Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/415

CHAP. IV. TANJOR. 363 and the temple being broken by the shrine of the Bull Nandi, 1 which is sufficiently important for its purpose, but not so much so as to interfere with the effect of the great vimana, which stands near the inner end of the court. The perpendicular part of its base measures 82 ft. square, and is two storeys in height, of simple outline, but sufficiently relieved by niches and pilasters. Above this the pyramid rises in thirteen storeys to the summit, which is crowned by a dome said to consist of a single stone, and reaching a height of 190 ft. The porch in front is kept low, and as will be seen from the woodcut (No. 213) the tower dominates over the gopurams and surrounding objects in a manner that imparts great dignity to the whole composition. The great temple is dedicated to the worship of Siva, as Brihatfavara, in the form of an enormous Linga, and every- thing in the inner courtyard belongs to the S"aiva cult. The outer gopuram is of much later date, and probably belongs to the early part of the i6th century, when Vaishnava ideas were more prevalent, and the mythological representations had become mixed ; the smaller shrines in the court also belong to later dates. But, as one of the oldest and best preserved examples of Dravidian art, its date is of much archaeological interest. Strange to say, however, this date was long obscured by assertions that had no scientific basis. Thanks to Dr. Hultzsch's careful translations of the long inscriptions, in old Tamil, that cover the base of the central shrine, this is no longer doubtful. The inscriptions enumerate the many gifts of gold images, vessels, and ornaments made to the temple by Rajaraja or Ko-Rajakejarivarman, his eldest sister Kundavaiyar and others, in the 25th, 26th, and 212. Diagram Plan of Tanjor Temple. (From a Sketch by the Author.) Scale 200 ft. to i in. 1 The dimensions of this image are 16 ft. from muzzle to rump, by above 7 ft. across, 12 ft. 2 in. to top of head, 10 ft. 4 in. to top of hump, and 7 ft. 5 in. to top of back. It is composed of a single block of stone, I believe granite, but it has been so frequently and so thoroughly coated with oil, which is daily applied to it, that it looks like bronze. I tried to remove a portion of this epidermis in order to ascertain what was beneath, but was not successful. No other kind of stone, however, is used in any other part of the temple.