mandapa

(noun)

In South Indian architecture, a pillared hall or porch fronting a Hindu temple that may be attached or detached from the building.

Related Terms

Examples of mandapa in the following topics:

  • Champa Art in Early Vietnam

    • Temple complexes usually consisted of several parts: the kalan or sanctuary, usually in the form of a tower and used to house the deity; the mandapa or entry hallway; the kosagrha or fire-house, used to house the temple's valuables and to cook for the deity; and the gopura or gate-tower leading into the walled templed complex.
    • From left to right one can see the kalan, the attached mandapa, the saddle-shaped kosgrha, and the gopura.

  • Nayak Architecture

    • Among the main characteristics are the long corridors; the carved hundred-pillared and thousand-pillared mandapas (outdoor temple halls or porches); and the high, multi-storied gopurams (towers adorning the entrance of a temple), richly decorated with brightly-painted stone and stucco statues of animals, gods, and demons.