Flourishing of South Indian Temple Architecture (c. 1026)

Name: Flourishing of South Indian Temple Architecture (c. 1026)
Start: 1024
End: 1028

Type Event Region South India Time 1024–1028

Around 1026, temple architecture in South India under Chola rule reached its peak, with grand stone temples built at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and elsew…

Timeline

1024–1027Gangaikonda Cholapuram · South IndiaRajendra built the Brihadisvara Temple dedicated to Shiva at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, with a vimana about 55 meters high, monolithic granite carvings, and rich mythological reliefs, making it a model of Chola architecture and later inscribed on the World Heritage List.
1025–1028Thanjavur region · South IndiaBeyond the royal great temples, local lords and temple communities continuously expanded medium-sized stone temples in the Chola heartland; bronze-casting and architectural-carving artisan guilds transmitted their skills, forming a temple landscape and religious economy spanning cities and countryside.

Sources

The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent — J. C. Harle (1994)
South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. II: Chola Inscriptions — E. Hultzsch (ed.) (1891)