Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c24.30

c24.30

No account of these two monuments would be complete without a reference to the statuary with which the square foundational portion is embellished. Most of this takes the form of single figure subjects each occupying its appointed niche in the scheme as a whole. For instance the dancing figure of the god Nataraja is located in a panelled recess on the south-west corner, Siva within the flaming lingam is on the west face, Ganesh the elephant god is on the south, and Chandi Kesa Angrahamurti on the north and so forth, each expressing a spiritual as well as a material embodiment of the deity represented. On the spaces around are depicted attendant beings such as flying *Apsaras* (nymphs), sprawling *Gana-devtas* (lesser divinities), and contorted *Yakshas* (supernatural creatures), with a border of writhing *Rakshasas* (goblins) at the foot of each story. A feature of the lowest portion of the vimana is the character and volume of the base mouldings on which this great pile takes its stand. In few other styles has the importance of a stylobate been so fully understood, with the result that its courses are in complete accord with their function, their proportions are massive without being unduly heavy. Especially does this apply to the ponderous torus and its supporting member, the scale of which, although immense, implies strength combined with equilibrium. The sense of stability expressed by such means in the bases of the Dravidian buildings during this period and also afterwards has rarely been excelled.