Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.57

v1.c7.57

Different sorts of vimānas or domed central shrines are mentioned in the āgamas and tantras. Some of them are square (sama-chaturaśra) or circular (vṛtta) in ground plan, while others are rectangular (āyatāśra) or oval (vṛttāyata). Of these the square and circular varieties are prescribed for enshrining the sitting and standing figures of deities, while the rectangular and the elliptical varieties are naturally reserved for the reclining images of Viṣṇu.