Vesara Architecture

Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture that combines the site layouts of Dravidian architecture from southern India with shape details characteristic of the Nagara style of northern India, its name derived from the Sanskrit word for mule in reference to that synthesis of two distinct traditions; the Kamika-agama text also calls it Sankara, or hybrid, for the same reason. It developed chiefly in the Deccan, particularly in the Karnataka region between the Vindhya Range and the Krishna River, likely originating in architectural schools around Dharwad; scholars debate its precise dating, tracing roots to the Early Chalukyas of 500 to 753 CE while dating its fully developed form to the Western Chalukyas of 983 to 1195 CE or the Hoysala period of 1000 to 1330 CE. Vesara temples are marked by a projecting wall section called the bhadra, rounded or elliptical forms, decorative narrative panels, and miniature shikhara towers used as ornamental motifs, with a pyramidal superstructure shorter than the towers of northern temples and walls that form a circular or cone-like profile. It is counted among the six major architectural types of the Indian temple tradition.