An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c40.65

v2.c40.65

Far more impressive edifices were the Brāhmaṇical temples and the Buddhist establishments built mostly in burnt brick. There were about 18 Brāhmaṇical temples (Sites 29, 34-35, 39, 56-57, 64, 74, 78, 80, 82-84, 97, 99, 122, 126-127) situated mostly along the n.-flowing Krishna and around the citadel. Four of them were undoubtedly Śaiva, meant for either Śiva or Kārttikeya; inscriptions give us the names of two Śiva temples—of Puṣpabhadrasvāmin (Site 34), built on apsidal plan, and ot Noḍagīśvarasvāmin (Site 127)—having a square sanctum, while two temples of Kārttikeya—one with a square sanctum. (Site 82) and the other oblong (Site 34) on plan—were identified on the basis of discovered icons. An inscribed image of the mother goddess [12.6] from Site 126 and terracotta plaques depicting the same torm may show the presence of such a temple. There was also a temple (Site 39), rectangular on plan, for Devī though the image found at this site has been identified as Devasenā, the consort of Kārttikeya or Mahāsena. The only Vaiṣṇava temple (Site 29) was that of Aṣṭabhujasvāmin whose wooden image having eight arms might have been fixed on a stone pedestal containing the inscription of Ābhīra Vasuseṇa. One of the conch-shells discovered at this site, which consisted of two shrines, one apsidal and the other rectangular, besides pillared halls, bore the design of a *cakra*-capital with the inscription *bhagavato Aṭhabhuja-sāmisa*; a flag-staff surmounted by a *cakra* also came to light. Likewise the Puṣpabhadrasvāmin temple (Site 34) has an inscribed *dhvaja-stambha* but without a capital. The Bathing Ghat [14.10] (Site 34), fully encased in stone, was in front of this temple, and like the open-air theatre was a wonder of Ikṣvāku architecture. These temples are referred to in the inscriptions as *devakula*, but the temples of Sarvadeva (Site 99) has been mentioned as *prāsāda*. The latter seemed to have been a double-storeyed structure, associated with several versions of a Sanskrit inscription and situated close to a huge tank, perhaps a *eppakulam* (Site 122) used for the annual floating ceremony of gods. Architecturally the Brāhmaṇical shrines built on apsidal, rectangular or square plan may be divided into two groups: (1) single shrine and (ii) complex with more than one shrine, both the groups having front *maṇḍapas*, sometimes even with a 100-pillared hall. Invariably the sanctums were smaller in dimensions than the *maṇḍapas* in front.