Pent Roof Style Temple

The mid and higher hills have pent roofed and pagoda roofed temples.

Pent roof style temple.

Flickr this style is the most ancient one. Shakti devi temple chhitrari chamba lakshna devi temple bharmaur chamba kali devi or mrikula devi lahaul spiti. Timber bonded style with pent roof and optional verandah like temples of himachal pradesh. The maheshwara temple at sungra and chagoan temple in kinnaur also belong to this style.

Each geographical zone of the state has its own distinctive style of architecture. These are all worshipped and the temple is a functional one with a deity inside the garbhagriha. The small solitary wooden structure in the second photograph i was told is a place where the neighbouring deities reside when they come visiting. The high mountainous areas have again flat roofed temples but in a different style.

Pent roofed temples are indigenously styled circular or rectangular structures with slanting roofs made of rows and rows of slates designed in keeping with the climatic conditions of the region. The pent roofed temples are indigenously styled circular or rectangular structures with slanting roofs made of rows and rows of slates designed in keeping with the climatic conditions of the region to keep heavy rainfall and snowfall from covering these structures for more than short intervals. It is a style of mandap with one or more pagoda roofs above the garbh griha that correspond to shikhar of a classical temple usually at one end of the building but sometimes in the centre. Timber bonded style with pent roof and optional verandah.

An old chandi temple showing the the timber bonded style with a pent roof and a veranda. Sutlej valley style a blend of pent roof and pagoda style.