History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c46.104

v2.c46.104

There is a similar figure of the Sun God within four miles of the *Liṅgarāja* temple, on one of the tympana of the four arches in the rear wall of the *Ananta Gumphā* on the Khandagiri¹ hill which Mr. Ganguly must have noticed. Since then several images of this god with four instead of seven horses have been discovered in Mathurā. After the temples in the compound of Liṅgarāja we must turn to larger allied temples of this class. The best examples of these are the Ananta Vāsudeva on the eastern bank of the Bindu Sarovara and the Brahmeśvara at a distance. The dates of both of these temples are tolerably certain from the evidence of inscriptions. The temple of Ananta Vāsudeva, as is indicated by its name, is, a Vaiṣṇava shrine dedicated to the divine brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Like the Liṅgarāja, this temple also consists of four different parts : Vimāna, Jagamohana, Nāṭamandira and Bhogamaṇḍapa. This temple is very peculiar, as it faces W. N. W.² The Vimāna stands on a cruciform platform and is much smaller in size than the Jagamohana. There is a smaller temple behind it. Perhaps there were two such on the sides only acting as propylea as in the case of the Vimānas of the Liṅgarāja, Jagannātha and Konarak temples. The Jagamohana possesses two windows on the sides and two entrances to the Vimāna and the Nāṭamandira. The latter is entirely open on the south, while the Bhogamaṇḍapa is comparatively better enclosed. The entire group is enclosed in a compound wall. Being a Vaiṣṇava temple, the principal niches on the four sides contain Vaiṣṇava images. That on the northern side contained an image of Viṣṇu as Trivikrama instead of Vāmana. The southern niche contains the figure of The provided image is blank. There is no text to transcribe.