Describe briefly the features of early temples made during the period when Stupas were built in Sanchi.
Around the time that the stupas at sites such as Sanchi were acquiring their present form, the first temples to house images of gods and goddesses were also being built. The early temple was a small square room, called the garbhagriha with a single doorway for the worshipper to enter and after worship to the image. Gradually, a tall structure, known as the shikhara was built over the central shrine. Temple walls were often decorated with sculpture. Later temples became far more elaborate with assembly halls, huge walls and gateways, and arrangements for supplying water.
One of the unique features of early temples was that some of these were hollowed out of huge rocks, as artificial caves.
