The Anatomy of a Nagara Temple

A Nagara temple is read from the ground up, like a mountain rising toward the sky.

The Jagati

The raised platform sets the temple apart from the everyday world.

The Garbhagriha

The womb chamber holds the deity. It is deliberately small and dark, and everything else is built around it.

The Shikhara

The curving spire rises above the sanctum, often surrounded by smaller urushringas that echo its shape.

A temple is not built. It is carved, piece by piece, and then assembled.