Nagara style of temple architecture, in which Ram temple is being built

• The Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to be inaugurated on January 22.
• Chandrakant Sompura and his son Ashish have designed the temple complex in the Nagara style of temple architecture.

Nagara Style Temple Architecture

• Emerged in the fifth century CE during the late Gupta period in northern India.
• It is one of the two classical ‘styles’ of temple architecture, the other being Dravida style of southern India.

Distinguished Features of Nagara Temples

• Nagara temples are raised on a plinth, with the garbhagriha - houses the idol of the deity - as the most sacred part.
• The towering shikhara, resembling a mountain peak, is a prominent feature, representing the natural and cosmological order in Hindu tradition.
• It also comprises a circumambulatory passage around the garbhagriha and mandapas (halls), often adorned with murals and reliefs.

Five Modes of Nagara Architecture

• Depending on period and geography, Nagara temple architecture has five modes viz. Valabhi, Phamsana, Latina, Shekhari and Bhumija.
• Early Nagara Style: Valabhi and Phamsana
  • The Valabhi mode initiates as a masonry interpretation of the barrel-roofed (wooden) structure found in chaitya halls associated with Buddhist shrines.
  • Phamsana, an evolution from Valabhi, involves the formalisation of multi-eave towers through the piling up of slabs.
• Supremacy of Latina in Nagara Architecture
  • Latina emerges as a distinctive shikhara with a single, slightly curved tower having four equal sides.
  • Originating in the Gupta heartland, it achieved curvature by the early seventh century and dominated Nagara temple architecture for three centuries.
• Composite Latinas and Emergence of Shekhari and Bhumija Styles
  • From the tenth century onwards, composite Latinas gave rise to new styles viz. Shekhari and Bhumija.
  • Shekhari style features attached sub-spires or spirelets, echoing the main shape and varying in size.
  • Bhumija style incorporates miniature spires in horizontal and vertical rows, creating a grid-like effect on each face, with the shikhara approaching a pyramidal shape.
• Immense variation exists within each mode, showcasing the creativity and diversity of temple architecture.
• Temples may incorporate multiple shikharas on a simple structure, with the tallest typically positioned above the garbhagriha.

Comparison to Dravida Style

• In Dravida style, the counterpart to Nagara's shikhara is the vimana, typically smaller than the gopurams .
• Unlike Nagara, Dravida temples often have boundary walls called gopurams (great gatehouses), a distinct feature not commonly seen in Nagara style.

Ayodhya's Ram Temple: A Hybrid Structure

• Ayodhya's Ram temple exhibits "hybrid" features, such as a 732m long boundary wall, a departure from traditional Nagara style.
• While no elaborate gopuram is present, the temple showcases a blend of Nagara and unique elements.