________________
CHAPTER XV THE ARCHITECTURAL TREATMENT OF THE SUKANĀSA
(i) Early examples in Gujarat.
The superstructure of the antarāla, projected on the front side of the curvilinear śikhara, is technically known as Sukanāsa. 1 The form literally denotes an object having an acquiline ( strictly speaking like the parrot's nose ) nose, and here seems applied to this superstructure on account of its peculiar shape.
Its architectural outlines are curvilinear, its shape is that of a Sun-windows. Its archivolt filled with many figures and augmented by several figures.
As the Sukanasa is emerged from the curvilinear sikhara, the pre-Caulukyan temples which have stepped-out pyramidal superstructure have no Sukanāsa. In such a case the antarala has either a flat-roofed or gable-roofed superstructere instead of the Sukanāsa.
The gable roofed superstructure over the antarāla is illustrated by the Temples (III, V) at Roda, the old (now restored ) temple at Tarnetar and the sun temple at Kotai ( Kaccha ).
Almost all the Caulukyan temples have sukanäsa, as a frontal projection to the curvilinear śikhara, superimposing the antarala.
1. It is, also, known as “Šukānghil' (G. P. XLVII, 4), evidently as its front view appears like that of two feet of a parrot.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
