Jagati (temple)

In Hindu temple architecture, the jagati is the raised surface of the platform or terrace upon which Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples are built.

The jagati lies on a platform or base called adhiṣṭhāna (among other terms from various languages) which adds to its height.

[3] The sides of the adhishthana are often ornamented with relief sculptures, or deep-cut mouldings.

In English this may be called by terms from Western Greco-Roman classical architecture including base, plinth and socle.

The jagati also allows for ritual circumambulation, i.e. the walking of devotees around the shrine, which is important in both Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Architecture of Khajuraho temples with the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple built on a jagati
Conjectural reconstruction of the wooden Temple 40, burnt down in the 2nd century BCE at Sanchi .
Symmetrical architecture on a jagati at Somanathapura