Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c16.16

c16.16

The group of brick temples in the Raipur district,⁴ in spite of being some distance away, and also of a later date, as they are assigned to the tenth century, show a certain affinity to the example at Bhitagaon. In this locality there are the remains of several similar structures, but the one which is in the best condition, and retains most of its original appearance, is the temple of Lakshmana at Sirpur. (Plate XXXVII) It is a building having the same tower-like proportions, with a projecting porch leading to a single cell in the interior, and the whole stands on a high plinth. At its base it measures 22 feet side, and when complete was probably at least 60 feet high, although the upper part is much injured. In front there are the remains of a pillared hall (mandapa) which however appears to have been a later addition. The entire building is of brick with the exception of the inner entrance to the sanctuary, which consists of a wide doorway elaborately carved in stone and leading to a cella 9 feet 9 inches side Where this comparatively small structure excels—and the same qualities may be observed in other shrines of the group—is in the dispositions of its parts, the design and distribution of its decorative elements, and the character of its construction generally, all of which denote artistic and technical knowledge of no mean order. The attractive effects of light and shade obtained by the receding planes of its walls, intersected by the carefully adjusted horizontal lines of the deep string-courses also show considerable architectural experience. Equally pleasing is the relief ornament which is of a conventional type, applied in the best of taste, and in keeping with the composition as a whole. The most noticeable feature is a deeply recessed false window in the centre of each side; this is divided into panels by mullions, and each panel contains a carved pattern intended to represent open-work, evidently derived from a wooden lattice. Nearly all the ornamentation was chiselled out of the brickwork after the walls were built, the necessary parts having been left boasted for this purpose, and the carving carried over the joints as if the whole were in one piece The average size of the bricks is 17"x9"x3", and the surfaces of each have been laboriously rubbed down to a smooth finish, thus enabling the joints to be kept particularly fine. In all its aspects the Lakshmana temple definitely proves that it was the handiwork of craftsmen who had served a long apprenticeship to this method of building.