Hindu Temple
Grade 6 · ART · Religious Architecture
Lesson presentation introducing the structure, features, and artistic elements of a Hindu temple for Grade 6 Art students.
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A Hindu temple (kovil) in Sri Lanka is usually identifiable from a distance by its gopuram - a tall, tiered gateway tower covered in sculpted figures of deities, painted in bright colour and getting narrower toward the top. Inside, the plan is organised around a central shrine housing the main deity, with a defined path for circumambulation around it.
The sculptural density is the thing to notice and describe: unlike a plainer building, almost every surface of a gopuram carries a figure, which is itself part of the building's purpose - teaching stories to people who could not read them.
