximately of 170 feet high, nearly 33 million great statues are made inside and outside of the Temple.

The Temple was destroyed by Muslim raider, Malik Kafur in the 14th Century and re-built in 16th Century by Viswanatha Nayakar.

This Temple is also known as Meenakshi - Sundareshwara Temple. There are Mandapa's with huge no. of pillars and resting halls. These are built by various kings, listed below.

• Aayiramkal.
• Kilikoondu.
• Ashta Shakthi.
• Nayak Mandpa's.
• Kunjal Mandapa's.

Sun Temple:

This Temple is originated in Konark village in the Orissa state of India. It is also called Konark Sun Temple. This Temple belongs to the 13th Century, this temple is built by Narasimha Deva in Kalinga architecture with 1200 workers in the span of 12 years. The site area is about 26.3 acres.

The Temple architecture seems to be in the shape of a huge Chariot pulling with 24 Wheels by big horses. These wheels are not ordinarily made, when the sunlight falls on the spokes of the wheels we can know the time. This is Amazing architecture included.

An interesting fact is, there is a magnet with 52 tons of weight is placed on both top and bottom of the temple, and in the center, Sun Idol was placed. By the unique arrangements of magnets, the center idol floats in the air.

The Business traders of Portuguese, their compass was getting disturbed by these magnets, so they forcibly removed the magnet from the temple and destroyed it. Now the Sun Idol was placed in Puri Temple.

Astronomy, Architecture, and Electro-Magnetism concepts are used to build this great temple.

Kailasa Temple:

The Kailasa Temple is located at Aurangabad District, Maharastra. There are 34 Ellora caves in India, among these caves the 16th cave is called Kailasa Temple. There is no date of construction mentioned in any ancient Puranas or in ancient books. Even the names who dug the temple are not mentioned on the temple. But some say that the Temple is built by Rashtrakuta Empire by King Krishna in 756-773 CE. and completed in the 7th century.

This Traditional architecture was great, the total temple was done on a single granite rock by the method of Vertical Excavation, with the help of 7000 workers in the span of 150 years. This is the only monolithic temple throughout the world. Archeology Department confines after testing the temple, they found that this is almost one rock that had been dugged and sculptured with unbelievable architecture.

Aurangzeb tried for 3years with 1000 members to destroy the temple, but he failed. He destroyed only 5% of the temple for 3 years. He decided to leave the temple because he wants able to destroy it. Such Great Traditional Architecture was there in India.

Purijaganadh Temple:

This temple is located in the state of Orissa in India, this temple is having a very high-level architecture that cannot perform these days and have no answers scientifically until today.

The flag on the top of the temple flies in the opposite direction of the wind. No planes are other birds do not fly through the top of the temple. The Important thing is the temple does not have a shadow.

The Purijaganadh Temple is a set of mysteries with no scientific explanations. The Sudarshana Chakra weight is 1000kgs with 20ft height, which was fixed on the top of the temple. This Sudarshana Chakra is placed in such a position that, if you have seen it in any direction you always feel that is facing towards you. This technique is really great.

These are some of the brief explanations about the Indian traditional architectures which are used to built temples in India.

Thank you for visiting.