Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/412

3 6 DRAVIDIAN STYLE. BOOK III. of the court, the walls of which are covered with sculpture. The outsides of the court walls are divided by pilasters on rampant Vyalis into bays in which are niches with sculptured pediments. The vimana in the centre of the west portion of the court measures 47 ft. square over the walls, with a mandapam in front, having two rows of four pillars each across the floor. The shrine is of unusual arrangement, being of three storeys (Woodcut No. 210); round the lower are two passages, in the inner of which is a stair leading to the upper floor, and the outer has a door and two windows on each of the three exterior sides. On the first floor is a somewhat larger shrine with one covered passage or pradakshina, round it, and an open balcony on the roof over the outer passage of the ground floor. In the third storey is also a shrine with an open balcony round it over the roof of the first passage below. In the fourth storey there is again a chamber under the large octagonal dome that crowns the jikhara. The walls of the lower storey of the temple are divided by pilasters into panels filled with Vaishnava sculptures. There are three or four other old temples of the same style at Conjivaram, but they are small and considerably ruined, and hardly come under our notice here. 1 The more modern great Saiva temple of Ekamranatha at Great Conjivaram possesses some first-class gopurams, though no commanding vimana. The largest gopuram is on the south side of the outer enclosure, and has ten storeys and a large top ; it was built by Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar (1509-1530) and is 188 ft. high. 2 It has, too, a hall of about 540 columns, several large and fine mantapas, large tanks with flights of stone steps, and all the requisites of a first-class Dravidian temple, but all thrown together as if by accident. No two gopurams are opposite one another, no two walls parallel, and there is hardly a right angle about the place. All this creates a picturesque- ness of .effect seldom surpassed in these temples, but deprives it of that dignity we might expect from such parts if properly arranged. In Little Conjivaram is the Vaishnava temple of Varada- raja-swamt or Arulala-Perumal, which though smaller than the Saiva shrine is the wealthier, being the principal seat of the Virishtadwaitya school of Ramanuja. The principal gopuram 1 The editor is indebted to Mr. A. Rea of the Archaeological Survey, who, with the consent of the Government, has favoured him with a proof of his volume on Pallava Architecture now in the press, on which the above remarks are based. 1 " The like model of these lofty towers elsewhere introduced, procured for them the designation of Rayer gobaram, or a tower after the Rayer's fashion that is, a large and lofty tower." W. Taylor's 'Oriental Historical Manuscripts,' vol. ii. p. 125; Campbell's 'Teluga Grammar,' introd. p. xii.