washed and repaired till it has assumed its present discordant appearance, which renders it certainly a blot on the whole design. My own impression rather is, that, like others of its class, it was at first left unfinished, and the upper part added at subsequent periods. Its original form most probably was that of the little pavilions that adorns its portals, one of which is represented in the following woodcut (No. 259), which has all the peculiar features of the style—the flat band on each face, the three star-like projections between, and the peculiar crowning ornament of the style. The plan of the great tower, and the presence of the pavilions where they stand, seems to prove almost beyond doubt that this was the original design; but the design may have been altered as it progressed, or it may, as I suspect, have been changed afterwards.
There seems to be little or no doubt about the date of this temple. It was erected by Vishnuvardhana, the fourth king of the race, to commemorate his conversion by the celebrated Râmânujya from the Jaina to the Hindû faith. He ascended the throne, a.d. 1114, and his conversion took place about 1117; and it is probable that the temple was finished before his death in 1141, but as the capital was removed by the same king to Halebîd, it is just possible that the vimâna of the great temple, and the erection of some at least of the smaller shrines, may belong to a subsequent period.
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259. Pavilion at Bêlûr. (From a Photograph.)
Mysore abounds in remains of this style, but they have not been adequately surveyed.[1] In the north-west of the province, at Balagâmi or Belagâvi, an ancient site, there are some five ruined temples whose rich sculpture is equal in taste and perfection of workmanship to any of the class. Among these, the temple of Kedâresvara is perhaps the oldest, and a view of it from the north-east is given in Plate No. XVII.
- ↑ A number of lithographed ground plans, to small scales, are published in Rice's 'Epigraphia Carnatica,' but without descriptions. In Workman's 'Through Town and Jungle' (1904) are some well-selected photographic views of Somnâthpûr, Koravangula and other Mysore temples.
