Studies in Indian Art c11.s3.21

c11.s3.21

Although I cannot agree with the suggestion of Dr. Acharya I think we can understand his meaning. He seems to suggest that in the pavilion (विमान) inside the समाजवाट there were seats for the kings on the ground floor and an upper gallery for the sight-seeing पौरजनाः, to which a stair-case was leading. The hand-rail on the side of this stair-case was decorated with the head of crocodile, and this decoration was carved at the bottom near the first baluster or upright post. If I am right in understanding Dr. Acharya's meaning I should say that no doubt, there were upper galleries and stair-cases (cf. सुखारोहणसोपान in the present passage, Ādi, 176.20) with small hand-rails as found in the representations of early Indian art, yet I think that the term शिशुमार शिरः as applicable to this small baluster is, for one thing, of much weaker force than if applied to the full-fledged toraṇa architrave and for the other does not seem to hold good in the present context. A careful reading of the passage (Ādi 176.15-26) makes it quite clear. The शिशुमार शिरः according to the Epic was approached by the citizens and the kings and the question of any upper gallery being reserved for the former does not arise. The obvious and natural inference is that the शिशुमार शिरः (whatever be its meaning) was approached by the guests as the first thing before they made their entry into the arena.