Manasara Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Manasara-Shilpashastra; III. Manasara on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Manasara: Translation; V. Architecture of Manasara: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v6.c41.s18.11

v6.c41.s18.11

The horned houses are mostly dwellings. They are oblong in shape, with the front on one of the long sides. ‘They are one storey high and stand several feet above the ground, on posts or piles. The walls are of wood or plaited bamboo, the front steps of wood, stucco-covered brick, or stone, the windows mere openings closed by means of shutters or screens, and the doors plain and usual.’ The larger and better types of these houses are furnished with elaborate porches at the entrance, and the ends of the main structure rise in curves and are highly carved. The roof, of which the peculiarity lies in its simplest form, ‘consists of a flexible ridge-pole running lengthwise off the house, supported only at the ends.’ The top line is curved with raised ends and represents a crescent.²