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CHAPTER XII THE ARCHITECTURAL TREATMENT OF THE MANDOVARA. (i) Treatment in the extant temples. Over the solid substructure Pitha (basement) wall of the Prasada (shrine) is raised on each side. The wall enclosing the shrine proper is either plain or ornate. In the former case it hardly takes mouldings except the cornices at the bottom and the top; in the latter case it carries several mouldings some of them being repeated once, twice or thrice. In the case of temples having circumambulatory, the shrine is enclosed by two parallel walls plain or ornate. The outer face of the walls is known as Mandovara in Silpa texts. In its ornate phase it is decked with series of horizontal mouldings which follow either a fixed order or a varying order having additions, omissions and repetitions of certain mouldings. Like Pitha following the projections given to the ground plan of the shrine, it is broken up vertically into panels or facets, which run up from the bottom to the top i. e. upto the entablature. The horizontal mouldings which are generally found carved on the ornate outerface or mandovara of the temple are as follows from the bottom upwards; Khuraka, Kumbhaka, Kalasa, Kapotali (Kevala), Mancika, Jangha, Udagama, Bharani, Siravati, Mahakevala and Kutachadya. Between two successive mouldings is carved a recess or antarapatra. Kumbhaka is a broad band cut vertically and horizontally decorated with figures of niche-gods and goddesses and amorous couples. Kalasa is a torus moulding often carved with

396 The Structural Temples of Gujarat a row of oval discs and rosary of beads. Kapotali or Kevala is a projecting drip with or without Caitya-window ornament; Udagama is a triangular pediment. Kutachadya is a chief slanting ribbed roof, the Chadya being a sub-ordinate one. The moulding Kumbhaka is prescribed by canons to have niched figures on its face and foliage on the shoulders. In the extant temples of Gujarat it is first found on Nilkantha Mahadeva temple at Sunak, which was built by the middle of the tenth century. Kalasa is prescribed to be decorated with jewelled patterns, the kind of which again appears for the first time at Sunak. The moulding of Jangha is usually decked with damsels, demi-gods, demi-goddesses, enshrined in the niches having square or round-shaped ringed-pilasters endowed with triangular pediment. Sculpture on Jangha are traced upto 9 th cent. earliest. In the extant temples the Bharani of two shapes, square and round, are met with. The round type bharani with suspended foliage prescribed by canons is available from the early part of the eleventh cent. and thenceforth only. The tenth century temples have square bharanis, often double, but without the hanging foliage at the extremities. In the extant temples the mouldings Mancika, Siravati and Kutachadya appear from the beginning of the eleventh century A. D. In the case of temple having gudhamandapa, the mouldings of the walls of the gudhamandapa, at times correspond the mouldings of the mandovara of the shrine e. g. the temples at Modhera, Sunak etc. Almost all the pre-Caulukyan temples manifest the plain phase of the wall-face (mandovara). The walls of these temples are regerously plain except the heavy cornice moulding at the top from which the superstructure rises. However, exceptions are met with, for instance at Kadvar, Suvan etc.

The Architectural Treatment of the Mandovara 397 The wall face of the temple at Kadvar is divided into sections by means of wall projected pilasters, the uppermost part of them being cojoined by arch-like mouldings. The wall face of the shrine of the Suvan temple has a lateral projection corresponding to that of its superstructure. Further at the top, like other pre-Caulukyan temples, it has a heavy cornice with tooth-like or dentiled intervals. The mandovara of the Caulukyan phase manifests some variation in containing the additions, repetitions and omissions of mouldings. The best example, is supplied by the wall of the temple at Modhera as it contains all the possible mouldings. injucted by the canons. The mandovara, here contains the kumbhaka decorated with figure sculptures, kalasa, kevala, mancika,, jangha, sub-ordinate chadya, udagama, bharani, mahakevala and chief chadya from bottom to top. In the jangha it contains several panels of Gods and Goddesses, dancing damsels and musicians, amorous sculptures etc. The chief niche on each side has a standing figure of Surya with his seven horses and two consorts. The shrine-wall of the temple at Sunak contains all the mouldings illustrated by the temple of Modhera except the sub-ordinate Chadya. In the principal three niches of the jangha it has figures of Kali, Bhairava and Natesa. The wall of the shrine of the temple at Sander has similar mouldings as at Sunak. Only the Kumbhi, here, is not decorated with figure sculptures and amorous sculptures. The principal niches in the jangha contain figures of Siva, Visnu and Brahma. The walls of the temples at Ruhavi and Gorad have also similar mouldings to those of the temple at Sunak, the principal niches being enshrined with the figures of BrahmaSarasvati, Siva-Parvati, and Laxminarayana at Ruhavi and Mahakali, Natesa and Bhairava at Gorad. The Jargha of the sun temple on Hiranya at Prabhas, contains in jangha a less number of figures, otherwise it consists

398 The Structural Temples of Gujarat of all the mouldings in the walls. Similarly the mandovara of the temples at Dwarka (Rukamani), Baradia, Khandosan, and Girnar (Triple-shrine) contain all the mouldings. Some large and storied temples correspondingly have two, three or even more storeys in the mandovara. In the storied building, the upper storey successively decreased in height, so the mandovara of the first, second or third storey correspondingly requires less height. By omitting the lower mouldings likeKumbhaka and Kalsa and repeating certain upper mouldings like Kevala, Jangha, Udagama, Bharani comparatively of less height than the former one the height of the upper storey is diminished. In such a case the upper most moulding Kuta Chadya is taken to upper most storey. The walls of the temple at Ghumali, Sejakapur, Tarnga, Shamalaji, Somanatha (extinct) contain two storeys and so they have repeated mouldings of Jangha etc. with a lesser height. The Dwarkadhisa temple at Dwarka is a five storeyed building, consequently its mandovara has five storeys each having its moulding repeated from Jangha to bharani with its height decreasing at each upper storey. (ii) Canonical principles discerned. The propertionate measurement of the height of the wall of the garbhagriha in relation to the width of wall and to the width of the garbhagriha 2 have been prescribed by the early works but they do not lay down any rules pertaining to the mouldings and their measurements. Samarangana Sutradhara enumerates the names of various mouldings³ of the wall-face but particulars supplied about their units of measurements and dimensions are not so much fitting to the extant temples of Gujarat. 1. Meter P. CCLXIX, 16-17. 2. Ibid. 21-22; Agni Purana XLII, 3. 3. They are jangha antarapatra, mekhala, varandika, amdaka grasapatti, stambha, bharana, sirska, patta, chadya etc.

The Architectural Treatment of the Mandovara 399 But the canonical works like Aparajitapriccha , 4 KSR (MS)., 5 Dipa, 6 Pasada-mandana T etc. have given full treatment of the wall mouldings and their units of measurements under the head of mandovara. All these texts more or less agree in respect of the nomenclature, while prescribing the units of measurements of defferent types of mandovara such as Nagara, Meru etc. It will be interesting to note here that the formulae prescribed for the mouldings of the mandovara by these works apply to the Caulukyan temples of Gujarat to a large extent. As described above all the Caulukyan temples have followed these mouldings from bottom to top with slight variations due to the rare additions and omissions and repetitions in the case of multiplication of storeys in it. The mandovara of the temple at Modhera has proved to be the best illustration indicative of its full-fledged form. Two types of mandovara seem prevailing in Gujarat. As indicated by the number of the mouldings the mandovaras of the temples at Modhera, Sunak, Sander etc. belong to the Nagara type amongs the different types of the mandovaras described in the canonical works. The mandovara of the storeyed temples is classed under the Meru type in canonical works. The mandovaras of the storeyed temples like those at Ghumali, Sejakapur, Somnatha (extinct), Taranga, etc. illustrate this type. Prastara Just above the Kuatachadya of the mandovara is superimposed an entablature known an Prastara. In the case of a shrine with a curvilinear sikhara the entablature rests simply on the walls of the shrine. It generally consists of several mouldings such as Kumbha, Karna, Chadya, Karnika, Pattika, Antarapatra etc. 4. Aparajitapriccha CXXVI, CXXVII. 5. KSR (MS) CIV, CVII. 6. Dipa V. 7. Pasada-mandana III.

400 The Structural Temples of Gujarat The entablature extends over the other components of the temple building and forms the roof of almost all the subsidiary components such as the pradeksina patha, the antarala etc. In the case of the mandapa, and the adjoining porches the prastara forms the basis of the superstructure. Thus it serves as a connective member above the walls of all the components of the temple. The early canonical works do not give a separate treatment of the Prastara but refer to it in connection with the Chadya (eave) of the shrine. In later works the entablature is described in detail under the head prastara.8 The entablature is found to be common in the Caulukyan temples of Gujarat. 8. KSR (MS). CVIII, 6-10; Vastusara-Thakkar Faru, I 11, 18.