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Description of Temples
Square on plan the ceiling in the northwest bay is domical of the sabhämandāraka kind. It con. sists of seven courses and a circular padmašila. The first course is octagonal and the rest are circular. The inner face of the first course is decorated with lotus scrolls, while its underside at each corner depicts a kirttimukha. The second is adorned with a band of kiritimukhas. The third is karyadardarika. The fourth consists of padma cut out with lotus
effect (Fig. 92). Their base is similar to that of the octagonal pillars, but the kumbha here shows a figure of female dancer. Below, the shaft is plain, while above, it displays a series of horizontal bands of shrine models, resembling almost a diaper work. The shaft is surmounted by a ghatapallava. The capital consists of a double-course round bharani of karnika and padma clasped by drooping foliage, and a three-armed square bracket, the front bracket of which is treated like a pendant, also clasped by drooping foliage.
The architraves are similar to those found in the porches of the gidhamandapa. The mukhamandapa is shaded on the two sides by a corrugated eavecornice, the soffit of which is adorned on the outer edge with a band of diamonds and beads.
Each of the nine bays displays a highly ornamental ceiling. Rectangular on plan the ceiling (Fig. 97) in the central bay is kşiptotkşipta of the padmamandāraka mode.50 It is composed of three rectangular courses and a square padmašila, leaving a small gap on the two shorter sides. The under- side of these courses depicts a file of projecting lümās, the first course comprising thirty, the second containing twenty-two and the third possessing fourteen lämās. Each lämă consists of an eight-foil and a quatrefoil kola, and an eight-petalled lotus flower. Between the limäs on the two sides are foils of kolas containing similar lotuses. The cor- ners of each course on the inner side are occupied by smaller lāmās, each consisting of a quatrefoil kola and an usual lotus. The inner face of the first and second courses is decorated with ardhapadma pattern. The padmašila is made up of four courses of twenty-four-foil, sixteen-foil, eightfoil and quatrefoil kolas, each edged with reverse gajatālu. In the quatrefoil kola is inserted a small stamenal tube clasped by one row of petals. The gap on the two sides of the padmašila is filled with half lūmās of the quatrefoil type. The ceiling is raised up by a rectangular frame of four rectangular slabs slightly projecting into the space of the ceiling. The underside of these slabs is carved with half lotuses with stalks, while their inner face is plain and concealed from view. The ceiling is marvellous for the beautiful disposition of lümās. The square padmašila is of the singular type.
fourth but carries flowers with stalks. The sixth and seventh are similar to the fourth. The padmaSila is formed of three courses of thirty-two-foil, sixteen-foil and eight-foil kolas, and a stamenal tube clasped by three rows of petals. The ceiling is raised up by a square frame of four rectangular slabs carved with ardhapadma motif. The underside of slabs on two sides is decorated with a narrow band of diamonds and beads. The beauty of this ceiling lies in that its petals and buds are so skilfully cut out from their sides that they defy even the master hands of the ivory carvers.
Square on plan the ceiling in the northeast bay is a ksibta vitāna belonging to the näbhicchanda order (Fig. 90). It displays four full lämās in the four corners, one full lima in the centre, four half lamās in the four cardinal points and four quarter lumas at the end of the four corners. Arranged in diagonal order all the lümās are deeply cut and resemble serrated diamonds. Each of the four corner lamās consists of an eight-foil, a quatrefoil and a circular kola. The central lūma, which is the biggest in the series, consists of a twelve-foil, an eight-foil and a quatrefoil kola, and a stamenal tube adorned with three rows of petals. Each of the half limas consists of a whorl of sixteen-fold (7+5+3+1) kola, while each of the quarter lämās has a whorl of nine-fold (4+3+2) kola. The ceiling is raised up by a square frame of four rectangular slabs, which are slightly projecting into the space of the ceiling, The frame is treated as padma adorned with stencilled lotus petals and surmounted by a projecting band carved with lotus flowers with stalks and a goose-band. This is one of the best ceilings of the nābhicchanda variety.
The ceiling in the southwest bay is domical of the sabhapadmamandāraka variety. It is rectangular
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