History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c46.141.2

v2.c46.141.2

its constructive peculiarities are similar to those of the natamandira of Lingaraja." It is square in shape and is a large roomy hall, the roof of which is supported by sixteen pillars arranged in the form of a square.¹ In front of it is the latest addition to the temple of Jagannātha, the Bhogamaṇḍapa, added, according to the chronicles, by Purushottamadeva (1435-97 A. D.) All three *maṇḍapas* of the Jagannātha have pyramidal roofs which give the whole arrangement a monotonous appearance, relieved only by the great Śikhara of the Vimāna in the back-ground. The Bhogamaṇḍapa has four openings in the middle of the four sides, on the great stone door-frames of which are to be found the latest examples of Orissan art, degenerate as it had become in the 15th century. At some later date the carvings on the whole of the southern facade became covered by the erection of a covered passage from the kitchen in the outer compound. The exterior of the north and east facades are painted with red ochre; but fortunately on these two sides the carvings have escaped the vandalism of the Brahman priests of Puri. These priests think even now that the ancient emperors and kings of Orissa were totally ignorant of the art of decorating their sacred buildings and did not know the use of colour wash and modern paintings.