Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/127

 CHAP. II. GREAT TEMPLE AT BHUVANESWAR. 99 has no repetition of itself on itself. As above pointed out, almost all the ornaments on the fagades of Buddhist temples are repetitions of themselves ; but the Hindus do not seem to have adopted this system so early, and the extent to which it is carried is generally a fair test of the age of Hindu temples. In the great Pagoda there are eight copies of itself on each face, and in the Rajarant the system is carried so far as almost to obliterate the original form of the temple. GREAT TEMPLE OF BHUVANESWAR. The great temple of Bhuvane^war, known as the Lingaraja, is one of the landmarks in the style. It is traditionally ascribed to a Lalatendra Ke^ari, who is said to have ruled in the 7th century ; though this is mere fable, the temple may tenta- tively be ascribed to about the pth or loth century ; but be this as it may, taking it all in all, it is perhaps the finest example of a purely Hindu temple in India. Though not a building of the largest class, the dimensions of this temple in plan are, so far as I can make out, far from contemptible. The whole length is about 210 ft., with a breadth varying from 60 ft. to 75 ft. The original temple, how- ever, like almost all those in Orissa, consisted only of a vimana, or Bara- dewal, and a porch or Jagamohan, shaded darker in the plan (Woodcut No. 314), and they extend only to 1 60 ft. The Nata- and Bhoga-man- daps shaded lighter were added Plan of Great T e mp ie a, Bhu- pOSSlbly about the I2th Century or vanewar. Compiled partly from even later. Though Several temples Plan in Babu Rajendralal Mitra's, .. r & work, but corrected from Photo- have all these four apartments, so graphs. Scale 50 ft. to i in.