The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c20.12

c20.12

The Visvakarma chaitya-house is larger than any of the Mahâyânist chapels at Ajantâ, its length being over 85 feet and breadth 43 feet, but it is by no means so impressive, either externally or internally. It is chiefly interesting for the novelty of the design of the façade, Pl. LXIII. When a chaitya-house faced the west, as in this case, the usual proportions of the great sun-window which lighted the nave would be inconveniently large, although the set-back of the front wall and the use of curtains tended to mitigate the glare. In the Visvakarma chaitya-house the traditional design of the façade is altered by an arrangement which might have been called "Renaissance" in style, had it been seven or eight centuries later in date, in order to reduce the size of the openings. The effect is not altogether pleasing, and the Visvakarma chaitya-house, on the whole, is lacking in the fine inspiration of other great works at Ellora. There is a certain dryness and formality in the design of the whole front, although it has the negative merit of not being overcrowded, like some of the Ajantâ work.