Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c19.40

c19.40

Of the viharas at Aurangabad, those numbered 3 and 7, are the finest and also the best preserved, and more important still, each illustrates a different form of plan No. 3 is of the more general kind, in which the cella leads out of the pillared hall, being cut deep into the rock. On the other hand the cella of No. 7 occupies the centre of the main compartment, while a passage for ambulation is carried around it, an arrangement which is not common, and is probably a survival of some early tradition. When, shortly afterwards, the Hindus began their series of rock-cut temples at Ellora, a few of these were planned on much the same system, as for instance that known as the Rameswara. Another distinctive feature of the Aurangabad viharas is their plastic treatment, which takes two forms, one consisting of designs executed in moderate relief and chiefly on the pillars and their superstructures, the other of bold figure sculpture carved almost in the round. The pillars have capitals composed of a combination of the bracket with the vase and foliage motif, while in vihara No. 1 supplementary struts have been introduced, each a figure-subject of graceful design resembling those at Badami in temple No. 3. In addition to the rich character of the capitals, the entire shaft of the pillar is elaborately carved into designs of foliage and figures, particularly noticeable in No. 3.