Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/139

 CHAP. II. JAJPUR AND KATAK. in hardly be expressed in words ; even the woodcut, however, is sufficient to show how changed they are in effect, but the build- ing itself should be seen fully to appreciate the degradation in style. JAJPUR AND KATAK. Jajpur, on the Baitarani, was one of the old capitals of the province, and even now contains temples which, from the squareness of their forms, may be old, but, if so, they have been so com- pletely disguised by a thick coating of plaster, that their carvings are entirely obliterated, and there is nothing by which their age can be determined. The place was the scene of the struggle in the i6th century between the Musalmans and Hindus for the mastery of the province ; and, under Sulaiman and his Afghan soldiers, it was reduced to ruins. Like Anhilapur in Gujarat, the ruined structures became a quarry for build- ing materials, and the handsome mosque built by Nawab Abu Nasir Khan in 1681 was raised out of the ancient Hindu remains. 1 There is one pillar, however, still standing, which deserves to be illustrated as one of the most pleasing examples of its class in India (Woodcut No. 321). Its proportions are beautiful, and its details in excellent taste ; but the mouldings of the base, which are those on which the Hindus were accustomed to lavish the utmost care, have, unfortunately, been destroyed. 2 32r ' Originally it is said to have supported a figure of Garuda the Vahana of Vishnu and a figure is Hindii Pillar in Jajpur. (From a Photograph.) white ants having destroyed the timber, the stones have fallen as narrated. A similar roof so supported on wooden beams still exists in the structural temple on the shore at Mamallapuram, and, I have no doubt, elsewhere, but it is almost impossible to get access to these cells when the gods are at home, and the places are so dark it is equally impossible to see, except when in ruins, how they were roofed. 1 For an account of see Sir W. W. Hunte 'Jajpur antiquities, r's 'Orissa,' vol. i. pp. 265-273 ; or his ' Statistical Account of Bengal,' vol. xviii. pp. 85-89. He adds that the Public Works officers tore down ' ' the last remnants of the ancient palace, and built bridges along the Trunk Road with the stones." 2 The shaft is a chlorite monolith 29 ft. 9 in. in height, standing on a base of three plinths, 7 ft. in height. ' Proceed- ings As. Soc. Bengal, 1872,' part i. at ?. 31 ; Workman's ' Through Town and angle,' pp. 2i8f.