Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c40.12

c40.12

Of the "sikhara" form of Napalese temple, this structure, although obviously derived from the Indo-Aryan type of India, has been adapted to conform to different ideals. The sikhara surmounts a single cell, to which no mandapa is attached, but the whole is surrounded by a columned verandah, and is elevated on a series of diminishing plinths. All the main elements of the sikhara of India are visible such as the *urusringas* (attached turrets) the *amalasila* (fluted finial) and the characterisitc offsets (*paga*), but each treated in a manner different from its prototype, and therefore peculiarly expressive of the Newar idiom. A typical example of this class of building is the Krishna temple in the Durbar Square at Patan, which rises up in three arcaded stories, and is notable for the carved stone frieze of considerable length minutely chiselled depicting in full detail the romantic episodes of the divinity to whom it is consecrated. The arcading of this temple may be studied as in some respects it illustrates the "order" that was adopted not only in Nepal, but in the building art of the Himalayas generally. Trabeate in principle, the lintels are carried on brackets, a system which has led to this device being described as the "crutch" type of support, almost invariably employed in the wooden construction of these mountainous regions Consisting of monolithic pillars, their shafts octagonal in section, these columns are provided with very rudimentary bases, but have capitals of a distinctive design There is a square moulded abacus, but beneath this, part capital and part necking, is a circular chaplet of ovoid petals, an element which seems to be essential in all the fully matured capitals in Nepalese architecture Whether this feature is associated with the lotus flower, or is a derivative of the Indo-Aryan *kalas* or fluted vase is not clear, but it is a prominent motif not only in the building art of the Newars, but also in the earlier architecture of another Himalayan country, that of Kashmir.