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.s25.4

v6.c41.s25.4

‘The monolith had been erected just in front of a great terraced pyramid which stood between two others. All these pyramids were faced, in the usual Maya style, with blocks of cut limestone. The central one had three terraces and was 32 feet high. Its flat top, upon which there no doubt stood a wooden temple, long since perished, was one 135 feet long and 64 feet across. Further investigation showed that these pyramids were at one end of a great enclosure, which was surrounded by a massive stone wall. This wall is from 12 to 15 feet thick at the base, and in the places where it has MAYA TEMPLE OF PATRON DEITY *KULKULCAN* UPON HIGH-TERRACED PLATFORM OF THE HINDU ŚIKHARA TYPE COVERING AN AREA OF ONE ACRE, CHICHEN ITZA, CENTRAL AMERICA remained intact, it is 12 feet high ; but for the most part the growth of the luxurious vegetation has thrown the stones down and the ruins are only 3 or 4 feet above ground. The wall is a mile and a half long and forms a semicircle with the two ends running down to the shore.’