Editing Architecture of India (section)

==Temple architecture==
{{Main|Hindu temple architecture}}
[[File:Shore Temple 01.jpg|thumb|The rock-cut [[Shore Temple]] of the [[Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram|temples in Mahabalipuram]], Tamil Nadu, 700–728 showing the typical [[Dravidian architecture|''dravida'']] form of tower.|left]]

Whereas the visible stylistic forms of the temple vary greatly and have a complicated development,<ref name="Rowland, 275-276">Rowland, 275–276</ref> the basic elements of a [[Hindu temple]] remain the same across all periods and styles. The most essential feature is the inner sanctuary, the ''[[garbhagriha]]'' or "womb-chamber", where the primary ''[[murti]]'' of a deity is housed in. Around this chamber are other structures and buildings, at times covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like ''[[shikhara]]'', also called the ''[[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]]'' in the south.<ref>Michell, Chapter 4; confusingly, in South India ''shikhara'' means only the top section of the ''vimana''.</ref> The temple may include an [[ambulatory]] for ''parikrama'' ([[circumambulation]]), one or more [[mandapa]]s or congregation halls, and sometimes an [[antarala]] antechamber and porch between the garbhagriha and mandapa.

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Larger temples may include more shrines or buildings, either connected together or detached, with smaller temples in the compound.<ref>These are the usual terms, but there are many variants or different ones in the many Indian languages, ancient and modern.</ref> The entire temple compound is usually enclosed by a wall, and at times, raised on a [[plinth]] (''[[adhiṣṭhāna]]''). Large areas of the structure are often decorated with carving, including figurative images of deities and other religious figures.

By the 7th century CE, most key features of the Hindu temple were established in theoretical texts on temple architecture and building methods.<ref name=michellharle335/> Three styles of temple were identified: ''[[Nagara architecture|nagara]]'', ''[[Dravidian architecture|dravida]]'' and ''[[vesara]].'' The styles were sometimes mixed, and not yet associated with specific regions in India.<ref name="Rowland, 275-276"/> For example, in [[Karnataka]], the group of 7th and 8th-century temples at [[Pattadakal]] famously mixes forms later associated with both north and south,<ref>Rowland, 277–280</ref> as does that at [[Aihole]], which still includes [[apse|apsidal]] [[chaitya hall]]-type plans.<ref>Rowland, 220–223</ref>
[[File:Hindu Temple Basic Floor Design.jpg|left|thumb|Hindu Temple basic floor design]]
''Nagara'' commonly refers to North Indian temple styles, most easily recognised by a high and curving ''shikhara'' over the sanctuary. ''Dravida'' or Dravidian architecture is the broad South Indian style, possessing a lower superstructure over the sanctuary. Instead, the structure has a straight profile, rising in a series of terraces to form a decorated pyramid. Today, this is often dwarfed in larger temples by the far larger [[gopuram]] outer gateways, a much later development.<ref>Rowland, 276</ref> The ancient term vesara is also used to describe a temple style with characteristics of both the northern and southern traditions. These attributes come from the [[Deccan]] and other fairly central parts of India. Although disagreement stands on the exact period and styles that vesara represents, the term is mainly assigned to the northern tradition, but are regarded as a kind of northern ''dravida'' by others.<ref>[[Adam Hardy (architectural historian)|Adam Hardy]] for example uses "Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa" for styles others call "vesara". See his ''Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation: the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries'', 1995, Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, {{ISBN|8170173124}}, 9788170173120, [https://books.google.com/books?id=aU0hCAS2-08C&pg=PA183 google books]</ref>

===Nagara architecture===
====Early====
Excluding earlier structures in timber-based architecture, hardly any remains of Nagara Hindu temples exist from before the [[Gupta dynasty]] in the 4th century CE. The [[Indian rock-cut architecture|rock-cut]] [[Udayagiri Caves]] are among the most important early sites.<ref>Harle (1994), 87–100; Michell (1988), 18</ref> The earliest preserved Hindu temples are simple cell-like stone temples, some rock-cut and others structural, as at [[Sanchi]].<ref name=meister254>{{cite journal |last=Meister |first=Michael W. |date=1988–1989 |title=Prāsāda as Palace: Kūṭina Origins of the Nāgara Temple |journal=Artibus Asiae |volume=49 |issue=3–4 |pages=254–256 |doi=10.2307/3250039 |jstor=3250039}}</ref> By the 6th or 7th century, these evolved into high [[shikhara]] stone superstructures. However, there is inscriptional evidence, such as the ancient Gangadhara inscription from around 424, that towering temples predated the 6th or 7th century, and they were made from more perishable material. These temples have not survived.<ref name=meister254/><ref name=meister370/>

[[File:KITLV 88210 - Unknown - Temples at Barakhar in British India - 1897.tif|thumb|The ninth century temple in [[Barakar]] shows a tall curving shikhara crowned by a large amalaka and is an example of the early Pala style. It is similar to contemporaneous temples of Odisha.]]
Early North Indian temples that have survived after the 5th century [[Udayagiri Caves]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]] include, [[Vishnu Temple, Deogarh|Deogarh]], [[Nachna Hindu temples|Parvati Temple, Nachna]] (465 CE),<ref name=meister370/> [[Lalitpur District, India|Lalitpur District]] (c. 525), [[Sirpur Group of Monuments#Hindu monuments|Lakshman Brick Temple, Sirpur]] (600–625 CE); [[Rajim#Rajiv Lochan Vishnu Mandir|Rajiv Lochan temple]], and [[Rajim]] (7th-century CE).<ref name=meister280>{{cite journal |last=Meister |first=Michael W. |date=1988–1989 |title=Prāsāda as Palace: Kūṭina Origins of the Nāgara Temple |journal=Artibus Asiae |volume=49 |issue=3–4 |pages=254–280 |doi=10.2307/3250039 |jstor=3250039}}</ref>

Pre-7th century CE South Indian style stone temples have not survived. However, early South Indian temples that have survived, though in ruins, include the diverse styles [[Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram|at Mahabalipuram]], from the 7th and 8th centuries. According to Meister, the Mahabalipuram temples are "monolithic models of a variety of formal structures all of which already can be said to typify a developed "Tamil Architecture" (South Indian) order". They suggest a tradition and a knowledge base existing in South India by the time of the early Chalukya and Pallava era when these were built. Other examples are found in [[Aihole]] and [[Pattadakal]].<ref name=meister280/><ref>Michael W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky (1983), ''South India: Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture'', Vol. I, Part I, Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|978-0691784021}}, pages 30–53</ref>

From between about the 7th and 13th centuries a large number of temples and their ruins have survived (though far fewer than once existed). Many regional styles developed, very often following political divisions, as large temples were typically built with royal patronage. In the north, [[Muslim conquests of the Indian subcontinent|Muslim invasions]] from the 11th century onwards reduced the building of temples, and saw the loss of many existing ones.<ref name=michellharle335/> The south also witnessed Hindu-Muslim conflict that affected the temples, but the region was relatively less affected than the north.<ref>{{harvnb|Michell|1995|pp=9–10}}: "The era under consideration opens with an unprecedented calamity for Southern India: the invasion of the region at the turn of the fourteenth century by Malik Kafur, general of Alauddin, Sultan of Delhi. Malik Kafur's forces brought to an abrupt end all of the indigenous ruling houses of Southern India, not one of which was able to withstand the assault or outlive the conquest. Virtually every city of importance in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil zones succumbed to the raids of Malik Kafur; forts were destroyed, palaces dismantled and temple sanctuaries wrecked in the search for treasure. In order to consolidate the rapidly won gains of this pillage, Malik Kafur established himself in 1323 at Madurai (Madura) in the southernmost part of the Tamil zone, former capital of the Pandyas who were dislodged by the Delhi forces. Madurai thereupon became the capital of the Ma'bar (Malabar) province of the [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi empire]]."</ref> In the late 14th century, the Hindu [[Vijayanagara Empire]] came to power and controlled much of South India. During this period, the distinctive very tall [[gopuram]] gatehouse actually a late development, from the 12th century or later, typically added to older large temples.<ref name=michellharle335>Michell (1988), 18, 50–54, 89, 149–155; Harle (1994), 335</ref>

The recently constructed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is constructed as per the Nagara style.

====Later====
[[North Indian]] temples showed increased elevation of the wall and elaborate spire by the 10th century.<ref name="eb-niarch">Encyclopædia Britannica (2008), ''North Indian temple architecture''.</ref> On the shikara, the oldest form, called [[Latina (architecture)|''latina'']], with wide shallow projections running up the sides, developed alternative forms with many smaller "spirelets" (''[[urushringa]]''). Two varieties of these are called [[Sekhari (architecture)|''sekhari'']], where the sub-spires extend vertically, and ''[[bhumija]]'', where individual sub-spires are arrayed in rows and columns.
[[File:Plan of subsidiary shrines of Brahmeswara Temple.jpg|thumb|Drawing of a ''[[pancharatha]]'' (5 ''ratha'') plan of subsidiary shrines of Brahmeswara Temple]]
Richly decorated temples—including the [[Khajuraho Group of Monuments|complex at Khajuraho]]—were constructed in [[Central India]].<ref name=eb-niarch/> Examples include the [[Lingaraja Temple]] at [[Bhubaneshwar]] in [[Odisha]], [[Sun Temple]] at [[Konark]] in Odisha, [[Brihadeeswarar Temple]] at [[Thanjavur]] in [[Tamil Nadu]]. Indian traders brought Indian architecture to [[South East Asia]] through various [[trade routes]].<ref>Michell (1977), Chapter 8</ref>

Styles called ''[[vesara]]'' include the early [[Badami Chalukya Architecture]], [[Western Chalukya architecture]], and finally [[Hoysala architecture]]. Other regional styles include those of [[Bengal]], [[Kashmir]] and other Himalayan areas, [[Architecture of Karnataka|Karnataka]], [[Kalinga architecture]], and [[Māru-Gurjara architecture]].

[[Hoysala architecture]] is the distinctive building style developed under the rule of the [[Hoysala Empire]] in the region historically known as ''Karnata'', today's [[Karnataka]], India, between the 11th and the 14th centuries.<ref>[[MSN Encarta]] (2008), [http://au.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588346/Hoysala_Dynasty.html ''Hoysala_Dynasty'']. [https://archive.today/20240524174329/https://www.webcitation.org/5kwKcQ2xF?url=http://au.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588346/Hoysala_Dynasty.html Archived] 2009-10-31.</ref> Large and small temples built during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the [[Chennakeshava Temple, Belur|Chennakesava Temple]] at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]], the [[Hoysaleswara temple]] at [[Halebidu]], and the [[Chennakesava Temple at Somanathapura|Kesava Temple]] at [[Somanathapura]]. Other examples of fine Hoysala craftmanship are the temples at [[Belavadi]], [[Amrithapura]], and [[Nuggehalli]]. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct.<ref name="distinct">See Percy Brown in Sūryanātha Kāmat's ''A concise history of Karnataka: from pre-historic times to the present'', p. 134.</ref> A feature of Hoysala temple architecture is its attention to detail and skilled craftsmanship. The temples of Belur and Halebidu are proposed [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Sites]].<ref name="heritage">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/25/stories/2004072501490300.htm|title=The Hindu : Karnataka / Hassan News : Belur to be proposed as World Heritage site|date=22 October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022053319/http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/25/stories/2004072501490300.htm |accessdate=4 April 2023|archive-date=22 October 2004 }}</ref> Approximately 100 Hoysala temples survive today.<ref>Foekema, 16</ref>

==== Temples of Khajuraho  ====
{{Main|Khajuraho Group of Monuments#Arts and sculpture}}
[[File:India-5749 - Visvanatha Temple - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg|thumb|[[Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho|Vishvanatha Temple]], part of the [[Khajuraho Group of Monuments|Khajuraho group of monuments]]]]

The Khajuraho Temples are a group of Hindu and Jain temples located in the town of Khajuraho, in the [[Chhatarpur District]] of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the [[Chandela dynasty]].<ref name=":2b" />

Khajuraho is home to 25 sandstone temples in total, although only 20 remain mostly intact. The beautiful carvings on these temples, which show themes from Hindu mythology as well as other facets of everyday life in ancient India, are well-known.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bajpai |first=K.D |title=Khajuraho temples: History and significance |publisher=Aryan Books International. |year=2012}}</ref>  Both Hindu and Jain architectural influences may be seen in their design. The temples are split into three groups: the Western group, the Eastern group, and the Southern group. The Western group has the greatest popularity and draws the most tourists.<ref name=":2b">{{Cite book |last=Desai |first=Devangana |title=Khajuraho: The Art of Love |publisher=Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd |year=2005 |isbn=978-1890206628}}</ref>

The Khajuraho Temples were declared a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 1986, and they continue to be a popular tourist attraction in India. According to UNESCO, the Khajuraho Temples "are a masterpiece of Indian art, with their unique architecture and stunning sculptures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Khajuraho Group of Monuments |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/240/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029205311/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/240 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Dravidian style===
{{Main|Dravidian architecture}}
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Dravidian style ''or'' the '''South Indian temple style''' is an architectural idiom in [[Hindu temple architecture]] that emerged in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent or [[South India]] and in Sri Lanka, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in [[Hindu temple]]s, and the most distinctive difference from north Indian styles is the use of a shorter and more pyramidal tower over the [[garbhagriha]] or sanctuary called a [[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]], where the north has taller towers, usually bending inwards as they rise, called [[shikhara]]s. However, for modern visitors to larger temples the dominating feature is the high [[gopura]] or gatehouse at the edge of the compound; large temples have several, dwarfing the vimana; these are a much more recent development. There are numerous other distinct features such as the ''dwarapalakas'' – twin guardians at the main entrance and the inner sanctum of the temple and ''goshtams'' – deities carved in niches on the outer side walls of the [[garbhagriha]].

''Mayamata'' and ''Manasara shilpa'' texts estimated to be in circulation by 5th to 7th century, is a guidebook on Dravidian style of [[Vastu Shastra]] design, construction, sculpture and joinery technique.<ref name=stellakramrisch76>Stella Kramrisch (1976), The Hindu Temple Volume 1 & 2, {{ISBN|81-208-0223-3}}</ref><ref>Tillotson, G. H. R. (1997). Svastika Mansion: A Silpa-Sastra in the 1930s. South Asian Studies, 13(1), pp 87–97</ref> ''Isanasivagurudeva paddhati'' is another text from the 9th century describing the art of building in India in south and central India.<ref name=stellakramrisch76/><ref>Ganapati Sastri (1920), Īśānaśivagurudeva paddhati, Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, {{OCLC|71801033}}</ref>

From 300 BCE – 300 CE, the greatest accomplishments of the kingdoms of the [[early Chola]], [[Chera Dynasty|Chera]] and the [[Early Pandyan Kingdom|Pandyan kingdoms]] included brick shrines to deities [[Kartikeya]], [[Shiva]], [[Mariamman|Amman]] and [[Vishnu]]. Several of these have been unearthed near [[Adichanallur]], [[Poombuhar|Poompuhar]] also known as, Kaveripoompuharpattinam and [[Mahabalipuram]], and the construction plans of these sites of worship were shared to some detail in various poems of [[Sangam literature]].

The [[Indian rock-cut architecture|architecture of the rock-cut temples]], particularly the ''rathas'', became a model for south Indian temples.<ref name=Brit>{{Cite web|url= http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/t/019pho0000472s1u00027000.html|title= The Rathas, monolithic [Mamallapuram]|access-date= 23 October 2012|publisher= Online Gallery of British Library|archive-date= 4 March 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220049/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/t/019pho0000472s1u00027000.html|url-status= live}}</ref> Architectural features, particularly the sculptures, were widely adopted in [[Dravidian architecture|South India]].<ref name=Unesco>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/249/|title=Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram|access-date=23 October 2012|publisher=UNESCO.org|archive-date=15 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415074333/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/249/|url-status=live}}</ref> Descendants of the sculptors of the shrines are artisans in contemporary Mahabalipuram.<ref name="BruynBain2010">{{cite book|first1=Pippa de |last1=Bruyn|first2=Keith |last2=Bain|first3=David |last3=Allardice|author4=Shonar Joshi|title=Frommer's India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qG-9cwHOcCIC&pg=PA333|access-date=7 February 2013|date=18 February 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-64580-2|pages=333–}}</ref>

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The Badami [[Chalukyas]] also called the Early Chalukyas, ruled from [[Badami]], Karnataka in the period 543–753 and spawned the [[Vesara]] style called [[Badami Chalukya Architecture]]. The finest examples of their art are seen in [[Pattadakal]], [[Aihole]] and [[Badami]] in northern Karnataka. Over 150 temples remain in the [[Malaprabha]] basin.

The Rashtrakuta contributions to art and architecture are reflected in the splendid rock-cut shrines at Ellora and Elephanta, situated in present-day [[Maharashtra]]. It is said that they altogether constructed 34 rock-cut shrines, but most extensive and sumptuous of them all is the Kailasanatha temple at [[Ellora]]. The temple is a splendid achievement of Dravidian art. The walls of the temple have marvellous sculptures from [[Hindu mythology]] including [[Ravana]], [[Shiva]] and [[Parvathi]] while the ceilings have paintings. These projects spread into South India from the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. The architectural style used was partly Dravidian. They do not contain any of the ''[[shikhara]]s'' common to the ''Nagara'' style and were built on the same lines as the Virupaksha temple at [[Pattadakal]] in Karnataka.<ref name="Dravidian">{{cite web|title=Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 20 September 1996|url=http://www.indoarch.org/|author=Takeo Kamiya|publisher=Gerard da Cunha-Architecture Autonomous, Bardez, Goa, India|access-date=2006-11-10|archive-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502190211/http://www.indoarch.org/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

[[Vijayanagara architecture]] of the period (1336–1565) was a notable building style evolved by the [[Vijayanagar empire]] that ruled most of [[South India]] from their capital at [[Vijayanagara]] on the banks of the [[Tungabhadra River]] in present-day [[Karnataka]].<ref>See [[Percy Brown (scholar)|Percy Brown]] in Sūryanātha Kāmat's ''A concise history of Karnataka: from pre-historic times to the present'', p. 132.</ref> The architecture of the temples built during the reign of the Vijayanagara empire had elements of political authority.<ref>See Carla Sinopoli, ''Echoes of Empire: Vijayanagara and Historical Memory, Vijayanagara as Historical Memory'', p. 26.</ref> This resulted in the creation of a distinctive imperial style of architecture which featured prominently not only in temples but also in administrative structures across the [[Deccan Plateau|deccan]].<ref>See Carla Sinopoli, ''The Political Economy of Craft Production: Crafting Empire in South India, C. 1350–1650'', p. 209.</ref> The Vijayanagara style is a combination of the [[Chalukya]], [[Hoysala]], [[Pandya]] and [[Chola]] styles which evolved earlier in the centuries when these empires ruled and is characterised by a return to the simplistic and serene art of the past.<ref name="blossom">See Percy Brown in Sūryanātha Kāmat's ''A concise history of Karnataka: from pre-historic times to the present'', p. 182.</ref> The South Indian temple consists essentially of a square-chambered sanctuary topped by a superstructure, tower, or spire and an attached pillared porch or hall (maṇḍapa or maṇṭapam), enclosed by a peristyle of cells within a rectangular court. The external walls of the temple are segmented by pilasters and carry niches housing sculpture. The superstructure or tower above the sanctuary is of the kūṭina type and consists of an arrangement of gradually receding stories in a pyramidal shape. Each story is delineated by a parapet of miniature shrines, square at the corners and rectangular with barrel-vault roofs at the centre.

The [[Warangal Fort]], [[Thousand Pillar Temple]], and [[Ramappa Temple]] are examples of Kakatiya architecture.{{Sfn|Haig|1907|p=65-87}}

===Vesara Architecture===
The style adopted in the region that today lies in the modern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Deccan) which served in its geographical position as buffer between north and south, that architectural style has mix of both the Nagara and Dravidian temple styles.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Khamesra|first=Manish|date=2021-01-19|title=Ghumakkar Insights: A Gavaksh to the Ancient Indian Temple Architecture|url=https://www.ghumakkar.com/a-gavaksh-to-the-ancient-north-indian-temple-architecture/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Ghumakkar – Inspiring travel experiences.|language=en-US|archive-date=15 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715110258/https://www.ghumakkar.com/a-gavaksh-to-the-ancient-north-indian-temple-architecture/|url-status=live}}</ref> While some scholars consider the buildings in this region as being distinctly either nagara or dravida, a hybridised style that seems to have become popular after the mid-seventh century, is known in some ancient texts as vesara. In the southern part of the Deccan, i.e., in the region of Karnataka is where some of the most experimental hybrid styles of vesara architecture are to be found.

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An important temple is Papnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the best early examples of the South Indian tradition. By contrast other eastern Chalukyan Temples, like the [[Mahakuta group of temples|Mahakuta]], five kilometres from [[Badami]], and the Swarga Brahma temple at Alampur show a greater assimilation of northern styles from Odisha and Rajasthan. At the same time the [[Durga temple, Aihole|Durga temple at Aihole]] is unique having an even earlier style of an apsidal shrine which is reminiscent of [[Chaitya|Buddhist chaitya halls]] and is surrounded by a veranda of a later kind, with a shikhara that is stylistically like a nagara one. The [[Chalukya Shiva Temple|Lad Khan temple]] at [[Aihole]] in Karnataka seems to be inspired by the wooden-roofed temples of the hills, except that it is constructed out of stone.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/kefa106.pdf|title=TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE|website=ncert.nic.in|access-date=3 December 2021|archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124094749/https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/kefa106.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Historians agree that the ''vesara'' style originated in what is today Karnataka. According to some, the style was started by the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukyas]] of Badami (500-753AD) whose Early Chalukya or [[Badami Chalukya architecture]] built temples in a style that mixed some features of the ''nagara'' and the ''dravida'' styles, for example using both the northern [[shikhara]] and southern [[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]] type of superstructure over the sanctum in different temples of similar date, as at [[Pattadakal]]. However, Adam Hardy and others regard this style as essentially a form of Dravida. This style was further refined by the [[Rashtrakutas]] of [[Manyakheta]] (750-983AD) in sites such as [[Ellora]].

Though there is clearly a good deal of continuity with the Badami or Early Chalukya style,<ref>Michell, 149</ref> other writers only date the start of Vesara to the later [[Western Chalukya Empire|Western Chalukyas]] of [[Basavakalyan|Kalyani]] (983–1195 AD),<ref>Harle, 254</ref> in sites such as [[Lakkundi]], [[Doddabasappa Temple|Dambal]], [[Mahadeva Temple, Itagi|Itagi]], and [[Gadag]],<ref>Harle, 256–261</ref> and continued by the [[Hoysala empire]] (1000–1330 AD).

The Hoysala temples at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]], [[Halebid]]u and [[Somanathapura]] are leading examples of the Vesara style.<ref>Harle, 261–263</ref>  These temples are now proposed as a UNESCO world heritage site.