A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c21.77

c21.77

The next stage of evolution is best represented by the temple of Koraṅganātha at Śrinivāsanallūr (Trichinopoly district), built in the reign of Parāntaka I. The temple has a total length of 50 feet, the cella being a square of 25 feet and the maṇḍapa in front a rectangle 25 feet by 20 feet. The height of the śikhara is 50 feet. The interior is a small hall with four pillars, and a vestibule and passage beyond lead to the cella, a square chamber of 12 feet. As in the other examples already noticed, there is in this moderate-sized temple a general simplification in its parts, an avoidance of excess in ornamental detail combined with an appreciation of the value of plain surfaces. The lion motif disappears from the pillars though it is reproduced in friezes at suitable stages. The interior pillars are typical of the Chola ‘order’. In the words of Brown, ‘two changes from the Pallava type of order are discernible, one relating to the capital itself, the other to the abacus above. In the capital a neck moulding has been introduced where it joins on to the shaft, thus appropriating to itself a segment of the upper part of the shaft, and adding another member to the lower part of the capital in the form of a vessel or pot (kalaśa). As to the abacus, the palagai or “plank” is much expanded, so that, combined with the flower shape (iḍal) underneath, it becomes the most striking element in the order.’ The central niches outside the walls of the cella enshrine the usual deities: Dakṣiṇāmūrti on the south seated beneath a tree with devotees, lions, and *gaṇas* on either side, a standing Vishnu on the west, and a standing Brahmā on the north. Other niches contain standing figures which may be portraits. All the sculptures are in very high relief and of fine workmanship.