Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c30.15

c30.15

The significance of the pillar and its capital in the temples at Osia has been already emphasised, but in some of the examples, that distinctive motif, the "vase and foliage", attained its supreme form Although not universal, this type of capital may be regarded as the "order" of the Indo-Aryan style, and in the hands of some of the sculptors it has been made into a singularly graceful feature One of the most elaborate examples of the vase-and-foliage convention may be seen in the porch pillars of the Mahavira temple of the eighth century. Not only is this element introduced into the capital of the pillar, but, with a slight modification, it also serves as the base. This enrichment however did not satisfy the Indian artist, it was merely one incident in his design, for over and above this he piled on other ornamental devices almost smothering the pillar with the wealth of his inventiveness. There is a feeling that he was endeavouring to express the outpourings of nature in her most bounteous mood, that tumultuous fertility of tropical growth, but on occasion his exuberance becomes strained so that the palate cloys and the eye tires from such a display of sheer sensuousness.