Previous Year Question

• The Kalyana Mandapa was a distinctive component of Vijayanagara temple architecture. It was a pillared pavilion within the temple complex where special religious and festive ceremonies, including the symbolic marriage of a deity and the deity’s consort, were performed.

• The Vijayanagara rulers, particularly between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, enlarged older temples and constructed extensive temple complexes. Their temples commonly displayed the following features:

  • Tall and imposing Raya Gopurams

  • Large multi-pillared mandapas

  • Kalyana Mandapas and Utsava Mandapas

  • Composite pillars decorated with yalis, horses and warriors

  • Long chariot streets and bazaars in front of temples

  • Extensive use of granite

• The Vitthala Temple at Hampi is a major example of mature Vijayanagara architecture. According to UNESCO, its temple complex includes a Kalyana Mandapa, an Utsava Mandapa, three entrance gopurams and the celebrated granite chariot.

• Chalukya architecture is especially associated with the rock-cut temples at Badami and the structural temples of Aihole and Pattadakal, where Nagara and Dravida forms were experimentally combined.

• Chandela architecture is principally represented by the Nagara-style temples of Khajuraho, distinguished by high platforms, clusters of shikharas and extensive sculptural decoration.

• Rashtrakuta architecture is best represented by the Kailasa Temple at Ellora, a monumental monolithic temple excavated from a single mass of rock.

Therefore, the distinctive development of Kalyana Mandapas is associated with the Vijayanagara Empire.