Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan c6.7

c6.7

The earlier buildings are now, without exception, very shaky and in a more or less dilapidated state. This is chiefly due to the material used in their construction—the amygdaloidal trap of the country, quarried, as a rule, on the spot. Though a hard tough stone, it is full of flaws and minute cracks which render it very unsuitable for such parts as beams. The style of these buildings being trabeate, necessitating long beams in most cases, which were loaded with enormous masses of material above, the natural result has been that they have generally cracked through the middle. In the temple of Ambarnātha, for example, there is hardly a sound beam left. But, so long as the supports at either end do not give way, and remain vertical, they usually continue to stand, though cracked, until they eventually collapse through the constant grinding action, at the fracture, pulverizing and chipping the surfaces, unless supported by intermediate struts.