Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c28.42

c28.42

Much of the imposing appearance of this great structure has been obtained by the treatment of the pyramidal roof. The square portion consists of three tiers diminishing as they ascend, the wide spaces between each stage opening out into platforms for the accommodation of a number of boldly sculptured groups of statuary of heroic size, all performing on musical instruments, an innovation which gives it a vivid human vitality. Each of these tiers is stepped, the two lower with six, and the uppermost with five string courses producing a pattern of horizontality of the utmost architectural value. Above this the apex of the pyramid is gathered up into a massive circular finial, fluted, curved, and moulded, a subtle contrast to the square portion below. The principle on which the roof was designed and executed is similar to that in all the buildings of this region, but in this instance it is elaborated, enlarged, and improved with admirable results. The interior of the hall is now inaccessible, as it has been permanently sealed up in order to preserve it from further subsidence, but it consisted of one large single cell, sixty feet side, the ceiling supported by four huge solid piers, and the whole of its walls, in marked contrast to the rich plastic treatment of its exterior surfaces, severely plain. At the far end of the hall a vestibule led to the sacred cella, a square chamber of twenty-five feet side enclosed within the solid mass of masonry forming the *deul* or tower. This great tower has disappeared, except for its foundations, so that although its general dimensions may be conjectured with a certain degree of exactitude, no record of its style is known. It is however tolerably clear that it followed the usual shape and proportions of the Orissan type of tower, and in view of the progressive character of the rest of the building, it was probably an advance on the Lingaraja form, appertaining more in its volume to that of the Jagannath example at Puri, but with its curves of the refined and fluid order of the Rajarani temple at Bhubaneswar.