- Also called Chola Architecture.
- Patronage by the Chola rulers.
- Continuation of the previous Pallava architecture.
- Features of the Dravidian style or Chola style
- The Dravidian temples were surrounded by high boundary walls.
- The front wall had a high entrance gateway known as gopuram.
- The temple premise was laid out in panchayatana style.
- In Dravidian style, the spire is in the form of a stepped pyramid that rises linearly rather than curved. It is known as vimana.
- The crowning element is shaped in the form of an octagon and is known as shikhara which is similar to kalasha of the Nagara temple.
- There is only one vimana in the Dravidian architecture which is on top of the main temple and subsidiary shrines do not have vimanas.
- The assembly hall was connected with the garbhagriha by a vestibular tunnel known as antarala.
- The entrance of the garbhagriha had sculptures of Dwarapala, Mithun and Yaksha.
- The presence of a water tank inside the temple enclosure was a unique feature of the Dravidian style.
Brihadeeswara Temple
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