Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c9.17

c9.17

It had big dimensions worthy of a royal palace. When sufficient earth had been brought from the Gaṅgā, it was rammed under the feet of elephants wearing leather covers and on that ramp was raised a rampart ( पतितपतितच उदकेन सन्नीत्वा पाकारं चिनन्ति ). There were gateways in the palace wall, one of which looked on the city-side. The *Prākāra* was 27 feet or 18 cubits in height and so also the gateway fitted with mechanical contrivance to shut the big door leaves (*Yantra-yukta dvāra*) by pressing a peg (*Anī*) which seems to have been the same as the *Indra-kila* of other descriptions. On either side the walls were built of bricks (*Iṭṭhakāhi chinitvā*), and coated with lime plaster (*Sudhā-kamma*). The rooms were roofed over (*Maṭhthakka*) with planks (*paḍarachhanna*) and the ceiling was covered with a special kind of plastering clay called *Ulloka-mattikā* of which several thin coats were applied (*lepetvā*), the last one of shining white colour (*Seta-kamma*). This special white clay was the same as *Navanīta Mattikā* mentioned in the Mahā-vaṃsa. The Chitrasūtra calls it *Mashaka* on account of its butter-like consistency, a technique for preparing the ground on the walls for painting.