Structural Temples of Gujarat

SR No.: 006728
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kantilal F Sompura
Publisher: Gujarat University Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1968
Total Pages: 868
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 31 MB

Page 419

CHAPTER VII THE ANTARĀLA
(1) The early examples in Gujarat
The ground plans of the temples of Gujarat resolve themselves into two kinds; those in which the two main compartments i. e. Garbhagļiha and Maņdapa are cojoined so as to unite the entire plan within a parallelogram and those in which each compartment is attached diagonally by means of the architectural device known as Antarala or Kori. The antarāla here becomes an independent compartment which cojoins the Garhhagņiba and the Mandapa. In such a case it has its ground plan and a superstructure too.
In most of the pre-Caulukyan temples the garbhagļiha and the maņdapa are cojoined in such a way that they unite within a parallelogram. But in the case of temples having circumambulatory around the garbhagriha and an aisle around the nave of the mandapa, the front portion before the garbhagriha gives rise to an illusion of the antarala.
But in fact they simply represent the cojoined portions of the circumambulatory and the maņdapa, where as the antarāla is altogether a distinct chamber added between the garbhagriha (with or without circumambulatory) and the maņdapa.
In the case of the temples at Kadvar, Sutrapada, Visavada (Sun temple), Srinagar (Devi temple), Khimeśvara, Suvan etc. the juncture of the circumambulatory and the adjoining aisle of the mandapa creates the illusion of antarala.
The temple at Kalsar presents perhaps, a solitory examples of antarāla in case of pre-Caulukyan temples. Here the both rectangular garbhagļiha and manqapa are cojoined diagonally by means of a narrow slit like antarala,