History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c25.s2.11

v2.c25.s2.11

During the five centuries which elapsed between the erection of these two porches, Bhuvaneswar was adorned with some hundreds of temples, some dozen of which have been photographed, but hardly in sufficient detail to enable the student to classify them according to their dates.¹ On the spot it probably would be easy for any one trained to this class of study, and it would be a great gain if it were done. The group nearest in richness and interest is that at Khajurâho, mentioned above (p. 49); but that group belongs to an age just subsequent² to that of the Bhuvaneswar group, and only enables us to see that some of the most elaborate of the Katak temples may extend to the year 1000 or thereabouts. It is to this date that I would ascribe the erection of the Râjarânî temple. The names of the more notable, of which I have photographs, with their approximate dates, are given in the list at the end of this chapter; but I refrain from burdening the text with their names, as I despair, by any reasonable number of woodcuts, of illustrating their marvellous details in anything like a satisfactory manner.