History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c46.101

v2.c46.101

There are numerous large and small temples inside the enclosure of the *Liṅgarāja*, of which the most important is the very small but infinitely beautiful shrine of Pārvatī. In proportion, grace, beauty of outline and chastity of decorative motifs, this shrine is far superior to the great temple itself. It also consists of four different parts: *Vimāna*, *Jagamohana*, *Naṭamandira* and *Bhogamaṇḍapa*. The *Vimāna* and the *Jagamohana* appear to be contemporary and the earliest of the four. Just as in the *Jagamohana* of the *Liṅgarāja*, there is a door leading outside from the south side of this *Jagamohana* and a window on the north. The late Mr. Mano Mohan Ganguly was of opinion that "The date of its construction is unknown; but it is pretty certain that it must have been erected within two hundred years after the temple of *Liṅgarāja* came into existence."¹ There is no epigraphical evidence to prove the actual date of construction, but if the contour of the *Śikhara* and the execution of the decorative motifs are any sure criteria, then the temple of *Pārvatī* is much older than the *Naṭamaṇḍira* of the *Liṅgarāja* and is very probably of the same date as the *Vimāna* and the *Jagamohana* of that great temple. Unlike that of the great temple, the *Bhogamaṇḍapa* of the temple of *Pārvatī* is a plain structure without any ornamentation, more like a small porch. The only other factor worth noticing in the smaller temples in the compound of the *Liṅgarāja* is a small temple to the north of the *Naṭamaṇḍira* which contains an image of the Sun-God with four instead of seven horses. Mr. Mono Mohan Ganguly made a curious mistake with regard to this figure. He stated that "The only instance of the Sun God driving a four-horsed chariot is noticed in a bas relief of a pillar at Buddha-Gaya regarding which General Cunningham writes as follows...."²