Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c28.7

c28.7

The small group of temples at Mukhalingam consists of three examples, namely Mukhalingeswara, Bhimesvara and Somesvara, whose foundations probably date from the time of the old capital, when its rulers were in touch with the movements in the south and west of the peninsula. These buildings are now very much restored, but the renovations do not appear to have deviated materially from the general shape of the original structure. From their appearance, and specially from the character of their carving, in their present form they may date from the ninth or tenth centuries. The most striking example of the group is the temple of Mukhalingeswara, which in plan, is an incipient type of a *panchayatana*, or temple of five shrines, as apart from the central sanctuary, there are four minor shrines one at each corner. In spite of its presumed Chalukyan origin, in some of the carvings with which the facade is decorated, the presence of a certain kind of scrollwork pattern, and the unmistakable "vase and foliage" order of the pilasters, implies some influence of the Gupta style, which prevailed more in the north and north-west of India towards the seventh century A.D. But at the beginning of its course any movement is the ready recipient of such forms as are conveyed to it from all sources to become incorporated in its productions.