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MONUMENTS & SCULPTURE A.D. 1000 TO 1300
[PART V
bandha is octagonal and shows smaller garland-loops issuing from kirttimukhas having a pair of vyālas with riders in each loop. The third bandha is circular and decorated with either rosettes or cut triangles and shows four projecting bhūta-brackets of a small size for the reception of ornamental apsaras-struts. The fourth or top bandha consists of two octagonal pattikās, the lower decorated with garland-loops enclosing half lotus-flowers and the upper decorated with circular rosettes. The shaft is surmounted by a circular capital consisting of a ribbed amalaka and padma. The capital carries bhūtabrackets with adoring Nagas in between. All the bhūtas are pierced with sockets in their bellies for the reception of apsaras-brackets. The brackets carry a lintel with three offsets of which the lower two are decorated with lotus-scrolls and kirttimukhas, while the top offset is left plain. The lintel carries a frieze of processional scenes representing mostly devotees, musicians and dancers, sometimes accompanied by processional elephants. On the north and south sides a Jina figure occurs in the middle of the frieze. Above the fricze rests an ornate but flat square ceiling divided into ornamental rectangular panels, with borders decorated with lotus-flowers in relief. The outer row of panels shows dancers and musicians flanked by mithunas, while the inner row of panels is decorated with stencilled scrolls. In the centre of the ceiling a space of about 1-m. square is decorated with three gajatālu (coffered cusp) courses, the two outer courses showing three gajatälus on each side.
The ardha-mandapa leads into the maha-manḍapa which must have been enclosed by walls. This maha-maṇḍ apa, however, differs from that of the Pārsvanatha temple in showing a transverse row of three catuskis in front. The ceilings of these catuşkis, now quite plain, may have been decorated originally. The central catuşki, which is larger than the side ones, is formed by the two western pillars of the ardha-mandapa and two pilasters flanking the doorway of the maha-mandapa which show at the base two-armed dvara-pālas facing each other. The dvara-pālas wear karaṇḍa-mukuța and carry a gadā which is mutilated. Behind each dvara-pala is represented a quadruped resembling a lion. The pilasters are of the bhadraka-type (square in section with three angles in each corner) but quite plain except for a conventional pot-and-foliage carved in the lower and upper portions of the shaft. They stand on an upapitha with a simple decoration of lotus-petals, but whether the upapitha is original is uncertain. Their bases (kumbhikās) consist of the mouldings of khura, kumbha and kapota. The shafts carry a plain short uccalaka section surmounted by a plain capital showing karnika and padma. The capital supports brackets of plain sharply-curved profile with a volute. The brackets carry a lintel decorated with stencilled scrolls and gräsa-paṭṭikā. The lintel supports a plain cornice
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