The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c19.27

c19.27

As in the north, the period from the seventh to the tenth centuries was a great architectural epoch in Southern India. The most characteristic of the Mâmallapuram monolithic shrines which belong to the beginning of this epoch have been described in a previous chapter. In the neighbourhood of Bâdâmi, situated in the Bijâpûr district of the Bombay Presidency, there is a small but exquisite temple of the same age, known as the Mâlegitti Sivâlaya temple, which shows South Indian art in its perfection. It is built of stone finely jointed without mortar, and is one of the earliest structural temples of the Siva type now known. It is placed on the summit of a rocky hill with surroundings of similar character to those of Ajantâ. The cubical shrine with its pyramidal tower (Pl. LVII) closely resembles that of Arjûna's Rath at Mâmallapuram, but the entrance faces the rising instead of the setting sun, as it is dedicated to the benign aspect of Mahâdeva. It differs from the Mâmallapuram temple in having a mandapam, or hall of worship, about 20 feet square added to the antarâla of the shrine. This has a terraced roof surrounded by sculptured monastic cells used only symbolically. The walls which enclose the mandapam have two windows on the north and south filled with perforated stout lattices. In front of the mandapam there is an open porch supported by four massive pillars.