Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c37.8

c37.8

The method of making effective the wall content of the temples was based on that initiated by the earlier Chalukyan builders, as at Pattadakal, in which the principle employed was that very sound one of spacing out the surface by means of pilasters. But the later craftsmen took this simple idea and developed it into a much more elaborate and finished conception. The pilasters are present, their slender shafts dividing the wall into well-proportioned areas, and giving to the whole a functional framework of great architectural value. Moreover, the builders added to the forcefulness of this by alternating much larger structural forms in the shape of half-pillars resembling buttresses, and at the same time a replica, in their design and detail, of the pillars of the open hall in front, a repetition of marked architectural compatibility. Then at appropriate intervals an ornamental niche or shrine was projected, with a wide eave to gather shadow, and above, a canopy, copying the decorated form of the sikhara itself, again a most artistic refrain. Finally, to enrich the whole scheme in a suitable manner a graceful motif, not unlike a standard reliquary, was interposed between the other elements, and supporting a trophy of foliated curves, while the same voluted trophy on a large scale finds a place wherever required. Such is a bare outline of the mural treatment of these temples, a disposition of architectural decoration which must be seen to be appreciated. While no doubt its conception was the result of experience, the ease and fluency with which it was designed and distributed, and its aesthetic fitness to the space it occupied, implies the possession of a natural gift for plastic expression inherited by its creators. (Plate CXXX.)