Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/503

 CHAP. I. MYSORE. 439 temple, surrounded by four or five others and numerous subordinate buildings, enclosed in a court by a high wall measuring 380 ft. by 425 ft, and having two very fine gate- ways or gopurams in its eastern front. 1 As will be seen from the plan (Woodcut No. 257), the great temple consists of a very solid vimana, with an antarala, or vestibule ; and in front of this a porch or mahamantapam of the usual star-like form, measuring 90 ft. across. The entire length of the temple, from the east door to the back of the cell, is 115 ft., and the whole stands on a terrace about 3 ft. high, and from 10 ft. to 15 ft. wide. This is one of the characteristic features of Chalukyan design, and adds very considerably to the effect of their temples. The arrangements of the pillars have much of that pleasing subor- dination and variety of spacing which is found in those of the Jains, but we miss here the octa- gonal dome, which gives such poetry and meaning to the arrange- ments they adopted. Instead of that, we have only an exaggerated compartment in the centre, which fits nothing, and, though it does give dignity to the Centre, it does 2S7i Plan of Chenna Kejava Temple at it SO Clumsily as to be almost ?elur. Scaleiooft.toijn. (From offensive in an architectural sense. It is not, however, either to its dimensions, or the disposition of its plan, that this temple owes its pre-eminence among others of its class, but to the marvellous elaboration and beauty of its details. The effect of these, it is true, has been, in modern times, considerably marred by the repeated coats of whitewash which the present low order of priests consider the most appropriate way of adding to the beauty of the most delicate sculptures. Notwithstanding this, however, their outline can always be traced, and where the whitewash has not been applied, or . has been worn off, their beauty comes out with wonderful sharpness. The following woodcut (No. 258) will convey some idea of the richness and variety of pattern displayed in the windows Rice's ' Epigraphia Carnatica,' vol. v.) 1 By the plan in Mr Rice's ' Epigraphia Carnatica,' vol. v. pt. i., the court is about 404 ft. long on the north side, and 426 on the south.