The Colas c35.42

c35.42

The *vimāna* rises to a height of 160 feet, thus not quite so high as its Tanjore counterpart; but here too it dominates the entire temple which, as recent excavation has shown, included a number of subshrines still awaiting detailed study.³¹ The vertical foundation of the *vimāna*, the walls of the *garbhagṛha* are 35 feet high and divided into two storeys by a massive cornice as at Tanjore; there are, however, no doorways except to the east. 'The pyramidal *vimāna* has only eight tiers and not thirteen. 'It is in this part of the building that there are indications of those sensuous curves which may denote that the style had passed beyond the narrow limits of its median. This is shown in the concave outline of the pyramid at its angles, and the embowed contours of its sides. Both these ultra-refinements are responsible for that fluent voluptuous grace already referred to. This wealth of embellishment is carried up into the cupola at its apex, where four ornamental “caitya” forms (*kūḍus*) project like wings from the aerial dome of the finial. In spite of its almost cloying richness viewed as a whole, there is a fine fully-matured beauty in this Cōḷa masterpiece' (Percy Brown).³²