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THE TWO PRASASTIS OF BAIJNATH.
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XVI-THE TWO PRASASTIS OF BAIJNATH,
BY G. BÜHLER, Ph.D., LL.D., C.I.E.
[Kiragrâma or Baijnath is a small town in the east of the Kångra district about thirty miles east of Kot Kangra, in latitude 32° 3' N. and longitude 76° 41′ E., at a bend of the Binuån river-a feeder of the Biyâs and on its east or left bank. The number of old temples about the village point to its having been in early times a place of some note. Under the Katoch chiefs or Råjanakas who were tributary to Jalandhara or Trigarta, it may have been the residence of one of them. But most of its temples are now in ruins. The two of most architectural interest and best preservation are those of Siddheśvara and Vaidyanatha. The former, at the west end of the town, is now deserted, but consists of a four-pillared manḍapa and a shrine, measuring over all about 33 feet by 20, and the sikhara is 35 feet high. It faces the east and has two doors in the back wall of the hall on each side of the shrine, to admit of its parakrama or circumambulation. A perforated stone window on each side of the hall helped to light it, and in a niche in the south wall has been an inscription on a slab 17" by 14", but scarcely a letter is now traceable. In a niche on the outside of the back or west wall is a figure of Surya.
The temple of Vaidyanatha is on the north side of the village, close to the river, and stands in an irregular walled enclosure, about 120 feet from east to west, and from 60 feet wide inside at the east end to 75 at the west, with rooms for the pújáris, &c., on the north and west sides, and several small temples in the court along the north side. The principal temple measures 51 feet by 31 over the base. The manḍapa is 20 feet square inside; its roof supported by four round pillars standing on two raised benches on each side the central area. Behind this is a small ante-chamber with two pillars in antis; and beyond it is the shrine, 8 feet square inside, containing a small lingam and a number of loose images. To the entrance, on the west, is added a porch, with four columns in front, and measuring inside about 8' 4' in width by 6' 6" deep. The pillars are of early date, but in its present form this addition is probably due to Sansara Chandra II. of Kangra (1776-1809), who thoroughly repaired and restored the temple in 1786. With the exception of the balcony windows on each side of the maṇḍapa, its walls and inner roof and those of the shrine, however, were not materially interfered with; but the outer roof of the manḍapa and the spire of the shrine were either largely reconstructed or covered with so thick a coating of lime, as entirely to mask the original. But whether this is the temple for which the inscription slabs of the beginning of the ninth century were engraved may possibly be questioned: the pillars and some details certainly belong tot hat period; but if there were no such inscription to influence us, the archeologist
In his Archeol. Survey Reports, vol. V, pl. xliv, General Sir A. Cunningham has given a plan and elevation of this temple, drawn by himself, which are not correct, especially in the details most essential for estimating its age; the height of the spire above the eaves of the mandapa is dwarfed from 21' 5" to 15'; the small representations of Sikharas on the walls are neither of the modern form nor all in the positions represented; and the middle facet of the spire is elaborately carved with 'horse-shoe' or shell diaper carving, similar to that on the ruined temple of Jamadagni in the court of the temple of Vaidyanatha. The only way one can account for the inaccuracies of this elevation is to suppose that after measuring for the plan, a rough sketch was made of the north side, with the height of the walls measured, and the details left out, or only roughly inarked as reproduced in the plate. Mr. Fergusson finds serious fault with this drawing (Ind. & East. Archit., p. 315n.), but mistakes the small temple of Jamadagni in his engraving (p. 316) for this temple of Siddhanatha or Siddhefvara. The style is quite the same and they belong to the same age.
2 Cunningham, Arch. Sur. Rep., vol. V, p. 178, says the mandapa is 48 feet square outside: this is probably a mis. print for 28 feet. N
