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A question about the stability of the structural form of the temples of Gujarat was raised in 1903 by Cousins and Burgess. They remark, "They are constructed without mortar. The stones are carefully dressed and retain their positions by the mere weight of the superincumbent masses. Hence however the foundation subsided or pillars gave way, the loosened stones slid off one another and whole structure fell to pieces."1
Later on in 1931 Counsins treated this question more elaborately as follows:
"The weak points in the construction of these temples are the poor foundations, the masonary without cementing material, and beams unable to bear the great weight piled upon them. In the better class of these buildings, in northern Gujarat the stone temple is often raised upon a brick foundation; but as the foundations, whether brick or not, were not sufficiently deep and solid, the least subsidence of the ground, below, brought down the walls in a crumbling heap, the stones having been piled dry one upon the other. In some cases, wooden or iron cramps have been used but these simply split the stone away whenever any unequal strain was brought upon the coupled blocks. The want of mortor or other cementing material, and binding or through-stones, is responsible for the stones sliding upon their beds, and the walls falling to pieces, the outer shell frequently parting company with the inner which has remained standing intact. The failure of beams by cracking, which has been the commonest failure of all, has been due to too great a span for the section, and the inferiority of the stone used. Thus it has come about that great number of these old temples have rolled down, wholly or in part, like a house of cards.2
1. AANG. p. 29.
2. SMTK. Int. p. 8.
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