The Three Major Styles of Temple Architecture in India
- The Nagara or the Northern Style
- The Dravida or the Southern Style
- The Vesara or Mixed Style
Additionally, regions like Kerala, Bengal, and the Himalayan areas have their own distinct architectural styles.
The Top 10 Most Architecturally Beautiful Temples in India
1. Akshardham, Delhi
It was designed according to the Maharishi Vastu Architecture standards. It is fully built with Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian marble. The temple is constructed purely out of stone, with no metals like iron or copper used. Standing at the marvelous height of 10 stories, the mandir consists of 234 highly decorated pillars, 9 domes, and over 20,000 statues of devotees and sadhus. The temple also contains life-sized elephants, over 134 in number. The temple is dedicated to Swaminarayan, whose murti, a total of 11 feet, lies under the dome of the temple and is seated in abhayamudra. The mandir is also home to the murtis of Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Shiv Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan. Each murti is made up of paanch dhaatu or the five metals, in accordance with Hindu tradition.
2. Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai
Built in the Dravidian style, the temple covers a huge area in the center of Madurai as it is spread over 14 acres. The temple is surrounded by huge walls, which were built in reaction to the invasions. When viewed from above, the entire structure represents a mandala. A mandala is a structure built according to the principles of symmetry and loci. There are different shrines built within the temple. Apart from the two main shrines, which are dedicated to Sundareswarar and Meenakshi, the temple has shrines dedicated to various other gods/goddesses like Ganesha and Murugan. The temple is also home to goddesses Lakshmi, Rukmini, and Saraswati.
3. Somnath, Saurashtra
Located on the shore of the Arabian Sea, this magnificent temple is said to have been built of sandalwood in the Chalukya style by Gujarat’s artistic masons. It is 15 meters in height with seven stories, with an additional 8.2-meter tall flag pole on the top. It is constructed in the Chalukya style of architecture. Somnath Temple reflects the skill of the Sompuras, who are the top masons of Gujarat. The temple is built in such a way that no piece of land can be seen from the Somnath seashore till Antarctica.
4. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwar
Another Dravidian-style temple with the largest hallway of all and spires touching the skyline. It has a 4000-feet long pillared corridor containing over 4000 pillars. Having 21 Gopurams (towers), just the size of the temple seems awe-inspiring. Besides other marvelous structures, the “Hall of 1000 Pillars” is the main attraction. It is an amazing example of a planned theater-like structure. There lies “Sesha Mandap” with its best sculptures, opposite to it.
5. The Jagannath Temple, Puri
The temple is spread over an area of over 400,000 square feet. It is enclosed by high walls. The temple complex contains no less than 120 shrines. The structure has the features of the Orissan style of temple architecture. A magnificent monolithic pillar with sixteen facets stands in front of the main entrance. Two large lions at the entrance appear to be guarding the way to the Lord.
6. The Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
It is decorated with Vijayanagar-style sculptures and murals. The temple has a 9-tiered gateway, a pillared walkway, entrance gateways, shrines, courtyards, and several other magnificent structures in and around it. The temple originated in the first half of the fifteenth century; however, it was rebuilt by Krishnadevaraya in the 16th century. The murals in the temple depict various tales from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
7. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
The massive temple complex is spread over an area of 156 acres (6,31,000 m²) with a perimeter of 1,116m (10,710 feet). Regarded as one of the largest temple complexes in India, Sri Rangam Temple is said to be one of the biggest functioning Hindu temples in the world. Seven concentric walls, which reach 32,592 feet, mark the boundary of this temple. It is made of 21 Gopurams (towers). The sheer grandiosity of the temple seems awe-inspiring.
8. Golden Temple, Amritsar
Golden Temple, or Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a 67-square-foot platform and is encircled by a lake called the Amrit Sarovar. The temple is spread over an area of 40.5 square feet. Entrances to the temple are built on all four sides. The shrine is figurative of the beliefs of Sikhism. Its entrance is an elaborate archway with intricate inlay work. The verses from the Granth Sahib have been engraved on the doorway, and the temple’s exterior is plated with gold.
9. Lotus Temple, Delhi
The Lotus Temple stands at a height of more than 40 meters. 27 giant white petals of marble in a lotus shape can be seen, rising from nine pools and walkways, which indicate the nine unifying spiritual paths of the Bahá’í faith. The temple comprises the main house of worship, the ancillary block (which is home to the reception center, library, and administrative building), and the restrooms block. All around the lotus are walkways with curved balustrades, bridges, and stairs. The walkways, which surround the nine pools, represent the floating leaves of the lotus. Apart from serving an aesthetic function, the pools were built to help ventilate the building.
10. Kailasa Temple, Ellora
Kailasa Temple is regarded as the world’s largest monolithic architecture. A huge mountain was carved to build this structure, and the mountain was cut out from the top to make this structure. In order to construct this temple, over 400,000 tons of rocks had to be scooped out. The carvers began from the top of the mountain and made their way downward. The temple stands at a height of 60 feet (18.29 meters) tall and 200 feet (60.69 meters) wide. The temple has a U-shape and three stories.
