An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c38.168

v2.c38.168

On excavation Nandangarh turned out to be a stupendous *stūpa* with a polygonal base; with its missing dome which must have been proportionately tall, the *stūpa* must have been one of the highest in India. The walls of the four cardinal directions at the base (only the w. and partly the s. one were excavated) are each 32 m long and the wall between each has a zigzag course with 14 re-entrant and 13 outer angles. The walls flanking the first and second terraces following the polygonal plan of the base; those pertaining to the upper terraces were circular. An extensive later restoration hid the four upper walls and provided new circular ones; the polygonal plan of the walls of the base and the first terrace were left unaltered. The top of each terrace served as a *pradakṣiṇā-patha*, though no staircase to reach the top was found in the excavated portion.