History of India, c. 150 A.D. to 350 A.D.: Naga–Vakataka Imperial Period c14.s5.38

c14.s5.38

¹ Scholars have gone into wild guesses over the Chaturmukha Temple. They hold that the śikhara temple of Chaturmukha is probably a later building. They, however, forget that the two temples make one scheme, and sculptures in both are by the same chisel. The buildings are in their original shape and material. They are parts of the same scheme, to make Pārvati, the Goddess living in the Parvata which is imitated on the walls, while the Chaturmukha lingam is installed under a śikhara, denoting Kailāsa. They escaped the hand of the iconoclast, being in an out-of-the-way place. [See App. at the end.]