Shikhara

Imagine you have a very tall and majestic tower that is made out of big blocks of stone. This tower is called a shikhara! It can be found on top of some Hindu temples in India.

The shikhara is the part that makes the temple look really special and impressive. It is like the crown of the temple because it sits on top of everything else.

The shikhara is shaped like a mountain with a really pointy top. It is made by stacking one stone on top of another, just like you stack your building blocks to build a tower. But instead of using building blocks, the shikhara is made using big stones that are carved and shaped into different designs.

These stones are carefully placed on top of each other, and they get smaller and smaller as they go higher. It is called a stepped pyramid, which means it looks like a pyramid with lots of big steps. Each step is like a layer that adds to the shikhara's height.

The shikhara is typically decorated with beautiful and intricate carvings. These carvings can show different scenes from Hindu mythology, like gods and goddesses, animals, and other symbols that are important to the Hindu religion.

The shikhara not only looks amazing, but it also serves an important purpose. It acts like a roof to protect the temple underneath it from rain, sun, and other weather conditions. It is built so well that it keeps the temple safe and dry.

So, the shikhara is like a magical tower that makes a Hindu temple look incredibly special and grand! It is made by stacking carved stones on top of each other and is shaped like a mountain. It has lots of beautiful carvings and serves as a protective roof for the temple below.