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EDUCATION, LITERATURE AND ART
in he established with due rites, the image of Śrī the goddess, prepared out of the wood inlaid with extremely luscious pearl stones, with its creeper-like frame bedecked with all the ornaments, endowed with all its limbs.' The shrine of the Siddhas named Sakrāvatāra has a fortification having very lofty pinnacles and portals. A golden-pillar engraved or sculptured giving out a shining glow with its form chiselled out formed a feature of sculpture in architecture. The Vaimanika has been described as having his frame as luscious as the chiselled frame of the golden pillars.3 His limbs had been given a polished finish as if by the dusts formed out of the atoms of topaz gems. There is reference to the solar orb or the halo of lustre (Suryamandala or Chāyāmaṇḍala) encircling round the head of the celestial being (Vaimānika), a feature of art becoming popular during and after the Gupta hegemony. The Lamps erected on staves held in hands by the nymphs representing maidens formed a feature of art." Śrī or Lakṣmi i.e. Goddess of royal sovereignty and fortunes bearing two forms and eight arms seated constantly on the corner of a foot-stool made of gold and inlaid with variegated texture of leafy designs-forms another feature of art in Ancient Indian Sculpture.'
Ayodhya has been described as promiscuous with Puraprāsādas, Surasadanas, Kūpas, Udyānas and Vāpīs, i.e. the residential mansions, temples, wells, orchards and oblong tanks in thousands. The locks clinging to the latches forming the closing-instruments for the doors of shops having wooden-panels also formed a feature of architecture." The buildings could have oblong tanks situated to them, having steps sunk in water spurting forth from the water machines when stopping to function.10
1. प्रमदवनमध्य एव सन्निधावाक्रीडपर्वतस्य नातिखर्वः नातिविस्तीर्णमल्पस्तम्भापरिकरमप्रांसुप्रकारकृतपरिक्षेपमनुपलक्षितान्योन्यसन्धिभागैराभोगशालिभिः प्रकाममसृणैः मणिशिलातलैरवनद्धविस्तीर्णाङ्गणम्.... देवतागृहमकारयत्। तत्र चातिप्रशस्तेऽहनि....परिपूर्णसर्वावयवां सर्वप्रतिमालक्षणोपेतां सर्वालंकारभूषितवपुर्लतां... अत्युदारमुक्ताशैलदारुसम्भवां भगवत्याः श्रियः प्रतिकृतिं यथाविधि प्रतिष्ठाप्य । TM Vol. I pp 103 104.
2. अतितुङ्गशिखरतोरणप्राकारशक्रावतारं नाम सिद्धायतनम् ।
3. उल्लिखितशातकुम्भस्तम्भवदातदेहम् । Ibid. Vol.I p. 107.
4. पुष्परागपरमाणुमृत्तिकाभिरिव दत्तोपचयानाम्... अङ्गानाम् । Ibid Vol. I pp 107-108.
5. उत्पातसूर्यमण्डलेनेव सकीलेन कलितोत्तमाङ्गम् । Ibid Vol. I p. 111.
6. करसंश्लिष्टयष्टिदीपिकाकिरणपटलपल्लवितदेहलावण्याभिः..... अमराङ्गणाभिः । Ibid vol. I pp. 143-144.
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7. उत्पन्नभंगचित्राष्टापदपादपीठप्रान्तसततनिषण्णः प्रकटिताष्टबाहुदेहद्वयो जनोऽयम् । Ibid. Vol. I p. 153. 8. पुरप्रासादसुरसदनकूपोद्यानवापीसहस्रसंकुलाम् अयोध्यापुरीम् | Ibid Vol. II pp 163-164. 9. कपाटदारुपाशकनिर्दयास्फालनवाचालानि गृहोन्मुखापणिकसंवृतपण्यासु विपणिवीथिषु
कालायसतालकानि । Ibid Vol. II p. 165.
10. विरतारघट्टक्रमसमुच्छ्वसत्सलिलमज्जत्सोपानासु... भवनवापीषु । Ibid Vol. II p. 166.
प्रत्यर्पणद्वारमघदन्त
