Hindu Temple Architecture

Timeline

1. c. 600–900Deccan and North India · IndiaFrom the 6th to 9th centuries, the nagara style of North India and the dravida style of South India gradually took shape, with stone temple-mountain structures and shrine-portico combinations becoming the standard vocabulary of Hindu ritual architecture.
2. 1081–1090Chola region, South India · Tamil NaduIn the late 11th century, though the Chola Empire had passed the peak of Rajaraja I and Rajendra I, its tradition of great stone temples continued in South India and influenced Southeast Asia, spreading Hindu cosmology outward through architectural form.
3. c. 900–1200Indianized regions of Southeast Asia · Southeast AsiaHindu temple forms spread to Southeast Asia by sea and land routes; the Khmer, Cham, and others absorbed the shikhara, mandala layout, and norms for enshrining deities, producing localized variants.