Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c37.4

c37.4

The characteristics of this type of temple may be understood by an analysis of the various parts of these buildings which make up the whole, as for instance their plans, the treatment of the exterior walls, the shape of the towers or sikharas, the pillars or "order," and, lastly, the design and execution of the doorways. With regard to the plan, unlike the Hoysala temples of Mysore, none of them, with one exception,¹ is stellate, as they are all laid out on the principle of right lines and right angles, the whole consistently rectangled. Nor, also with one exception,² is the interior ambulatory passage encircling the cella found in these temples and sometimes light is introduced into the inner compartments by means of windows of perforated stone screens. It is also not uncommon for the principal entrances to be not at the front, but at the sides of the structure, as the eastern end is frequently faced by a supplementary cella, shrine, or pillared portico.