Shastra · Architecture
Shilpa and Vastu Shastras
The canonical treatises on art, image-making and architecture (Mayamata, Manasara, Samarangana Sutradhara and others) that govern temple design, proportion and the styles.
A quick reference entry. For the full account, follow the guides below.
Appears in
- Nagara, Dravida and Vesara: The Styles of the Hindu Temple Temples
Hindu temple architecture is traditionally classified into three styles. Nagara, found mainly in the north, is marked by a curving beehive tower called the shikhara…
- The Vastu-Purusha-Mandala: The Plan Behind the Temple Temples
The vastu-purusha-mandala is the gridded cosmic diagram that underlies a temple's plan. The grid is laid over the body of the Vastu Purusha, a cosmic being pressed…
- What is a Hindu Temple? Temples
A Hindu temple is the house of a deity. It is built around the garbhagriha, the inner sanctum that holds the consecrated murti, so that worshippers can perform…