Constructed temples and public architecture
Structural temples and public and private buildings.
The essentials
From around the 7th century CE, large structural temples were built of dressed stone. In the south, the Pallava Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram are early examples. The Chola king Rajaraja I built the Brihadeshvara temple at Thanjavur (completed around 1010 CE), with a very tall vimana crowned by a huge stone cap.
In the north and east, the Chandela kings built the temples of Khajuraho, of which the Kandariya Mahadeva temple is the best known, with clustered shikharas rising like a mountain range. In Odisha, the Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneswar and the Sun temple at Konark (13th century, Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I) are outstanding; Konark is designed as a huge chariot of the Sun god with carved wheels and horses. The Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebidu stand on star-shaped platforms and are richly carved. The Solanki-period Sun temple at Modhera in Gujarat has a stepped tank in front.
Public architecture included tanks, ghats, wells, rest houses and stepwells. Rani ki Vav at Patan, Gujarat (11th century), is an elaborate stepwell with many sculptures. Private architecture included houses and, in later times, havelis with inner courtyards.
Key points
- Brihadeshvara – Rajaraja I, Chola, Thanjavur.
- Khajuraho – Chandelas; Kandariya Mahadeva.
- Konark – chariot form, Narasimhadeva I.
- Belur/Halebidu – Hoysala, star-shaped plinths.
- Rani ki Vav – stepwell, Patan.
Exam tips
- Make a table in your notebook: temple – place – dynasty – special feature.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the Shore Temple (structural) and the rathas (monolithic) at Mahabalipuram.
- Placing Konark in Tamil Nadu — it is in Odisha.