Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/481

 CHAP. I. ITTAGI. 425 period and in the caves, are very elaborately carved ; and their porches have ribbed roofs of beautiful and ingenious designs. 246. Plan of the Ittagi Temples. (From a Drawing by Mr. H. Cousens.) Scale too ft. to i in, The central niches on the outsides of the shrine walls here are larger and more prominent than in most other temples, and have a half jikhara minutely carved over each. The niches themselves, once occupied by characteristic Saiva images, are now quite empty. Above each of these is a succession of highly ornamental carved frontons, rising one above another, in decreas- ing sizes to the summit. The pillars in the open mandap are of varied patterns, richly carved, the central four being star-shaped in plan, as are also the two outer pillars of each side porch, a form that was a favourite one, as it occurs in various temples of this period and later, as in the Dambal temple of Dodda Basavanna. The central panel in the roof, 8 ft. 5 in. square, is also richly sculptured, with a figure of Nate^a in the middle and, in the corners, are artistic arabesques in high relief round kirttimukh faces. 1 1 For a drawing and section of this panel, which is in five stages, fully 4 ft. in total depth, the uppermost being 3 ft. 1 1 in. square, with descriptive note, see ' Technical Art Series of Illustrations of Indian Architectural Decorative Work,' 1888, plate 6,