- apsara: A celestial nymph; appears as a figure in the sculptural repertory of a Hindu temple.
- bada: The base of a sikhara of a Hindu temple.
- 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.
- chajja: Weather shade of a Hindu temple.
- chandi: A Hindu sepulchral monument in Java, comprising a cella-like temple and pyramidal superstructure above a square base containing an urn with ashes.
- chaori: In India, the porch or hall element of the temple.
- chinikhana: Hindustani term for a niche or other ornamental recess.
- dharmsala: A Hindu caravanserai.
- garbha-griha: The dark, innermost sanctuary of a Hindu temple, where the statue of the deity is placed.
- ghanadvara: A solid door through which the deity enshrined in a Hindu temple manifests itself.
- 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.
- 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.
- kalsa: Hindu term for the pinnacle on a dome.
- kirtimukha: A grotesque mask appearing as an ornament on Hindu temples.
- kovil: A Hindu temple in southern India. See koil.
- 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.
- mandira: A Hindu temple, palace, or hall.
- 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.
- mindra: The cella of a Hindu temple.
- 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.
- 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.
- pura: In Bali, a terraced sanctuary consisting of three courts enclosed by walls, connected by richly decorated gates; symbolizes meru, the “world mountain.” 2. A house, village, or town in Bali.
- ratha: A shrine; a Hindu temple built to resemble a chariot. 2. The vertical salient or recess of a nagara temple wall.
- 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.
- sringa: The dome of a Hindu temple in southern India.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Also see Architecture index.