4G8 WAEE— ITS TEMPLES. Chap. XXVIT. 



vestibule, which is a plain but perfect piece of masonry in 

 very good taste, we came to a large image of Siva's bull, called 

 Nandi, under a mandap or canopy, supported by four pillars. 

 The image, Avhieh is in a sitting posture, with its head turned 

 towards the door of the shrine, has numerous ornaments 

 carved about its head and neck, amongst them a necklace of 

 bells. It is hewn out of an immense block of stone. Imme- 

 diately in front of Nandi is the shrine itself, but the interior 

 was too dark to enable us to discern the god. The lower part 

 of the building is of plain masonry, wilh two small square 

 windows in fretted stone-work ; but the upper part is sur- 

 mounted by a richly-carved spire and dome, while on the 

 cornice of the roof there are niches containing stone figures. 

 The spire has three tiers of gods round it in niches, and is 

 crowned by a fluted dome, resting on a circlet of lotus-leaves. 

 There is another temple on the platform facing the river, 

 dedicated to Parvati, Siva's wife. 



By the time we had completed the examination of these 

 temples, we were surrounded by a great crowd of Brah- 

 mins, hamals, girls and boys, who continued to follow us 

 about. 



We then went up one of the streets of this most devout 

 little town, and came to a temple dedicated to Yishnu, the 

 enclosure of which is also suiTouuded by a high wall, with 

 lean-to grain-shops outside. The interior of the enclosure is 

 lined with betel-nut palms, and paved with large flags, on one 

 of which the figure of a tortoise is carved. The temple stands 

 in the centre, with a richly ornamented spire above it. The 

 interior consists of a nave, with aisles on each side, and at 

 the end, opposite the doorway, there is an open grating, 

 within which is the deity. The temple was crowded witli 

 nautch-girls, and numbers of people were passing in and 

 out, doing poojah. They first prostrated themselves at the 

 entrance, then before the grating, and finally touched a bell 



