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@article{200569,
        author = {Ms. Riddhi Mehta and Dr. Tanya D souza},
        title = {Shikhar, Stone and Shade: A CFD-Based Thermal Performance Study of Indian Temple Architecture},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {2811-2816},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=200569},
        abstract = {Indian temple architecture of the Nagara tradition represents one of the most climatically responsive built systems in the subcontinent’s history, yet its thermal performance has not been subjected to rigorous computational analysis. This paper presents a CFD-based thermal performance study of a representative Nagara-style temple under hot semi-arid Indian climatic conditions using ANSYS Fluent. The study evaluates the thermal contribution of four architectural elements: the shikhara, the mandapa, the courtyard, and the stone envelope through parametric variation of geometry, orientation, and material properties. Thermal comfort is assessed using the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index. Results confirm that the combined passive system of stack-driven ventilation, thermal mass time lag, courtyard shading, and evaporative moderation produces interior conditions that are measurably superior to those of contemporary unshaded enclosures. The findings are synthesized into a five-principal design translation framework for low-energy building practice across India’s hot semi-arid climate zone.},
        keywords = {Nagara temple architecture, computational fluid dynamics, passive cooling, thermal mass, PMV index, vernacular bioclimatology},
        month = {May},
        }