Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c30.13

c30.13

From each temple at Osia the progress of the style may be studied, for instance in that known as the Pipla Devi, a stage in the development of the pillar is illustrated. This temple is provided with a large *sabhamandapa*, or assembly hall, in which there are as many as thirty pillars, apparently dating from the end of the tenth century. Although there is much to admire in their treatment, these pillars seem to indicate that a point had been reached when the art had passed its fine freshness, and was becoming stylized and stiff. The flutings of the shaft in the earlier model have been replaced by recessed angles, which are carried through the entire length of the pillar and even into the capital. Instead of each member of the order being distinct, they merge into one another, the effect becoming confused A similar treatment of the pillar is noticeable in another temple in this area, the Jageswara at Saladi in Godvad, Jodhpur State, which is known to have been built towards the end of the tenth century, and therefore confirms the date of the approaching decline.