History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c25.s5: Jâjpur and Katak.
History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c25.s5
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Jâjpur and Katak.
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Jâjpur, on the Baitaranî, was one of the old capitals of the province, and even now contains temples which, from the squareness of their forms, may be old, but, if so, they have been so completely disguised by a thick coating of plaster, that their carvings are entirely obliterated, and there is nothing by which their age can be determined. The place was the scene of the struggle in the 16th century between the Musalmâns and Hindûs for the mastery of the province; and, under Sulaimân and his Afghân soldiers, it was reduced to ruins. Like Anhilapur in Gujarât, the ruined structures became a quarry for building materials, and the handsome mosque built by Nawâb Abu Nasir Khân in 1681 was raised out of the ancient Hindû remains.¹ There is one pillar, however, still standing, which deserves to be illustrated as one of the most pleasing examples of its class in India (Woodcut No. 321). Its proportions are beautiful, and its details in excellent taste; but the mouldings of the base, which are those on which the Hindûs were accustomed to lavish the utmost care, have, unfortunately, been destroyed.² Originally it is said to have supported a figure of Garuda—the Vâhana of Vishnu—and a figure is
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¹ For an account of Jâjpur antiquities, see Sir W. W. Hunter's 'Orissa,' vol. i. pp. 265-273; or his 'Statistical Account of Bengal,' vol. xviii. pp. 85-89. He adds that the Public Works officers tore down "the last remnants of the ancient palace, and built bridges along the Trunk Road with the stones."
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² The shaft is a chlorite monolith 29 ft. 9 in. in height, standing on a base of three plinths, 7 ft. in height. 'Proceedings As. Soc. Bengal, 1872,' part i. at p. 31; Workman's 'Through Town and Jungle,' pp. 218f.
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321. Hindû Pillar in Jâjpur. (From a Photograph.)
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A similar roof so supported on wooden beams still exists in the structural temple on the shore at Mâmallapuram, and, I have no doubt, elsewhere, but it is almost impossible to get access to these cells when the gods are at home, and the places are so dark it is equally impossible to see, except when in ruins, how they were roofed.
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pointed out as the identical one. It may be so, and if it is the case, the pillar is of the 10th or 11th century. This also seems to be the age of some remarkable pieces of sculpture which were discovered some years ago on the brink of the river, where they had apparently been thrown down by Muhammadan bigotry.¹ They are in quite a different style from anything at Bhuvaneswar or Kanârak, and probably more ancient than anything of the same kind at those places.
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¹ They were of more than life size and represented three of the Mâtris.
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Katak, according to tradition, became the capital of the country in A.D. 989-1006, when a certain Markat Kesarî is said to have built a stone revêtement to protect the site from encroachment of the river.² It too, however, has suffered, first from the intolerant bigotry of the Moslim, and afterwards from the stolid indifference of the British rulers,³ so that very little remains. But for this the great palace of Makund Deo, the contemporary of Akbar, might still remain to us in such a state at least as to be intelligible. Abul Fazl's description of this palace, however, has been misunderstood by the translators, who have represented it as "consisting of nine storeys," instead of nine courts or enclosures. "The first enclosure was for elephants, camels, and horses; the second for artillery and military stores where also were quarters for the guards and other attendants; the third was occupied by porters and watchmen; the fourth was appropriated for the several artificers; the kitchens made the fifth range; the sixth contained the Râja's public apartments; the seventh was for the transaction of private business; the eighth was where the women resided; and the ninth was the Râja's sleeping apartment." "To the south," he adds, "of this palace is a very ancient Hindû temple."⁴
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² 'Asiatic Researches,' vol. xv. p. 367.
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³ *Ibid.* p. 335; Hunter's 'Orissa,' vol. i. p. 266.
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⁴ 'Ayeen Akbery,' Gladwin's translation, vol. ii. p. 13, and Jarrett's, vol. ii. p. 127. The word âshiyâna "nests," was rendered "storeys." W. Bruton, who visited Katak in 1633, makes it plain that "enclosures" or "courts" are meant.—'News from the East Indies' in Osborne's 'Collection of Voyages and Travels,' 1745, vol. ii. pp. 271-272, 275.
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As Orissa at the period when this was written was practically a part of Akbar's kingdom, there seems little doubt that Abul Fazl's description was furnished by some one who knew the place.
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Although it thus consequently happens that we have no more means of ascertaining what the civil edifices of the Indo-Aryans of Orissa were like, than we have of those of the contemporary Dravidians, there is a group of engineering objects which throw some light on the arts of the period. As has been frequently stated above, the Hindûs hate an arch, and never will use it except under compulsion. The Muhammadans taught them to get over their prejudices and employ the arch in their civil buildings in later times, but to the present day they avoid it in their temples in so far as it is possible to do so. In Orissa, however, in the 13th century, they built numerous bridges in various parts of the province, but never employed a true arch in any of them. The Athara-nalâ bridge at Purî has been drawn
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322. Hindû Bridge at Jâjpur. (From a Photograph.)
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and described by Stirling, and is the finest in the province of those still in use. He ascribes its construction to Kabir Narsingh-deva II., about 1280; Râjendralâl Mitra placed it two centuries earlier.¹ Between the abutments it is 278 ft. long, with nineteen spans of 7 to 16 ft. wide, and with a roadway 38 ft. wide. That shown in the above woodcut (No. 322) is at Jâjpur and is probably older, and certainly more picturesque, though constructed on the same identical plan. It may be unscientific, but many of these old bridges are standing and in use while many of those we have constructed out of the ruins of the temples and palaces have been swept away as if a curse were upon them.
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¹ From the Purî temple annals.—'Antiquities of Orissa,' vol. ii. p. 112. Neither date has satisfactory authority.
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Before leaving these Orissa temples mention may be made of three at Mukhalingam, in Ganjâm district, a place of pilgrimage adjoining the town of Nagarakatakam. This was the site of Kalinganagara, the old capital of the eastern Ganga dynasty of Kalinga before, and for some time after, their conquest of Orissa in the 11th century.¹ The place is described as a wilderness of ruins, and the largest and most entire of the temples consists of a shrine and mandap with two rows of three plain pillars in each² supporting the roof. Outside, this roof is in the Orissa form, somewhat flat and with three finials in line across it. The shrine is surmounted by a tower or sikhara of numerous thin moulded courses, crowned by a double amalasilâ with domed apex and small finial. The doorway, on the east, is deeply recessed and has two broad frames round the entrance—the inner sunk considerably within the outer—and both richly carved on their faces and lintels with floral patterns. This is flanked by square jambs sculptured on the front with figures in compartments and supporting a projecting lintel. Projecting still more on each side is a richly carved pilaster with capitals of the Gupta type, supporting an upper lintel crowded with figures.
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¹ Nagarakatakam is on the Vamsadhârâ river, in Lat. 18° 34′ N., long 84° 2′ E., about 20 miles N.N.W. from the modern Kalingapatam, and within the Parlâ-Kimedi estate.
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² These pillars and the walls bear inscriptions, some of which are said to go back to the 10th century.
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Smaller temples occupy the corners of the court, which is enclosed by a wall, and has entrances on the east and south sides. The gateway in front of the temple has, like Orissan porches, a stepped roof with leogriffs over it. The entry, like that of the mandap, is considerably recessed, the inner jambs and three lintels being elaborately carved.
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Of the Bhîmesvara temple only the shrine and mandap remain, and are of the general style of the Mukhalingesvara just described. When its inscriptions have been fully examined, some definite clue may be found to determine its date, which may perhaps be of the 11th century. But the finest of the group has been the Somesvar temple, of which only the sikhara remains. It resembles in its proportions and variety of sculptures the Parasurâmeswar temple at Bhuvaneswar. The carving round the three niches on each face are exceedingly elaborate and interesting. But until we have the fuller illustrations of a survey or some epigraphical guidance, we may assume that it belongs to the later part of the 11th or to the 12th century.¹
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¹ The editor is indebted to Bâbu Monmohan Chakravarti, B. A., for valuable information bearing on the contents of this chapter and of that on the Orissa caves, as also for the use of photographs and notes on these temples which have formed the basis of the above account.