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Several temples are found associated with tank or reservoir 32 such as at Bhansara, Patan, Modhera, Tarnetar and Viramgam 32. The Damodara temple at Junagadh is associated with the Damodara Kunda in front and the Revati Kunda on the right. The Revati Kunda contains 12 sculptures of the well known 24 forms of Visnu. Mahatmyas of several Dharmaksetras contain references to several Kundas or Vapis in association with temples. Sometimes certain tanks or reservoirs constructed independently and provided with flight of stepts, contain on all their sides small shrines

458 The Structural Temples of Gujarat (double shrined). Among those the Kunda at Modhera 33 is conspicuous by its architectural treatment. It is rectangular in shape, the longer side being south to north and the smaller one east to west. It is on the east face of the Sabhamandapa from which a broad stair lead down to the waters edge. The upper and outermost margin is surrounded by a low wall on the ground level. A small rectangular recessed bay projects ( Devakulikas ) enshrining lingas and images of other deities The remains of Sahasralinga lake at Patan and the present Munsar lake at Viramgam afford examples of such reservoirs. Of these the Sahasralinga lake was a famous adornment of the capital of the Caulukyas and is described graphically in several literary and epigraphic compositions. The lake exists no more since long but the archeaological excavations (Gadre A. S. 'Archaeology in Baroda') conducted at its site give some idea of its plan. As the name suggests the lake was surrounded by a thousand (stricktly speaking 1001) linga shrines and some shrines of Visnu and other deities as well. A general idea of the lake and its numerous shrines is at present afforded by the Munsara lake, a large part of which is preserved. At present the lake at Viramgam contains 357 small shrines out of the original 520 esteemated by Burgess. (ASWI, Vill, ii, p. 91 Plts. LXXII, LXXIV). As regards the deities enshrined in them the images are all missing at present. But the Jaladharis in the western row of the shrines indicate that they all enshrined lingas of Siva while the pedastals attached to the back walls inside the shrines of the eastern row indicate that they enshrined image of deities, evidently of Visnu and others. The Western row is relieved by two double shrined temples in the middle. 33. The Kunda is locally known as Rama Kunda probably corresponding to Sitas Cori in the north east. This reminds us of the references in the Dharmarnya Mahatmyas (ascribed to the Skanda Purana and to the Padma Purana) to Ramas visit of Modhera and his grant of forty-four villages to the local Brahmanas. However the Kunda is in fact an accessory of the Sun temple and must be really styled Surya-kunda. The pillars of the so called Sitas Cori also, in fact represent the pillars of a subsidiary Torana,

The Accessories of the Temple-Complex 459 outwards from the middle of each of the sides and in the middle of these on the first terrace below the ground level small detached shrines stand, each facing the tank.34 The sides of the tank descend to the water in terraces, of which the drop from one to another is some what considerable, and steps running parallel to them would give no resting places; hence, from small landings above, a few cross-steps at right angles to the sides descend at both ends to the next terrace below. Access is thus secured from terrace to terrace by these numerous little stairs. The terraced descent is decorated with small shrines. Besides these shrines there are numerous niches which contain images. The noteworthy images from the small shrines are Visnu reposing on sesa, 35 Trivikrama, and a sculpture of Sitala.