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.s25.102

v6.c41.s25.102

‘All the columns have a base, which differs from one building to another.’⁶ ‘The type that prevailed all over the country in the golden age of Persian art is represented’ in the great palace at Susa. It constitutes the true Persian base. ‘The base is not infrequently carved into the lower drum of the shaft, and is singled with it, hence with it must stand or inevitably fall. Elsewhere, in the hypostyle hall of Xerxes, for instance, the base is cut into two, in it the torus belongs to the first drum of the shaft, whilst the principal member is a separate block---resting directly on the ground. Despite the elegance of its contour and the care displayed in its make, the base lacks independence, and does not sufficiently contrast with the column so as to allow of those charming effects which greet us'¹ in the Grecian and Indian support.