The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c8.57.1

v1.c8.57.1

**Material—Laterite:** In a country so abounding in stones of various kinds as Orissa, it is not to be supposed that any other material would be employed in the construction of buildings designed for the habitation of the image of the ever-present God, and intended to last for eternity, and accordingly it appears that they were the only substance used, and not a trace of bricks is anywhere to be met with. Of stones, the most common is laterite, next sandstone, and, lastly *muṅgni*, or chlorite. For outerwalls, kitchens, porticos, and all structures of secondary importance the first is the best suited. It occurs almost everywhere in Orissa within a few feet under the soil, and in many places crops up to the surface. Around Bhuvaneśvara large tracts lie barren, or covered with stunted jungle, from the soil or mould having been washed away from its rocky substratum. In his note on this substance, Mr. W. T. Blanford says: "The form which generally appears at the surface (it being rarely that the lower kind is exposed by the denudation of the upper) consists mainly of round ferruginous nodules, about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch india meter, in a matrix of dark reddish-brown clay, which is generally more or less sandy. The nodules have a coating of brown hydrated peroxide of iron, and, when broken, some are seen to be black inside; others appear to be formed of concretionary peroxide of iron;