Tala (Hindu architecture)
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{italic title}}
File:1834 sketch of elements in Hindu temple architecture, seven storey vimana.jpg
In Hindu temple architecture, tala is a tier or storey of a shikhara, vimana, or gopuram. It is an important compositional element, which is especially distinct in the Dravidian architecture.{{cite web |last1=Sutherland |first1=A. |title=Vimana Temples - Architectural Marvel Of India |url=http://www.ancientpages.com/2018/12/31/vimana-temples-architectural-marvel-of-india/ |website=Ancient Pages |accessdate=5 July 2019 |date=31 December 2018}}{{cite book |last1=Dhaky |first1=Madhusudan A. |title=The Indian Temple Forms in Karṇāṭa Inscriptions and Architecture |date=1977 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=9788170170655 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VyW32NwcMr4C&q=Tala+vimana+architecture&pg=PA18 |accessdate=5 July 2019 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Rajan |first1=K. V. Soundara |title=Glimpses of Indian Culture: Architecture, art, and religion |date=1980 |publisher=Sundeep |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgtuAAAAMAAJ&q=Tala+vimana+architecture |accessdate=5 July 2019 |language=en}}
Dravidian vimanas
Vimanas above the sanctum are typically shaped as a four-sided pyramid, consisting of progressively smaller talas. Dravidian vimanas can be classified as one-story (called ekatala), two-story (dvi-tala), three-story (tri-tala), and so on. Usually, vimanas have up to seven stories. However, the tallest gopurams and vimanas, such as that of the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, may have up to 13 talas.
Importantly, the kuta at the top of a vimana does not count as a separate tala. As a major horizontal division of a temple, in the middle each tala has a wall zone with slender pilasters.{{cite book |last1=Hardy |first1=Adam |title=Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries |date=1995 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=9788170173120 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aU0hCAS2-08C&q=Tala+vimana+architecture&pg=PA46 |accessdate=5 July 2019 |language=en}} The side parts are usually heavily decorated with statues, which may add up to hundreds. Many temples claim that each one of such statues is unique.
Vimanas are divided in two groups: jati vimanas that have up to four talas and mukhya vimanas that have five talas and more.{{cite journal |last1=Neela |first1=N. |last2=Ambrosia |first2=G. |title=VIMANA ARCHITECTURE UNDER THE CHOLAS |journal=Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science & Humanities |date=April 2016 |volume=3 |issue=4 |page=57 |url=https://www.shanlax.com/wp-content/uploads/SIJ_ASH_V3_N4_008.pdf |accessdate=5 July 2019 |issn=2321-788X}}{{cite web |title=Glossary of Technical Terms |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/75375/17/17_glossary.pdf |accessdate=5 July 2019}}