Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan c13.s3: Mehkar
Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan c13.s3
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Mehkar
c13.s3.1
Mehkar is about forty-five miles to the south-east of Buldāna. At the north-west corner of the town, overlooking the river, and enclosed within a mud-walled enclosure, is a partly ruined old *dharmaśālā* or travellers' rest-house, which, in the past, has been badly used. Much of the building has fallen since it was photographed by Major Gill over fifty years ago, and many of its pillar shafts are scattered about the town, several being near the market place. This *dharmaśālā* was, perhaps, a subsidiary building to an important temple, possibly Jaina, which stood near and above it, but which has now disappeared. The foundation or retaining walls of the site upon which the temple stood can be seen running round the *dharmaśālā*, and from it right up to the town gate, a little way to the east of it. At first sight, the wall here looks like a portion of the town wall, but it is not so, though it may have done duty for such in later times. A town wall would not have a series of horizontal offsets forming ledges all the way up its outer side, by which an enemy could easily climb up. Moreover the wall is of the Hindu period, while the present gate is of the Muhammadan. (Plate CIII and CIX.)
c13.s3.2
The *dharmaśālā* is about 72 feet square inside, and is formed by a deep covered colonnade, with two rows of pillars, surrounding a small central square courtyard 23 feet square, which is open to the sky, and whose pavement is sunk a few feet below the floor of the colonnade. There were sixty pillars in all, of which twenty-five still stand. The central courtyard has been filled up with earth to bring it to a level with the rest. All the pillars around the north and east side of the court, with the enclosing wall, have gone, but many of their bases still remain. There is a marked absence of figure sculpture upon the building, the decoration on the pillars being almost entirely confined to geometric and conventional leaf designs. The building is of a comparatively late date.
c13.s3.3
There is a new temple of Bālāji, higher up in the town, which was built not many years ago, to enshrine a finely carved blackstone image of Vishnu which was dug up close by. The image is full life-size, and is now enveloped in tawdry petticoats, but does not seem to be very old notwithstanding its elaborate detail. At the same time were found a quantity of old corroded and fragmentary copper-plate grants. Among the loose sculptured stones lying near the temple is the lower part of the body of a life-sized Jina, while inside Bālāji's temple is a broken Jaina image with the date *Samvat* 1272 (A. D. 1350) upon it in a short inscription.