Coming to the north of India,the robust early Gupta temple had flowered out from the 8th to the 11th centuries into an exuberance of temples in Rajasthan,nearly all of which were destroyed by early Muslim invaders.At Osian,near Jodhpur,may be seen some 16 temples in ruins.8th century Ekling Mahadev temple near Udaipur is another surviving example.27 Hindu and Jain temples were destroyed to build the Qutb Mosque at Delhi and over 50 were destroyed to build Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra Mosque at Ajmer with 100 carved temple pillars used for the construction.These and other muslim monuments give an idea of workmanship of the early Hindu temples of Rajasthan. Similarly,history records the temples built by the Solanki rulers of Gujarat after Mahmud of Ghazni desecrated the Somnath temple in the 11th century.However,the end of the 13th century saw a fresh wave of dectruction and today only stray examples remain such as the 11th century Sun temple at Modhera near Ahmedabad.
In Central India at Khajuraho,are 22 hindu and Jain temples built between 950 and 1050 A.D.These temples do not show any gradual development from earlier forms. Exuberant,exotic and majestic,they have some unique features such as the absence of surrounding walls,very high plinths and the parts of the temple encompassed into one composite whole.The total effect is elevating of soul and spirit,yet warm and earthy.Several temples have erotic sculptures.Some of the most beautiful specimens of this northern or Nagara school however are to be seen in eastern India mainly in the state of Orissa.The 8th to 13th centuries saw a tremendous movement of temple art in this region,outstandingly grand in conception and design.The parts of the temples were given different names such as deul of the inner sanctuary,jagmohan for the vestibule,the nat-mandir(dance hall) and the bhog-mandir(refectory).In Bhubhaneshawar,there are nearly 500 shrines today of different sizes out of the 7000which once existed.The 1000-year old Lingaraj temple is one of the greatest of its kind.Its majestic tower,39 meters high, dominates the landscape for miles around and was built without the use of mortar,an architectural marvel.Some of the walls are as much as seven feet thick.The main temple is surrounded by a cluster of 65 temples.At Puri is the famous shrine of Jagannath,which is even larger than the Lingaraj temple,with its 59 meters high tower.
The culmination of the Chalukya school of architecture can be seen in the fantastic Sun temple of Konark.Designed in the shape of a chariot to the Sun god,it stands on 12 wheels (symbolizing the 12 months) and is drawn by 7 horses (for the 7 days of the week).This 13th century temple often called the Black Pagoda is verily one of wonders of the world.The tower now fallen,must have once been wel over 62 meters in height.Some of the carvings are erotic and show close affinity to Khajuraho.At Khajuraho and Konark,the walls,cornices and the interiors are covered with carvings, some of which are highly erotic and even inclusive of perversions,possibly being expressions of the short lived Kapalika cult which held sway at the time.This cult placed great emphasis on sexual union as a step towards spiritual union with divine. In Bengal a kind of folk art in which temple forms copied thatched huts developed,as did the Jor-Bangla,a unique structure designed as if two huts have one common tower. The Hindu temple starting from simple origins developed through the ages into massive monuments to the gods,giving scope to the skill of the architect and the builder,the talent of the artist and the painter and the genius of the carver and the sculptor.Each village and town, especially in the south has temples of different schools and stages of development.
