Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c33.3

c33.3

THE sacred buildings within the Fort at Gwalior, as a whole, differ little in their architectural style from those of the surrounding country, although as they form a small series by themselves, they invite separate description. On the other hand the other group included in this chapter, that at Brindaban near Muttra, a hundred miles to the north and built several centuries later, consists of several temples of a specially localized order. Of the earlier series, those at Gwalior, there are some eleven structures of a religious character within the perimeter of this rock-bound fortress, five of which take the form of temples. Out of the five, three only are of importance, while their architectural composition is such as to give them considerable significance. According to an inscription the largest of the three, known as the greater Sas-Bahu was finished in A.D. 1093, and the other two cannot be far removed from this in date, so that all may be regarded as representative of the style in these parts towards the end of the eleventh century, or shortly after.