Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c15.s2.t4: Palace
Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c15.s2.t4
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Palace
c15.s2.t4.1
As regards the citadel area of Vijayapurī, remains of its ditch, city-gates and the grand fortification wall (prākāra) were found, which belonged to the flourishing period of the Ikshvāku kings, formed important components of the toun-planning of that age. The citadel wall which is 16' high in some places could be traced in two phases; the earlier one being a mud rampart 80' wide at the base (vapra) resting on the earth. The second phase was represented by a burnt-brick wall, 9 to 14 feet thick, generally built either directly on the existing rampart or on a secondary filling over it, but on naturally high grounds directly on the bare rock-surface. The lofty fortification wall was surrounded on all sides, excepting for the hilly portion on the south side, by a ditch (parikhā, khāta), 12' in depth and varying from 74 to 132 feet in width.
c15.s2.t4.2
The eastern gateway led into the extensive first court—Prathama Kakshyā—in which barracks for soldiers, stables for royal horses (Rāja-mandurā) and a nicely-plastered masonry cistern (pushkariṇī) have been found tallying with the architectural planning of the capital and palace. The western gateway with a minimum width of 17', faced the Kṛṣṇā, and in the north side of the wall was a postern gate (pārśvadvāra) to serve the palace. [Fig. 222].