Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan c9.s3.1

c9.s3.1

The village of Añjanerī is picturesquely situated on the eastern slope of the northern spur of Añjanerī or Añjanī Hill, about fourteen miles west of Nāsik. Just below the village, in the plain, scattered over an area of about half a square mile, there have been innumerable small shrines, of which sixteen now stand in whole or in part, while the rest are represented by mounds upon which lie heaps of their material—columns, images, beams and other carved stones. The most striking feature about these remains is that they all appear to have been built upon a small scale, and they are independent temples and not satelites to a larger one. They all seem to rest upon brick foundations, and have been dedicated to various deities, the more important being Jaina, two Vaishnava, and the rest Śaiva. They face all four points of the compass. They are not now used, nor do they appear to have been much used at any time; and the shattered condition they are now in points rather to wanton destruction at the hands of man than the ravages of time; trees, cactus bushes, and other plants still grow luxuriantly upon them. In addition to the temples there have been extensive masonry tanks, little of which, except their pits and a few bits of stonework, remains. (Plates LVII—LXI.)