The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c16.66

v2.c16.66

The verandah is 63 feet in length, 7 feet in breadth, and 7' 6" in height. Along its front there were originally eleven massive square pillars of which seven had fallen when I visited the place. Two of the standing pillars are visible on the accompanying plate (V), and are types of the most ancient cave style, square shafts without any distinct plinth or capitol; the angles about the middle of the shaft chamfered to from an octagon, and having curved brackets in front, carved to represent female figures. The intercolumnar spaces measure two thicknesses of the pillars, which themselves mearure 2 feet square, 6' 6" in height. The rooms were designed to be oblong, 13' 6" x 8 feet; but the further sides of the two central ones appear not to be completely finished, and their side walls remain so rounded as to make the apartments uncomfortable. The walls of the other rooms have their corners and angles thoroughly well cut. The ceilings are slightly arched, but otherwise perfectly bare. The mass of solid rock above being enormous, there has been no necessity for cutting shallow groves to lead the leakage from the roof to a corner, such as have been described by Major Kittoe in his *Journal*, and are to be met with under thin roofs of one-storeyed verandahs.⁸