The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c17.145

v2.c17.145

**Ruins of the Palace** :—The ground to the south of the Great Tower to the extent of about twenty acres lies neglected and overgrown with jungle. It is said to be the site of the Palace of Lalāṭendu Keśarī, and there are sufficient traces to show that at one time it bore an extensive pile of buildings. Remains of foundations may be traced everywhere, and courtyards, some paved with flags of stone, others with concrete, are visible in several places. I had neither time nor the necessary means at my disposal to carry on excavations for the purpose of preparing a ground-plan of the buildings, but I got the brushwood cleared from several places, and walked over the lines of the foundations, most of which remained untouched. I examined also the positions of the paved courtyards; and the conclusion I arrived at was, that the palace included several sets of buildings, each having in its centre a rectangular pavio. Gardens were attached to some, and avenues of Bakula trees (*Memosops elengi*) formed a characteristic feature of those pleasure-grounds. Many of the trees are still existing, and have attained magnificent proportions. The south side of the area is covered by a large mango tope. Some mango and Bakula trees are also to be seen in the middle of the courtyards. It is said that when Yayāti Keśari first established his metropolis at Bhuvaneśvara, he built a palace of moderate proportions near the temple of Rameśvara, a little over a mile to the nor-nor-west of the Great Tower, but it did not suit the architectural ideas of Lalāṭendu, who transferred his abode to the immediate neighbourhood of the noble monument which he had completed to the glory of his tutelary divinity. The remains of the Rameśvara palace are still *in situ*. It was built mainly of bricks, and set off with stones.