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Sources of Architectural Canons
255 enumerated by the Agni Purāņa it self. The chapters on Vastuvidyā dealt with by the Garuda Purāņa are identical with those of the Agni-Purāņa. This will lead to belive, as Dr. Bhattacharya has conjectured, that the fountain head of both these purānas might be Hayasirașa-Pancarātra.
The Skanda Purāna* ( 9th-10th Cent. A. D )92
It is also known as Kumāra-Purāņa. It devotes three chapters to the subject of Vāstu and Śilpa. Its expatiation on the laying of a large city are of particular interest. Golden hall, chariots and Kalāyaṇa maņdapa form the principal subjects of the other two chapters. In a summary manner this purāņa also treats the subject of painting.
The Garuda Purāņa* ( 10th-11th Cent. A. D.)93
It has two chapters ( XLVI-XLVII) on architecture and two (XLV-XLVIII) on sculpture. These chapters as stated above, are identical with those of Agni Purāņa. But its chief contribution is the discussion of Sālāgrāma images, given in śālāgrama-mūrti-lakṣaṇa ( XLV).
The Bhavisya Purāņa* (11th cent. A. D.)9 4
This Purāṇa has four chapters, three (XII, CXXXI-CXXXII) being devoted to sculptūre and one (ch. CXXX) to the temple architecture (Prāsāda-lakşaņa-varnana ), in which it describes like Matsya-Purāņa, twenty varieties of temples under three heads.
* Bombay edition. 92. Vaidya C. V. 'History of Mediaeval Hindu India' Vol. II. pp. 39-42. * Bombay edition 93 Shastri D. K Purāņa Vivecana' p. 211
Bombay edition. 94. Shastri D. K. 'Purāņa Vivecana' p. 231.
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