Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c25.5

c25.5

A typical example of a gopuram depicts a building oblong in plan rising up into a tapering tower often over one hundred and fifty feet in height, and entered by a rectangular doorway in the centre of its long side. Its similarity to the more familiar Egyptian propylon, which is much the same in mass and proportion, and also the entrance to a temple, is obvious, but any such impression is mainly due to both structures, having pronounced sloping or battered sides. Almost invariably the two lowest stories of the gopuram are vertical, and are built of solid stone masonry thus providing a stable foundation for the superstructure which is usually composed of the lighter materials of brick and plaster. This superstructure is pyramidal in shape as it is composed of a series of zones or tiers diminishing as they ascend. The average angle of slope from the vertical is 25°, and the width at its truncated apex is approximately one-half of its base. On the flat summit is mounted a particular kind of elongated roof with gable-ends, and no portion of the design is more significant than this barrel-vaulted uppermost story. At this stage it will have become apparent that the outstanding features of Dravidian temple architecture are its two types of tower, the *vimana* and the gopuram. These two towers represent the final manifestation of two ancient forms and traditions, as exemplified by the top story of each. The vimana being square in plan and structure has as its fimial a rounded cupola. On the other hand the plan of the gopuram is oblong, and accordingly its crowning feature is in the form of the oblong vaulted roof, unmistakably a survival of the keel roof of the Buddhist chaitya hall. It is not difficult therefore to see in these two characteristic formations of the Dravidian style the last phase of the two archi- [Figure: INTERIOR OF NATMANDIR (14TH-15TH CENT) JAGANNATH TEMPLE, PURI, ORISSA.]