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MONUMENTS & SCULPTURE A.D. 600 TO 1000
(PART IV and leads into the upper sanctum. In front of the court is a dvdro-mandapa standing for a gopura-entrance with many sculptures of Jaina Ththankara and other deities, including a six-açmed goddess.
The monolithic Jaina caumukha or caturmukha-vimăna (plate 125) standing in the forecourt of the Indra-sabhā is a unique piece, combining in its essential southern vimüna-form some distinguishing features. It is vimina of three storcys, square on plan but with the crowning griya and Sikhara octagonal, making it a typical Dravida vimäna of the southern texts. The stupi, which must have been a separate piece from the monolith, is now detached. The ground floor is open on the four cardinal sides, with porches projected from their entrasces having flights of steps leading up in front to the top of the moulded adhisthana or plinth. The adhisthana is of the kapota-bandha type with spana kumuda, kanpha and kapota with the prati forming the floor of the cella on top. The projected porches have advanced pillars, each with square base, octagonal shaft, and capitals with the kumbha prominent but with the kalata or lasuna and tadi much fore-shortened. The prastara or architrave is marked by the prominent flexed kapota or cornice with kona-patta or scroll-markings at the real and projected corners. The sanctum contains a central stele with Jina sculptures on its four sides facing the four entrance. The architraves of the porch projections carry prominent panjara-like ndsika-fronts with simhamukhafinials. They are much projected from the middle of the wagon-top sala miniatures or bhadra-salas of the håra which has, at each of the four corners, a karna-kata or miniature square vimana-model with domical four-sided converg. ing roof or sikhara (küta) with a single stúpi at its apex as is the norm for southern vimånas. The second storey which is a lesser square of shorter height than the first has four cardinally-projected ndsikds, and no salas or kütas of a hära. The nåsika-arches are crowned by siihhamukha-finials. The third storey, a still smaller square much less height, is bereft of the hara-elementsküta, salas or panjara, but carries four lions at the four corners at the top-the Kanchana characteristic of Jaina temples and in consonance with the textu requirement that the top storey of the vimåna should have, at its corners, the lafchana or váhana appropriate to the deity enshrined in the main sanctum below. The octagonal griva-fikhara bas small mahd-ndsikas projected dormerlike, from their eight octant faces.
The Chota-Kailāsa and the Caumukha present all the features of the southern vimana as crystallized in the eighth century as does the great Kailasa. The caumukha adopted suitably to its form and functions, is a more simple and elegant specimen of architectural model than the Chota-Kailase itself.
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