Chapter 26

Question 1

mandala

Answer 1

comprised of concentric circles and squares, a spiritual diagram of the cosmos

Question 2

darshan

Answer 2

auspicious devotional act of seeing and being seen by a deity, holy person, or sacred object in Hinduism

Question 3

elevation

Answer 3

external facade of a building, can be any exterior face of a building viewed as a vertical plane

Question 4

plinth

Answer 4

base or platform upon which a structure rests

Question 5

mandapa

Answer 5

porch or hall located before the inner sanctum of a Hindu temple

Question 6

garbhagriha

Answer 6

Hindu temple’s innermost sanctum; small, dark space, where the main icon of a diety is housed

Question 7

shikhara

Answer 7

tower above the inner sanctum of a Hindu temple, used specifically for north Indian temples

Question 8

amalaka

Answer 8

stone disk shaped like a an amala (a lobed fruit said to have purifying medicinal powers), sits atop the shikhara or a north Indian Hindu temple

Question 9

ambulatory

Answer 9

walking pathway, usually an aisle around a sacred part of a religious space

Question 10

linga

Answer 10

abstract representation of the Hindu god Shiva that denotes his divine generative energy

Question 11

mithuna

Answer 11

amorous couple, representing fertility and considered auspicious

Question 12

gopura

plural gopuram

Answer 12

a monumental tower at the entrance of a Hundu temple complex, especially in south India

Question 13

vimana

Answer 13

tower above the inner sanctum of a Hindu temple in south India

Question 14

gallery

Answer 14

interior passageway or other long, narrow space within the building

Question 15

capstone

Answer 15

large stone marking the top of a tower or well

Question 16

architectural palimpsest

Answer 16

structure that has been changed over time and shows evidence of that change

Question 17

keystone

Answer 17

a central stone, wider at the top than the bottom, placed at the top of an arch to transfer weight downward