A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c21.104

c21.104

The third and last period (1100-1250) of the Orissan style is represented by a number of medium-sized temples, all remarkable for the richness and finish of their appearance. There are at least a dozen at Bhuvaneśvar, most having only the two essential parts, the deul and the jagamohan. One striking example, the Anantavāsudeva, also has the naṭmandir and bhogmandir as later additions. This gives the temple a total length of 125 feet with a breadth of 40 feet, and a tower of 68 feet. As the whole structure is built on a substantial plinth, it presents a very impressive effect. Another temple, the Rājarāni, has its deul completed but not its jagamohan, but the unfinished condition of the latter gives a fair idea of the technical methods followed by the sculptors of the time. The completed deul is very refined in its curves, contours, and in the disposition of decoration on the tower, and may almost be said to have started a new mode in the embellishment of śikharas which was carried further in the temples of Khajurāho in Central India. The deul of the Rājarāni temple is placed diagonally to the hall in its front, a rather unusual arrangement for Orissa.