A torana is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in East Asia and p
Torana of Sanchi Stupa. The stupa dates to the period of the Mauryan Empire (3rd century BC), but the torana itself dates to the Satavahana period, in the 1st century BCE. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Traditional torana hanging made from mango leaves and palm leaves. They are typically tied over doors, altars at home, during festives and on temples.
Hindola Torana. 9th century torana in Madhya Pradesh, India.
The famous torii at Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan, where the Indian Hindu goddess Saraswati is worshipped as the Buddhist-Shinto goddess Benzaiten.
A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kam
Torana (architecture)
…architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in East Asia and parts of Southeast Asia. Chinese Shanmen gateways, Japanese torii gateways, Korean Iljumun and Hongsalmun gateways, Vietnamese Tam quan gateways, and Thai Sao Ching Cha may have derived from the Indian torana. They…
The torii at Itsukushima Shrine
Buddhist goddess Benzaiten, a torii visible on her head