- Patronage by Vijayanagara Empire (1335-1565 CE) .
- They combined the features of Chola, Hoysalas, Pandyas, and Chalukyas‘ architectural styles and were influenced by the Indo-Islamic style of Bijapur.
- Basic Features
- The walls of the temples were highly decorated with carvings and geometrical patterns.
- Gopurams were built on all sides.
- Presence of monolithic rock pillars.
- Temple pillars had a mythical creature Yali engraved in them.
- They had large enclosing walls.
- More than one mandapas were built in each temple.
- The central mandap came to be known as the Kalyana mantapa.
- The concept of secular buildings inside the temple premises was also introduced during this period.
- The Temple complex was enclosed by boundary walls.
- For Example – Vittalaswami Temple Complex, Lotus Mahal, Virupaksha Temple, and Raghunatha Temple at Hampi.
Vittala Temple
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