History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c46.23

v2.c46.23

These three temples are arranged in chronological order, the Paraśurāmeśvara being the oldest, both according to the inscription on the Navagraha-slab and according to the style of ornamentation. The twin temples at Gandharāḍi come immediately after this, the style of ornamentation proving its slightly later date. The Mukteśvara comes last of all, though its style of ornamentation is the best. All of these three shrines consist of a high Vimāna surmounted by a short Śikhara and a low Maṇḍapa in front. The Maṇḍapa or Jagamohana of the Paraśurāmeśvara and the twin temples at Gandharāḍi are similar in style, size and arrangement, but that of the Mukteśvara is altogether different in style, being what local architects of Orissa call a Piḍa-Deula.¹ The difference lies mainly in the construction of the roof. While the Paraśurāmeśvara and the twin temples at Gandharāḍi show the use of a roof of the type of a stone-hut with sloping edges, the roof of the Jagamohana of the Mukteśvara is a fairly high-stepped pyramid of the type of the later temples of Orissa, e.g., the Liṅgarāja or Kṛittivāsa at Bhuvaneśvara, Jagannātha at Puri and Sūrya Deul at Konarak.