Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan c9.s1.7

c9.s1.7

The interior of the temple is of the usual style. Four central pillars support the central dome of the ceiling, and upon them and the walls rests the whole weight of the hall roof. These four pillars, which are 9 feet 6 inches in height, are very elaborately carved, the general plan, all the way up, being square with recessed corners. The shaft, base and capital are divided up by horizontal mouldings. Among the images on the lower parts are dancers, male and female, amongst which are seen Bhairava and other deities. Higher up on the columns is a band, on the four sides of which are small groups of figures, among them being two very indecent representations. The pillar, at the north-west corner of the square, differs slightly in two of the bands about the middle of the shaft, but this is due to a flaw in the stone which necessitated their being drawn in to form a kind of neck to the pillar at that point. The pilasters are much plainer in design, all the elaborate work of the interior being concentrated upon the four pillars. These are of a very different style to those at Ambarnātha and Balsāne; they are far less graceful in outline, and the distribution of the various bands and panels of sculpture is not carried out with the same taste and eye to the general balance of parts. The spreading towards the base in the earlier pillars gives a better feeling of strength and stability. There seems to be a want of a definite plan about the sub-divisions of these columns.