Qutub Minar is an example of _____ architecture.

Explanation

The correct answer is Indo-Islamic. Key Points Qutub Minar (or Qutab Minar) is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex. It is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of New Delhi, India. The height of Qutb Minar is 72.5 meters, making it the tallest minaret in the world built of bricks. The tower tapers, and has a 14.3 meters (47 feet) base diameter, reducing to 2.7 meters (9 feet) at the top of the peak. Additional Information The Nagara or North Indian temple style Became popular in northern India. The entire temple is generally built on a stone platform with steps leading to it. No grand boundary walls or gateways (unlike the Dravida style). Earlier temples had one shikhara whereas later temples had many. The garbhagriha is located directly beneath the tallest shikhara. Dravidian Style of Architecture – South Indian Style The temple is enclosed within a compound wall. Gopuram: The entrance gateway in the centre of the front wall. Vimana: The shape of the main temple tower. It is a stepped pyramid that rises up geometrically (unlike the Nagara style Shikhara that is curving). In the Dravida style, shikhara is the word used for the crowning element at the top of the temple (which is shaped like a stupika or octagonal cupola). At the entrance to the garbhagriha, there would be sculptures of fierce dvarapalas guarding the temple. Generally, there is a temple tank within the compound. Subsidiary shrines could be found wither within the main tower or beside the main tower. Example in the Sriranganathar Temple at Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, there are 7 concentric rectangular enclosure walls each having gopurams. The tower in the centre has the garbhagriha. Famous temple towns of Tamil Nadu: Kanchipuram, Thanjavur (Tanjore), Madurai and Kumbakonam. In the 8th to 12th centuries – temples were not confined to being religious centres but became administrative centres as well with large swathes of land. The Vesara Style is a hybrid temple architecture. It has features of both the Nagara and Dravidian style of temple architecture. In particular, the shape of the superstructure over the sanctum is usually pyramidal in profile, and shorter than the northern shikhara tower. In plan, the walls and superstructure are broadly circular, or a straight- sided cone, though its geometry is based on rotating a square imposed on a circle.