Shikhara
E359364
Shikhara is the towering, often curvilinear spire that rises above the sanctum of a Hindu temple, symbolizing the cosmic axis and marking its most sacred point.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Shikhara canonical | 1 |
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Hindu temple architecture feature
ⓘ
architectural element ⓘ |
| architecturalStyle |
curvilinear
ⓘ
towering spire ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Nagara style temple architecture
ⓘ
North Indian temple architecture ⓘ |
| category |
Religious architecture
ⓘ
Temple spire ⓘ |
| contrastedWith |
Dravidian temple architecture
ⓘ
surface form:
Dravida vimana
|
| developedInRegion |
South Asia
ⓘ
surface form:
Indian subcontinent
|
| etymologyLanguage | Sanskrit ⓘ |
| etymologyMeaning |
peak
ⓘ
summit ⓘ |
| function |
crowns the main shrine
ⓘ
visually emphasizes sanctum ⓘ |
| hasSubtypes |
bhumija shikhara
ⓘ
latina shikhara ⓘ rekha deul ⓘ Shekhari Nagara ⓘ
surface form:
shekhari shikhara
|
| heightRelativeToTemple | tallest element ⓘ |
| influencedBy | cosmological concepts in Hinduism ⓘ |
| locatedAbove |
garbhagriha
ⓘ
Sanctum Sanctorum ⓘ
surface form:
sanctum sanctorum
|
| marks | most sacred point of the temple ⓘ |
| oftenDecoratedWith |
geometric patterns
ⓘ
miniature spires ⓘ sculptural ornamentation ⓘ |
| orientation | aligned with temple’s main axis ⓘ |
| partOf | Hindu temple superstructure ⓘ |
| religiousSignificance |
focus of ritual orientation
ⓘ
indicates presence of deity ⓘ |
| roleInTemplePlan |
dominant vertical element
ⓘ
vertical axis ⓘ |
| seenInFamousTemples |
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple
ⓘ
Khajuraho Group of Monuments ⓘ Konark Sun Temple ⓘ Lingaraja Temple Bhubaneswar ⓘ
surface form:
Lingaraja Temple
|
| structuralPosition | above vertical axis of sanctum ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
Mount Meru
ⓘ
axis mundi ⓘ cosmic axis ⓘ |
| typicalMaterial |
brick
ⓘ
stone ⓘ |
| usedInTradition | Hinduism ⓘ |
| visibleFrom | long distance ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.