South India - Art and Architecture

South India developed its own distinct architectural style which was essentially Indian for they had not been exposed to foreign techniques as North India had. The earlier system of carving temples out of rock had now ended and the trend was to build free standing structures. A Chola temple had a shrine which was approached by one or more halls. Outside there was a tall pyramidal structure known as the shikara , which was richly decorated. The temples was then surrounded by an enclosed courtyard. The entrance gates of these courtyards were also fine works of art in themselves, modelled after the shikara's ,they often were more elaborate then the shikhara . The temples of this period had a new floor plan, a star shaped one as opposed to their earlier rectangle. The star shaped floor plan gave more room for such artistic works then the earlier rectangular one, and this was perhaps the reason it was adopted. A temple consisted of the shrine room, ante chamber and various halls and aisles,
with the entire complex built on a raised platform.
Artistic work on the temples was fabulous, with elaborate sculptures and paintings on the exterior and interior. Sculpture, particularly in stone was frequently used in decorative friezes and in decorating the various parts of the temple. One area where the artisans excelled in was bronze sculpture which usually depicted deities or saints, and these were kept in the inner shrine of the temple. These sculptures are evidence of the genius of the South Indian craftsmen. Painting was also used in decoration and vast sequences of wall were decorated with paintings depicting various scenes from religious text as well as from day to day life.
South India developed its own distinct architectural style which was essentially Indian for they had not been exposed to foreign techniques as North India had. The earlier system of carving temples out of rock had now ended and the trend was to build free standing structures. A Chola temple had a shrine which was approached by one or more halls. Outside there was a tall pyramidal structure known as the shikara , which was richly decorated. The temples was then surrounded by an enclosed courtyard. The entrance gates of these courtyards were also fine works of art in themselves, modelled after the shikara's ,they often were more elaborate then the shikhara . The temples of this period had a new floor plan, a star shaped one as opposed to their earlier rectangle. The star shaped floor plan gave more room for such artistic works then the earlier rectangular one, and this was perhaps the reason it was adopted. A temple consisted of the shrine room, ante chamber and various halls and aisles, with the entire complex built on a raised platform.
Artistic work on the temples was fabulous, with elaborate sculptures and paintings on the exterior and interior. Sculpture, particularly in stone was frequently used in decorative friezes and in decorating the various parts of the temple. One area where the artisans excelled in was bronze sculpture which usually depicted deities or saints, and these were kept in the inner shrine of the temple. These sculptures are evidence of the genius of the South Indian craftsmen. Painting was also used in decoration and vast sequences of wall were decorated with paintings depicting various scenes from religious text as well as from day to day life.