Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/308

 264 ARCHITECTURE IN THE HIMALAYAS. BOOK II. cut No. 149). As 149. Soffit of Arch at Martand. (From a Sketch by the late Mr. Wilson, B.C.S.) the typical example of a quasi-classical style, a perfect knowledge of its peculiarities would be a landmark in the history of the style both before and after its known date. The site of the ancient city of Parihasapura, where Lalitaditya erected four Vaishnava temples and a Buddhist vihara, was dis- covered by Dr. Stein, in 1892, near the village of Divar, with the ruins of half-a-dozen temples, said to have been destroyed by Sikandar Shah the remains of the spacious courts that had surrounded them being still traceable. In 1896, many of the stones, till then in situ, had been removed and broken up by contractors for road-metal. 1 AVANTIPUR. Next in importance to Martand, among Kashmiri temples, are those of Avantipur, now Vantipor, on the right bank of the Jehlam, halfway between Srinagar and Islamabad, all erected certainly within the limits of the reign of Avantivarman, the first king of the Utpala dynasty, and who reigned from A.D. 855 to A.D. 883. The stone with which they are erected is so friable, and the temples themselves are so ruined, that there might be a difficulty in ascertaining to what religion they were dedicated if the ' Rajatarangini ' were not so distinct in describing this monarch as conducting himself as a follower of Siva, whilst he had been brought up as a worshipper of Vishnu, 2 and naming these temples as dedicated, one built before his accession to the latter, and after that event, the temple of Avantmvara to Siva. The two principal ruins stand in courtyards of nearly the same size, about 200 ft. by 160 ft. or 170 ft. internally. One has pillars all round, like Martand, and almost identical in design and dimensions. The other is astylar, but the temple itself was much more important than in the first example. 3 1 Stein's ' Rajatarangini,' vol. ii. pp. 300-303. Ibid., bk. v. verses 43-45. 3 Plans of these temples with details are given by Cunningham, plates 1 7 and 1 8, and by Lieut. Cole with photographs, plates 20 to 27, and 2 to 5 for details. Mr. Cowie also adds considerably to our information on the subject. The dimensions quoted in the text are from Lieut. Cole, and are in excess of those given by General Cunningham. The