Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c17.21

c17.21

As the work of producing these shrines proceeded, so they became larger and more ornate, the cells were made more spacious, and the simple porches began to assume the appearance of pillared halls. A stage in this process is seen in the "Bina cave", No 3, where, in addition to the four pillars forming the front of the portico, there are two smaller pillars on either side. No. 9, known as the "Amrita cave" denotes a further step, as it is the largest, and probably the latest, of the entire series. It has a cella nearly twice the size of the others, which measures 22 feet by 19 feet 4 inches, and four massive pillars some eight feet high have been left in the centre, all hewn out of the rock. The doorway is also richly carved in the rock, and outside was a long structural portico with three openings, to which a pillared hall was afterwards added, the whole forming a composition 27 feet square. Both the plastic and architectural treatment of the Amrita example show that it is the repository of several art traditions. In the first place, in the design of the rock-cut capitals of the inner chamber, the carvers have reproduced something from the Gautamīputra colonnade at Nasik of the first century B.C., as shown by the small fawn-like animals which enrich its fluted bell. Secondly, for the doorway they seem to have received some inspiration from the Sanchi toranas, as parts of it are a memory transcript, incised in the rock, of this type of gateway. And thirdly, the pillars of the portico are of the Gupta pattern with vase-shaped capital. Although this sanctuary contains contributions from these three different sources, yet throughout it displays a quality and temper inherited from the Buddhist art of the Sunga period, thus showing that the Besnagar craftsmen still retained their skill under the Guptas, although four centuries had passed. The fine rock-cut figure compositions, which form part of the shrines are further evidence of the persistent vitality of this artistic school.