Features of Dravida School & Four Styles of Dravidian Architecture for NET, IAS, State-SET (KSET, WBSET, MPSET, etc.), GATE, CUET, Olympiads etc.
Doorsteptutor material for competitive exams is prepared by world's top subject experts: get questions, notes, tests, video lectures and more- for all subjects of your exam.
Features of Dravida School
- Single vimaan on main shrine
- Shikhara octagonal shape on vimaan
- Pillared wall
- Presence of tank
- Huge gopuram gateway
- Sculptures of dwarpal instead of ganga/mithuna of nagara school
- Dravidian architecture developed dynastically
- Dravidian style was initiated by pallavas and flourished by cholas
- Ex. gangeykondacholapuram bu Rajendra 1
- Brihadeswara temple at tanjore, tamilnadu
Four Styles of Dravidian Architecture
1. Pallava School of Art
- Around 600 A. D.
- Dravidian temple architecture started by pallavas
- Developed in 4 phases
- Mahendra varman-600 - 625 A. D.
- Just the Rock cut Caves
- The word mandap was used instead of temple
- No real temple structure
- Ex-adivaraha cave, Durga cave-mahishsurmardini, panchpandava cave
- Narsimhan varman
- Decoration in rock cut caves.
- Mandapas now became rathas
- 6 rathas in one cave
- Largest ratha-dharmraja, smallest ratha-draupadi
- Dharmaraja ratha was the precursor of the Dravidian style
- Rajsimhan varman
- Real structural temples
- Open air carving in relief on a rock surface
- Sculpture different from gupta sculpture
- More oval face, higher cheek bones, great slenderness and freer movements of the forms.
- Exellency in animal representation
- Later, structural temples made of masonry and stone.
- Ex-kailashnath temple at Kancheepuram 3 parts sanctum with pyramedial tower, mandapa and rectangular courtyard-for subsidiary shrines
- shore temple, mahabalipuram
- Nandivarman
- Started the concept of small temples
- Confined all the features of Dravidian style
2. Chola School of Architecture
- 10 - 11th centuries
- Revived the pallava heritage with fresh approach
- The vimaana dominates the whole structure.
- 2 beautiful creations Brihadeswara temple at thanjaur, tamilnadu
- Gangeykonda cholapuram
- Brihadeswara temple dedicated to shiva
- Huge lingam
- A massive monolithic bull (2nd biggest, 1st at lepakshi)
- On the square forming the topmost tier is poised a huge rounded cupola of a single stone, the shadow of which never falls on the ground. -unique achievement
- Immense gopuram
3. Vijaynagar School of Architecture
- Around 16th century
- Hampi was the capital.
- Important ruler krishnadevraya built temples, pillared mandapas, Gopuram called as rayagopurams.
- Larger gopuram and High enclose walls.
- More decoration perticular design supernatural horse
- Secular buildings were built.
- for ex. lotus mahal
- Vitthalswamy temple
- Amman shrine and kalyana gopuram
- Centraal raised platform surrounded by rows of carved pillars-open pavallion
- Ex. hall of dance at lepakshi
- Festival hall at Vellore
- Virabhadra temple, Lepakshi three figures share four legs.
- Nandi near lepakshi
- Seated ‘Ugra narsimha’
4. Nayaka School of Architecture
- Around 17th century
- Dominant in Madurai region
- The nayakas rose on the fall of the vijayanagara empire
- Continued the artistic traditions of vijayanagara empire
- Most famous-meenakshi-sundareswara temple at Madurai
- By thirumalai nayak
- Temple complex has 2 shrines
- 1st shiva as sundareswara
- 2nd his wife in the form of goddess meenakshi
- Every space is filled with surface carvings.
- Large tank surrounded by steps and a pillared portico.
- Prominent feature development of prakaram roofed embulatory passageways to connect various parts of the temples.
- Most famous prakaram of this period at rameswaram.