• alinda: In the architecture of India, a verandah.
• amalaka: In Indo-Aryan architecture, a flattened, fluted, melon-shaped massive stone member crowning the top of a sikhara.
• amalasari: In Indo-Aryan architecture, a flattened, fluted, melon-shaped massive stone member crowning the top of a sikhara.
• anda: The hemispherical dome of an Indian stupa.
• apsara: A celestial nymph; appears as a figure in the sculptural repertory of a Hindu temple.
• aryaka: In Indian architecture, a line of five columns which symbolize the Five Dhiyana Buddhas.
• Asian lotus: Nelumbo nucifera, known by numerous common names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus, is one of two species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae.
• bada: The base of a sikhara of a Hindu temple.
• bamli: In the architecture of India, a court or courtyard.
• baradari: Hall with twelve entrances in Muslim India. 2. Palace, but more often applied to a garden pavilion which, after the death of its builder, became a mausoleum. Also see baradari, barahdari.
• barahdari: Hall with twelve entrances in Muslim India. 2. Palace, but more often applied to a garden pavilion which, after the death of its builder, became a mausoleum. Also see baradari, barahdari.
• barahdurri: Hall with twelve entrances in Muslim India. 2. Palace, but more often applied to a garden pavilion which, after the death of its builder, became a mausoleum. Also see baradari, barahdari.
• basadi: A Jain temple or monastery (India).
• beki: A stone slab between the chapra and amalaka of a Hindu temple.
• bhadra: In Hindu architecture, a type of portico or building; a general term for a ratha.
• bhoga-mandir: A Hindu sacrificial pavilion.
• bhumi: In India, the site, floor, or story of a building.
• black ebony: A hard, heavy wood from India, the heartwood of which becomes black, often streaked with brown or purple, and can be highly polished.
• bodhika: In Indian architecture, the capital of a column.
• Buddhist: That of India at the time of the great Buddhist religious movement, and which is generally assumed to be of the 6th century B.C., and the centuries immediately following. The buildings are mainly in the northern part of the peninsula, from Kashmir in the far northwest to the Ganges, and in Ceylon; but on the western coast of the peninsula they extend as far south as Bombay… (Compare Chaitya Cave; Vimana; and see India, Architecture of).
• burj: In the architecture of India, a tower.
• chaitya: A rock-cut Buddhist temple in India, such as found at Karli and Ajunta.
• chaitya cave: A rock-cut Buddhist temple in India, such as found at Karli and Ajunta.
• chajja: Weather shade of a Hindu temple.
• Chalukyan archicture: That of Chalukya, a province of India, typified in star-shaped temples with stepped roofs, dating from the 6th century.
• chandi: A Hindu sepulchral monument in Java, comprising a cella-like temple and pyramidal superstructure above a square base containing an urn with ashes.
• chandrashala: The circular or horseshoe arch that decorates many Indian cave temples and shrines.
• chaori: In India, the porch or hall element of the temple.
• chapra: A tower having a parabolic outline of a nagara temple in India.
• chatri: In India, a pavilion.
• chaumukh: In Indian architecture, four images (each facing a cardinal point) which are placed back-to-back.
• chavada: In western India, a pavilion.
• chickrassi: A close-textured hardwood from India and Burma, of a golden mahogany color. Also called chittagong.
• chinikhana: Hindustani term for a niche or other ornamental recess.
• chittagong: A close-textured hardwood from India and Burma, of a golden mahogany color. Also called chickrassi.
• chiyjah: In Indian architecture, or the Hindoo style, a cornice with a considerable projection.
• choultry: A caravanserai. 2. In India, a large village hall or place of assembly.
• chujjah: In Indian architecture, or the Hindoo style, a cornice with a considerable projection.
• chunam: A white plaster or stucco, used in India.
• coralwood: A yellowish wood of India and the Andamans, becoming coral color as it is cured; used in cabinetwork.
• dak-bungalow: A travelers’ rest house of East India.
• dar: In Indian and Persian architecture, a gateway. 2. In Oriental architecture, a dwelling.
• darwaza: In the architecture of India, a door.
• devagosta: In the architecture of India, a niche.
• dharmsala: A Hindu caravanserai.
• dhvajastambham: In the architecture of India, a high pillar in front of a temple.
• dhwaja-stambha: In Dravidian style architecture in India, a square pillar which bears the trisula, or symbol of the god Silva.
• dipmala: In the architecture of India, a tall pillar or tower used to hold a festival light.
• divan-i-amm: The great audience hall of a Mogul palace.
• Dravidian: A style of Indian architecture in the Pallava period, named after the language spoken in southern India.
• Dravidian architecture: That of southern India in ancient times; it consisted largely of temples.
• durbar: In India, an audience hall in the palace of a prince.
• durga: In India, a fort or fortified city.
• dvara: A door or gate of a town, village, residential building, or temple in India.
• ebony: A fine-textured wood of Ceylon and India, heartwood jet black or, rarely, streaked.
• fylfot: Early name for the swastika, as used as a religious symbol in India and China before 500 A.D.
• gambhara: In Jain architecture (India), a sanctuary cell.
• garbha-griha: The dark, innermost sanctuary of a Hindu temple, where the statue of the deity is placed.
• gelbai: In Indian architecture, the carving around a doorway.
• ghanadvara: A solid door through which the deity enshrined in a Hindu temple manifests itself.
• ghat: In India, a flight of steps leading to a river or other body of water.
• ghaut: In India, a flight of steps leading to a river or other body of water.
• godown: In India and the Far East, a store-house of any description.
• gokhala: In Jain architecture (India), a niche.
• gopura: A pyramidal gateway tower entrance to a temple, characteristic of the Dravidian architecture of southern India.
• gopuram: In Indian architecture, a monumental gateway.
• greywood: Indian silver, a tree native to the Andaman Islands, producing two different kinds of woods, one a yellow straw color and the other a smoky yellow with rich dark streaks; it is moderately hard and heavy and works well; used extensively in England for decorative woodwork and veneer.
• guldasta: In Indian architecture, a pinnacle.
• gumbad: A mausoleum or tomb tower in Muslim Persia and India.
• gumpha: In Indian architecture, a monastery.
• Gupta: The dynasty of the Mauryan empire in northern India, A.D. 320-540, whose court was the center of classical Indian art and literature: the earliest substantial architectural remains are from this period.
• gurjun: Woods from Burma, India, and the Andaman Islands, reddish brown or yellowish tan with a coarse texture and stripe figure; used chiefly for flooring.
• haldu: A wood of India, Burma, and Ceylon; bright yellow, darkening with exposure; very fine, even texture and straight or interlocked grain; used for turnery, construction, boxes, and veneer.
• hill fort: A rude defensive post occupying the summit of a hill or a strong position among hills, as, in antiquity, those which grew to be the citadels of important towns; and, as in India, the works of native tribes.
• hillfort: A rude defensive post occupying the summit of a hill or a strong position among hills, as, in antiquity, those which grew to be the citadels of important towns; and, as in India, the works of native tribes.
• Hindu architecture: Exemplified by the 11th century Kandariya Mahadeva Hindu Temple (1017-29) in Madhya Pradesh, India.
• Hinduism: The dominant religion of India, based upon the religion of the original Aryan settlers as expounded and evolved in the Vedas, having a diverse body of philosophy and cultural practices, many popular cults, and a large pantheon symbolizing a supreme being of many forms and natures. Buddhism is outside the Hindu tradition but is regarded as a related religion.
• Indian architecture: An architecture extending from 250 B.C. to 1750 A.D., characterized by its Buddhist, Jaina, and Hindu temples, built of massive granite and lavishly embellished by sculptured ornament inspired by religion and mythology. 2. The primitive structures of the American Indian.
• Indian influence: Design evoking historic styles of construction from India.
• Indian style: Cultural/commercial links with India from 16th c. led to manifestations of Hindoo and Mughal architecture in the British Isles from 18th c…
• Indo-Aryan architecture: A style of northern India developed previous to that of the Jains in the 10th and 11th centuries.
• Indo-Saracenic architecture: Mohammadean architecture.
• jagamohan: An enclosed square assembly porch in Nagara-style temple, corresponding to the mandapa in southern India.
• jagati: A raised surface, platform or terrace upon which an Indian temple is placed.
• Jain architecture: A style developed in India during the 10th and 11th centuries by the Jains, who were followers of a contemporary of Buddha.
• Jaina architecture: A style developed in India during the 10th and 11th centuries by the Jains, who were followers of a contemporary of Buddha.
• jalee: The decorated, pierced marble or stone of India, such as is found notably in the Taj Mahal.
• jaman: A wood from India and Burma, reddish to brownish gray in color with some darker streaks; it is moderately hard, heavy, strong, and fairly durable; used for decorative paneling and for doors.
• jumma musjid: In India, the principal mosque of a town. That of Delhi, of red sandstone with cupolas of marble and standing on a high terrace, is of the Mohammedan epoch, finished in 1648…
• Kailasa: A multistoried Brahmanical temple, constructed as an allegory of the sacred mountain, Kailasa, favorite abode of Hindu got Shiva. Located at Ellora, India, an outstanding example of an ancient rock-cut temple.
• kala: A monster head, intended to avert evil, which was featured over entrances and in niches of Hindu temples.
• kalasa: In Indian architecture, an ornamental pot, usually a crowning feature on a sikhara.
• Kalighat: Indian temple in Calcutta, built in 1809 and dedicated to the Buddhist deity Kali.
• kalsa: Hindu term for the pinnacle on a dome.
• khasi: A form of Persian and Indian wall decoration, using tiles of varied colors.
• kirtimukha: A grotesque mask appearing as an ornament on Hindu temples.
• kovil: A Hindu temple in southern India. See koil.
• lat: In Indian architecture, an isolated shaft or pillar serving various purposes, as for bearing inscriptions or religious emblems or for a statue or image.
• laterite: Red, porous, ferruginous (i.e. containing iron) rock, found in India and parts of South East Asia. It is easy to cut when first excavated, but soon becomes extremely hard on exposure to air. It was used in blocks for walls, with no mortar, but surfaces had to be clad with softer stone or plastered as it was too hard to carve.
• linga: A phallus; a divine emblem of the god Siva in Hindu architecture. Also see lingam.
• lingam: A phallus; a divine emblem of the god Siva in Hindu architecture. Also see lingam.
• madar: In Jain architecture (India), a large subsidiary shrine.
• mahal: In Mogul architecture, a palace.
• maidan: Open space in or just outside an Indian or Central Asian town, used for ceremonial occasions, parades, etc. 2. Esplanade. 3. Market-place.
• manastambha: In Indian architecture, a free-standing pillar in front of a temple.
• mandapa: In Indian architecture, a large open hall, especially of a temple.
• mandira: A Hindu temple, palace, or hall.
• matha: In Indian architecture, a convent or monastery.
• Maurya: A member of ancient Indian people united northern India and established an empire c320 B.C.: architecture from this period shows the cultural influence of Achaemenid Persia and the first use of dressed stone.
• maydan: Open space in or just outside an Indian or Central Asian town, used for ceremonial occasions, parades, etc. 2. Esplanade. 3. Market-place.
• medhi: A square or round terrace which serves as a base for a Hindu temple or a stupa.
• Meru: The ‘world mountain’ in Indian mythology; the vertical axis of the universe. Symbolized in multistoried Hindu temples, in the chandis of Java, and in the puras of Bali.
• minah: A tower, usually a memorial monument, found especially in India.
• minar: A tower, usually a memorial monument, found especially in India.
• mindra: The cella of a Hindu temple.
• Moghul: See Indian style; Mughal architecture; Mughal garden.
• Moghul architecture: See Mogul architecture.
• Mogul: See Indian style; Mughal architecture; Mughal garden.
• Mogul architecture: The later phase of Indian Islamic architecture, named after the Mogul dynasty (1526-1707), typified by monumental palaces and mosques and detailed decorative work. The Taj Mahal is the most famous example.
• Mughal architecture: See Mogul architecture.
• Mughal garden: Garden associated with Mughal rule in India (1526-1857). Aware of their Central Asian origins, the Mughals always bore in mind the necessity of harnessing mountain-springs to bring life to arid, rugged lands, and to create delightful, ordered, enclosed, formal gardens featuring water, fruit trees, and flowering plants…
• mukhashala: An assembly porch of a temple in northern India; also called a jagamohan.
• nagara: A town or city laid out according to strict rules; an architectural style in northern India (literally “city-dweller style”).
• navaranga: In Indian architecture, the central hall of a temple.
• padma: In the architecture of India, a sculptured molding which is lotiform in section.
• padmam: In Indian architecture, a pedestal.
• Pallava: A Hindu state established in southern India about A.D. 350: contributed to the expansion of Indian culture into Southeast Asia.
• pancharam: One of a number of miniature shrines located on the roof, on the cornices, or on the lintels of a Hindu temple; used as a decorative feature.
• parastara: In Indian architecture, an entablature.
• pata: In Indian architecture, a beam or lintel.
• pida: In the architecture of India, a receding terraced roof, terminating the mukhashala or jagamohan.
• pitha: In the architecture of India, a pedestal or plinth.
• pradakshina-patha: A circumambulatory path around a stupa or Hindu sanctuary.
• prakaram: In Hindu architecture a wall which encloses a temple compound. 2. The courtyard enclosed by such a wall.
• prastara: In Indian architecture, an entablature.
• punkah: A type of fan (used in Asia, especially in India) in the form of a swinging screen; consists of cloth stretched on a rectangular frame, hung from the ceiling and kept in motion by a cord pulled by a servant.
• rath: A Dravidian rock-cut temple of India.
• ratha: A shrine; a Hindu temple built to resemble a chariot. 2. The vertical salient or recess of a nagara temple wall.
• rauza: In Mogul architecture, a mausoleum.
• rest house: An inn for travelers in India.
• sabha mandapa: In Indian architecture, an assembly hall.
• sakha: In the architecture of India, a door-jamb or doorframe.
• salunkha: In Indian architecture, an altar.
• sangarama: In Indian architecture, a monastery.
• sankha: In Indian architecture, a shell which is the emblem of the god Vishnu.
• sikhara: A tower of a Hindu temple, usually tapered convexly and capped by an amalaka. Also, sikra.
• sikra: A tower of a Hindu temple, usually tapered convexly and capped by an amalaka. Also, sikra.
• silpa-sastra: The science of architecture and cognate arts in India.
• siras: In Indian architecture, the capital of a column or pillar.
• sissoo: A hardwood from India in a warm brown with golden or deeper brown streaks, used for veneer.
• soorkee: In India, a mortar of lime, pulverized brick, and water.
• sringa: The dome of a Hindu temple in southern India.
• stamba: A freestanding memorial pillar in Indian architecture, bearing carved inscriptions, religious emblems, or a statue. Also, stambha.
• thingan: A wood of India, Burma, and the Andamans similar to Philippine yakals.
• tjandi: A Hindu sepulchral monument, prevalent in Java from the 8th to 14th century A.D., consisting of a square base, a cella-like temple, and a prominent pyramidal roof structure; a small room in the base contained the urn with the ashes of the prince in whose memory the structure was erected.
• tope: A Buddhist monument, common in India and southeastern Asia, consisting of a tumulus of masonry, generally domical in form, for the preservation of relics, when it is distinguished as a dagoba; or to commemorate an event, when it is called a stupa. It is sometimes elevated on a square, cylindrical, or polygonal substructure built vertically or in terraces, and is nearly always crowned with a finial, called a tee, shaped like an umbrella.
• toran: A monumental and richly decorate gateway in the enclosure of a Buddhist stupa in Indian architecture.
• ubapitam: In Indian architecture, a pedestal.
• upana: In Indian architecture, the pedestal of a column.
• upapitha: In Indian architecture, a pedestal.
• ushnisha: In Indian architecture, a coping.
• uttira: In Indian architecture, an entablature.
• Vedas: The oldest sacred writings of Hinduism composed between 1500 and 800 B.C., incorporating four collections hymns, prayers, and liturgical formulas: Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda.
• vedika: Originally, a hall for reading the vedas (sacred Hindu writings). 2. A railing which encloses a sacred area, such as a stupa.
• vesara: An architectural style which blends elements of northern and southern India.
• vihara: A Buddhist or Jain monastery in Indian architecture.
• vimana: A Hindu temple, mainly of the Deccan and southern India. 2. The sanctuary in such a temple containing a cella in which a deity is enshrined.
• zenana: In India, the apartments of the women.
• ziarat: The tomb of a saint in Muslim India.

Also see Architecture Origin index.

Also see Architecture index.