Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c13.s3.5

c13.s3.5

From the detailed mention of the numerous spaces available for ornamental carving it appears that the description was meant for a railing of timber construction. In the actual stone railing found at Mathura the spaces are reduced but the fact remains that the pillars and the cross bars are profusely ornamented with lotus designs of various forms. The most interesting decorative designs on this earlier railing at Mathura are the animal figures, e. g. fishtailed elephant (*hastimachchha*, *jalabha*, J. 427), fishtailed crocodile (*magaramachchha* J 421), fishtailed winged lion (*sapaksha vyāghramachchha*), fishtailed wolf, fishtailed griffin (*śyena machchha*). [Fig. 132]. To these marine motifs the *Aṅgavijjā* adds *naramachchha*, *gomachchha* and *assamachchha*. Another feature is the decoration of winged animals which is peculiar to Mathura, e.g. winged lion, winged antelope, winged wolf, winged goat, etc. The crossbars also illustrate many kinds of medallions containing a number of auspicious and decorative designs, e. g. *kalpavṛiksha* inside railing, winged auspicious conch (*bhadraśaṅkha*) oozing from its mouth a stream of punchmarked coins, *stūpa*, honey suckle (*muchakunda*), *bhikṣāpātra* placed on a raised pedestal, elephant, bull, deer, human-headed lion, wolf, and five petalled, eight, ten, twelve and many petalled lotuses.