The centre of religious life in the medieval period was the temple. Large temple complexes were built, often founded by ruling dynasties who maintained their patronage over many centuries. These temples frequently housed representations of the entire Hindu pantheon. The main deity, usually a form of Vishnu or Śiva, was placed in a sanctuary at the centre of the complex. After the god was established in the sanctuary it was seldom if ever moved. Seen only by priests and important devotees, this form of the god was often symbolic and treated as the sublime form of the godhead. In contrast the sculptures which decorated the outside of the temple, and bronze images which were paraded on festival days, were regarded as the substantial forms of the god.

These two types of representation were termed niskala (without parts) and sakala (with parts) in medieval religious manuals, many of which are preserved from south India. These distinctions were the basis for exacting theological speculation, systems of yogic practice and elaborate ritual and devotional cycles. Ritual cycles followed an annual pattern, but the cycle of the year was also seen as representing and embodying the cosmic year which started with the creation of the world and ended with its dissolution.