6.4.1 Nagara School of Architecture

Maniyar Math

The style of temple architecture that became popular in northern India is known as Nagara. In north India it is common for an entire temple to be built on a stone platform with steps leading up to it. It is a square temple with a number of graduated projections –rathakas – in the middle of each face which gives it a cruciform shape on the exterior. A tower (sikhara) gradually curving inwards and capped by a spheroid slab with ribs round the edge (Amalaka) give the elevation. Thus the two major characteristics of this style are the cruciform ground plan and the curvilinear tower.