BharatNotes Shikhara
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
Just as the soaring shikhara of a Nagara temple was conceived as a man-made Mount Meru drawing the eye and the spirit upward, a well-designed welfare architecture should crown its foundational schemes with an aspirational apex of dignity and self-reliance for the citizen.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
śikhā (n Sanskrit), Nagara shikhara (n compound), shikhara-style (adj compound)
Root
Sanskrit śikhara (शिखर) = mountain peak, summit; related to śikhā (शिखā) = topknot, point; symbolises Mount Meru in Hindu cosmology
Etymology
From Sanskrit śikhara ("mountain peak, summit"), related to śikhā ("topknot, point"); the form symbolises Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the centre of the universe in Hindu cosmology.
Memory Hook
"Shikhar" is Hindi for a mountain peak (think of Shikhar Dhawan reaching the summit of the batting charts) - the SHIKHARA is the temple's stone "peak" pointing to the heavens.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The tower rising above the sanctum in Nagara temple architecture, and the defining vertical element of the northern temple. It is curvilinear in the latina or rekha type, crowned by the ribbed disc called the amalaka and the kalasha or pot finial above that, and its symbolism is cosmic, the tower standing for Mount Meru. Its form is generated by repetition rather than by simple mass, since the shekhari type clusters smaller replica spires or urushringas around the central tower to produce the mountain-like massing seen at Khajuraho. The sub-types are asked directly and should be distinguished: latina is the single curvilinear spire, phamsana is lower and rises in straight stepped tiers, and valabhi is barrel-roofed. The contrast that anchors the whole comparison is that a Nagara shikhara curves inward as it rises while a Dravida vimana steps up in diminishing storeys to a pyramidal profile.
Don’t Confuse It With
In Nagara architecture shikhara means the whole tower above the sanctum, but in Dravida usage the same word means only the crowning member at the summit of the vimana, which is a genuine and frequent source of confusion. The amalaka is the ribbed disc near the top of a Nagara tower and the kalasha the pot finial above it. Latina, phamsana and valabhi are the three basic Nagara types, while shekhari and bhumija are later composite developments.
Hindi Meaning
शिखर (shikhar); आमलक (āmalak) and कलश (kalash) for the crowning members.
Common Questions
- What are the sub-types of the Nagara shikhara?
- Latina, a single curvilinear spire; phamsana, lower and rising in straight stepped tiers; and valabhi, with a barrel-vaulted roof, with shekhari and bhumija as later composite forms.
- How does a Nagara shikhara differ from a Dravida vimana?
- The Nagara shikhara curves inward as it rises to a rounded finial, while the Dravida vimana steps up in diminishing storeys to a pyramidal profile.
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