Tala (Hindu architecture)

In Hindu temple architecture, tala is a tier or storey of a shikhara, vimana, or gopuram.

[1][2][3] 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.

However, the tallest gopurams and vimanas, such as that of the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, may have up to 13 talas.

As a major horizontal division of a temple, in the middle each tala has a wall zone with slender pilasters.