The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c7.30

c7.30

A peculiar feature in the later Chālukyan temples is the turned pillar. The stone used--Chloritic Schist--being of a very fine homogeneous texture, and not too hard, is easily cut or pared with a sharp tool. It seems, therefore, to have occurred to some inventive stone-worker, more alive to possibilities than his fellows, to save a very great amount of mere labour by turning his pillar shafts in a lathe. This would seem to have been carried out with the block in an upright position, and would, of course, be only the finishing process, the stone being first roughed out as near as possible to the round. They appear to have got so fond of playing with their material in this manner that they were tempted to whittle down the central square block of the shaft to the round, producing a bulbous swelling in its place. Compare the pillars on Plate CXXXI with those on Plate XCVIII. Many of these were never polished after the cutting tool, and, in these cases, the fine grooves from the point of the tool are left upon them. Others have been so well polished that they reflect the light from their surfaces. Such pillars are found in the temples at Baṅkāpur, Tillivaḷḷi, Ittagi, Hāngal and other places.