The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c8.33

v1.c8.33

In the middle of the 7th century when the Great Tower of Bhuvaneśvara was erected, the builders had acquired sufficient proficiency in balancing their materials in a projecting arch to avoid the necessity of lofty towers, and yet the artistic effect of the tower being highly prized they generally utilised the space within it by dividing it into two or three stories ; the rooms being used for the deposit of jewelry and other valuable treasures of the temple ; serving thus the same purpose which the *opisthodomus* did in Grecian sanctuaries. The chambers are never accessible to outsiders, and I could not ascertain how they were lighted or ventilated. The stairs are enclosed within one of the walls of the temple, and reached through the sanctuary itself. It is said by the priests at Bhuvaneśvara, that about a hundred years ago, a man had ascended with a lamp in hand to the upper story of the Great Tower, but through the displeasure of the presiding divinity, he was suffocated to death before he could attempt to retrace his steps, and that, ever since, nobody had attempted to explore that much dreaded chamber. The tower of the great temple at Puri, has, likewise, some rooms within it but they too are not in use now. These facts suggest the idea, that they are devoid of all opening for light and air, and the mephtic vapours which have accumulated within, render them unapproachable. In the temple at Buddha Gayā, there are two moderate-sized windows to give light to the upper chambers, but I could not perceive the trace of even a breathing hole in any of the Orissan steeples.