Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 724

ANCIENT INDIAN PALACE ARCHITECTURE : 253
tubes (Sușiraphūtkrta). There are many other technical details mentioned about their construction, e.g., Vapra (raised foundations), Nemi (deep foundation), sala (ramparts), Harmya (upper storey), śikhara (spires), Kapota palikā (a special moulding with a row of pigeons like motif), Simhakarņa (two corners of the Gavākša raised aloft like the two ears of a lion), Gopānasi (the projecting top above the Gaväksa resembling a long nose of a bull), Valabhi (a small pavilion on the top storey), Attālikā (towers of the gateway), Avalokana (a room on the upper storey for looking outside), Pratoli (rooms for connecting the towers of the gateway) (Hindi: pola), Vitaňka (a plat. form on the ground floor), Prāsāda (a palace), etc. Bāņa also refers in his description of Sthāņvīśvara to Prāsāda, Pratoli and Sikhara (142). As in the palace of Prabhākaravardhana there is mention of Vitardi (platform in the Catuḥsäla of the ground floor), Samjavana (Catuhsāla), Vithi in the Pädatāạitakam.
In the description of Vasantasena's house as given in the MȚcchakațika we find reference to eight courts (Prakoștha) which has same meaning as Kakşa).
These traditions of house-building continued with minor changes even during the mediaeval period. We read of these features in the Dvyāśraya Kavya of Hemacandra (12th century) and Kirtilata of Vidyāpati (14th century) and in the Varnaratnākara of Jyoteśyara Thakkura and Pșthivicandra-carita (1421) and also find them continued in the Moghul palace of Delhi and Agra. In the Kumarapala-carita, Asthanamandapa is called Sabhā or Mandapikā. There is mention also of the Grhodyāna adjacent to the Dhavalagrha, as shown in the illustration of the Rajakula. The Gệhodyāna is referred to as Bhavanodyana or Mandirodyāna in the Bșhatkathā-Sloka-Samgraha of Budhasvāmin and was known as Najara-bag, in Muslim times. Hemacandra has given a detailed account of Bhavanodyāna located inside the royal palace (Dvyāśraya Kavya, 3/145/87). The Bhavanodyana occupied an extensive area between the Asthanamandapa of the second court and the Dhavalagrha proper of the third court. In this palace garden there were many kinds of trees, creepers, flowers of which a full list is given by Hemacandra. There was also a lotus pond and a Kridaparvata, an artificial hillock for royal pastime, with many other contingent buildings and bowers and also an elaborate water fountain. The summer house (Hima-gsha) described by Bāņa in great detail in the Kadambari also forms part of the palace garden, and continued as Sāvana Bhādo in Mughal times. There are many points of similarity