Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c28.17

c28.17

It will be seen that of the Early Period there are seven examples, all of them at Bhubaneswar. Three of these, Sutru Ganesvara, Bharatesvara, and Lakshmanesvara are ruined shrines of small size situated near the much later temple of Rameswara. The remaining four are all fully formed temples, namely Vaital Deul and Iswaresvara, both of which are in the town and within the same enclosure; Uttaresvara, in north of the Vindu-Sarovara tank, and Parasrameswar, on the outskirts of the town. The buildings of this group vary considerably in size and shape, but all display that spirit of ingenuousness which betokens the early effort. Their primitive character is obvious in the architectural treatment, and there are also discernible forms and elements derived from a number of sources, showing wide contacts and various influences. But it is in the plastic decoration of their exteriors that this unsophisticated nature is most in evidence, and it is illustrated in both the subject-matter and its method of representation. For in these carved patterns there are artists' memories or previous experiences, mysterious insertions and fragmentary statements, introduced sometimes irrationally and without full knowledge of their meaning, while some of the motifs are frankly of Buddhist extraction. Two of the early examples at Bhubaneswar, the temples of Parasrameswar and Vaital Deul are of surpassing interest and throw no little light on the origins of the style.