Page Text
________________
xlix
to its beauty and strength. This is specially built in temples and palaces, in mandapas or pillared halls, Salas or enclosed halls, in gōpuras or towers at the gate and in the Garbhagraha or holy of holies in temples. The height of the basement may vary from 1 cubit to 4 cubits and shall be proportionate to the height of the Vimana or the canopy of the holy of holies, Gopura etc. The first step for this construction is the laying of the foundation or 'Bhoomi Lambana. It is done by digging a deep pit and spreading layers of broken bricks granite sand etc. and stamping them hard. Over this foundation is built the Adhisthana which consists of a wall like ornamental structure all round filled in by stones sand etc, and stamped hard in the middle. The structure has a series of ornamental faces whose combinations are divided into 8 kinds. The facial forms have each a separate nime. They are Pattika, Padmaka, Kamp Karana. Vistara, Ambuja, Vajana, Kapota, Prativajana, Gala, Kumuda. Patta and Netra. Eight com. binations of these are known by the names Mancabhadrakrama, Bodhibhadrakrama, Vajibhadrakrama, Kumudabhadrakrama. Mancaban lhakrama, Bodhibandhakrama, Vajibandhakrama and Kumuda bandhakrama. These only illustrative types. The lowest is the Pattika of height 18 inches, 12 inches or 6 inches according to the dimension of the super-structure. Over this Paṭṭika are built the layers of different faces. On the top of this series is placed the upper Pattika in which swans, parrots, fish and other forms are chiselled. In the Southern districts of Madras, hundreds of temples built from the 8th century onwards in which the Adhisthanas of the Gopura and of the main temple can be seen with these forms arranged in a variety of ways, The commentator himself has pointed out that the forms of the faces and their combination have to be gathered from traditional craftsman and the examples in the land. He has also referred for a wider treatment of the subject to Manasara, Kasyapa Shilpa, Maya Matam and Narada Shilpa. Fortu
are
| SR No. | 010145 |
| Book Title | Vishwakarma Vastushastram |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Vasudev Shastri, N B Gadre |
| Publisher | S Gopalan Tanjor |
| Publication Year | 1958 |
| Total Pages | 834 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 37 MB |