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EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD very well-known. Rajaraja Chola dedicated it to
North India Lord Shiva.
In the north, the nagara style of temple architec- Chola temples were built in the dravidian style.
ture was popular. The Chandellas built many Early temples were simple structures. Later, they
temples at Khajuraho. In all, there are 85 temples became bigger and grander. The gateway of the
in the Khajuraho complex. Most of them, such as temple was called gopuram.
the Parsvanatha Temple, the Vishwanath Temple The main shrine where images of gods and
and the Kandariya Mahadev Temple, were goddesses were kept was known as garbhagriha.
constructed in the nagara style. The temples of The mandapa was generally situated in front of
Odisha – Mukteshwara Temple and Lingaraja the main shrine. It was an audience hall where
Temple at Bhubaneswar, the Sun Temple at people gathered for prayers. On top of the main
Konark and the Jagannatha Temple at Puri are shrine, was a tall structure or tower called
some of the best specimens of nagara style of shikhara.
temple architecture. The Dilwara Temples at Life in the Chola period was centered around the
Mount Abu (Rajasthan) were built by the Solanki temple. Temple were not only places of worship,
rulers. These temples are of white marble. They but much more. Settlements often grew around
are decorated with beautifully carved sculptures temples. Many temples were centres of craft
and have designs such as flowers and plants. production as well. Large temples owned a lot of
land, gifted to them by kings and rich
landowners.
Kandariya Mahadev Temple
South India
The Shore Temple
The Pallavas, Pandyas and the Cholas were great
temple builders. The Pallava kings built the Ratha
Temple and the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram
and the Kailasanath Temple at Kanchi. The
Pandyas constructed numerous temples in
Madurai.
The Cholas
The Chola kings built a large number of temples.
The Brihadesvara Temple, also called the
Rajarajesvara Temple, at Tanjore (Thanjavur) is
The Sun Temple
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