Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c28.34

c28.34

Had it been finished in the manner in which it was begun, nothing would have exceeded the grace and elegance of another temple of this period, the Rajarani, probably one of the last of its class to be built As it is, the *deul*, which is practically complete, displays a refinement in its curves and contours denoting not only an advance in the art of composition, but an appreciation on the part of the craftsmen of a more subtle feeling for form. Much of the improved effect has been obtained by a change in the distribution of the decorative elements comprising the tower, so that a more fluent volume and mass is the result No one who has seen the Rajarani temple, and also those of the Khajuraho group shortly to be described (Chapter XXII), can fail to notice the similarity in the shape of this particular Orissan deul, and the sikharas of the Central Indian type, which strike a new note in this aspect of temple design The tower of the Bhubaneswar example is remarkable for the beauty of its formation, but the attached jagamohan, mainly because it has been left in an unfinished condition, consists of much that is interesting. Apart from its promise of artistic qualities equal to that of the deul, one can see from the designs on its walls, some merely inscribed, others blocked out, but all incomplete, the manner in which the architectural decoration was effected. As in all these productions in the preparation of which the work has been interrupted, the toolmarks are so fresh and clear that the human element seems still to linger, implying that the craftsman is shortly returning to his task. But from this example, and also another of the group, the Siddhesvara, it is clear that the practice of the Orissan builders was to block out the structure in the mass, leaving its surfaces "boasted" awaiting final treatment with the sculptor's chisel. The small temple of Siddhesvara is notable in this particular, for it appears as a relatively plain building, yet it is quite obvious that it was the intention to elaborate all its parts with carved decoration, but for some reason, probably financial, this never matured.