________________ The Date of the Devendrastava : An Art-Historical approach : 261 capital is the only archaeological example of its kind in the realm of Indian art where the conception of a Vimana of a Jyotiska god has been given a concrete shape. In the present example it is the vimana of the Sun god. The Devendrastava also refers to some other kinds of a Vimanas or palaces. These are described as circular, triangular, square (catuskona) or rectangular in shape." It further adds that circular, triangular and rectangular palaces have one, three and four entrances respectively. 8 It perhaps refers to the earliest cave architecture of India which developed during the Maurayan period in Bihar. The Lomas Rsi cave, the Sudama Cave, Viskarma Cave, Karna Cauper Cave etc. of the Barabar Hills, in Rajgir, represent the kind of architecture referred to in the text. However, it does not strictly follow the description. It has to be born in mind that the text is not architectural treatise in detail. It is sufficient for the author of the Devendrastava to refer to the architecture by their shapes. . Most of the Barabar hill caves have an outer rectangular chamber and an inner circular room with a separate opening from the inside only. The main entrance is the side of the rectangular chamber. The doorway has a characteristic converging door jambs and forms a trapezoidal opening. About twenty kilometers away from Rajgir, is another cave called Sitamarhi cave. It also bears the Mauryan polish. It has a rectangular plan with characteristic trapezodial entrance, but it has a semi-eliptical elevation which gives it a triangular look.10 . Thus, a'special reference of the Jyotiska Vimana born by the four animals, as seen on the abacus of the lion capital of Sarnath and a reference to the earliest cave architecture of India, makes the Devendrastava a fairly early text, the antiquity of which can be traced back to the Mauryan period, save for the date of Rsipalita, the author of the text. Rsipalita's name occurs only in Sthaviravali of the Kalpasutra. Once the whole chronology of the Sthaviravali of the Kalpasutra is fixed, it would be easy to provide a precise date to the Devendrastava and its author
