The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c17.s1.221

v2.c17.s1.221

For some time after the erection of the temple no necessity was felt for repairs and nothing was attempted beyond slight touching up of breaks and accidental injuries ; but subsequently the destruction caused by repeated Moslem assaults rendered thorough repairs unavoidable. According to the *Temple Records*, the first thorough repairs to the temple were executed in the reign of Pratāparudra ( A. D. 1504 to 1532 ), when, it is distinctly stated, the temple was ‘plastered and white-washed’. Nṛsiṁha Deva repeated the operation in 1647. During the reign of Kṛṣṇa Deva ( A. D. 1713 to 1718 ), soon after a Muhammadan assault, thorough repairs were again necessitated. And fifty years later the queen of Virakiśora Deva gave the fourth general repairs. Besides these, partial repairs were frequently had to be resorted to. In fact the purification of the temple after every Muhammadan assault included a white-washing, which, however beneficial as a lustration, told seriously against the delicate carved-work and its frequent repetition completed the ruin of the temple as a work of art.