The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c48.s3.1

c48.s3.1

In the jungles, near the small village of Narsapur, just across the Maisur border from the Dhārwār District, and about four miles south of Chik-Kerur, are the ruins of several old temples, at one of which—Sōmēśvara—are two fine perforated windows, one on either side of the entrance to the hall (Plate CLVIII). They are each six feet nine inches high by four feet broad, and are divided into seven horizontal bands of bas-reliefs separated from one another by long narrow openings to admit the light. Placed along these narrow slits, at intervals, are small medallions or studs, each containing a little figure of a man, an elephant, a lion or a bird. It is a pretty little device to break the continuity of these dark lines and connect the bands. The scenes portrayed upon the bands are from the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata. The more damaged one has reference to the former, while that illustrating the incidents from the latter is, or was, intact some few years ago. On comparing these with the sculptures on the pillars at Paṭṭadakal many of the figures may be easily recognised. This is easier in the case of the Rāmāyaṇa sculptures, although they are so much damaged, since many of the persons have some distinctive feature or form. There is Rāvaṇa with his many heads and arms; the deer, and hence Rāma who is following it; the old hag, the sister of Rāvaṇa, and Rāvaṇa himself as an ascetic. The monkey hosts are seen carrying the rocks to build the bridge. But on the Mahābhārata bands, though better preserved, there is little to distinguish the one hero from the other. The giant Bhīma is shown killing the elephant and all those seated upon it. The hand-to-hand combats between Bhishma and Arjuna, and that between Bhīma and Salya are shown in the second and fifth bands.