4 B. R. JirAnQW—Descrijytion of the Great Siva Temple. 



[No. 1, 



The usual Bull {NancU) in front of the temj^le is a poor one, compar- 

 ed with that at Tanjore. 



The minor temples and shrines in the court-yard are inferior and 

 mostly in ruins. 



One of the more conspicuous of the sculptures repi'esents Siva coming 

 out of an opening {yoiii or split) in a cylindrical stone column (or 

 lingani) . 



This figure is represented at Tanjore and elsewhere, and is to be seen 

 repeated here several times in various pai'ts of the Gangaikonda Shola- 

 puram temples. 



A figure of a rishi (Markanda) on his knees, with forehead on the 

 ground, is below. 



The pillars and pilasters ai-e very plain, square in the four towers 

 (or rath-\\ke portions), forming the four corners of the stuhi, orna- 

 mented by pointed leaves below the capitals, which are very fine large 

 tabular slabs. 



The square pillars or pilasters are not cut away to the octagon 

 form leaving square blocks, as is common. The pillars and pilasters of 

 the next, intermediate, partitions or towers are octagon throughout, with 

 similar lanceolate ornamentation and (octagonal) capitals. 



The central partitions or towers have 16-gonal pillars and pilasters 

 with similar ornaments and capitals. 



The plinth moulding is very grand, bold and chaste. It re-called to 

 •my mind the pattern of the plinth moulding of an unfinished temple at 

 Kuttalam {Gourtallmi) in Tinnevelly. 



The flat portions of the walls are covered with (?) historical scenes 

 in which rishis and countryfolk, herdsmen &c., figure largely. 



There are three or four wells in the Temple court, one of which 

 (the Sin (g) ha Tirtham) is connected with the legend of the founding of 

 the temple and possesses a never-failing supply of very good water. 



I noticed that the name on the Tamil inscriptions was Gangaikonda 

 Sholapuram and Gangaikondapuram. The inhabitants now call it Gangai- 

 kandapurani. They told me that the Stalapurana or local historical 

 record of Gangaikondapuram had been taken to Tanjore and a copy placed 

 in the Eajah's library there, whilst a copy (or the original) was taken and 

 kept by the copyist who now resides at Nachaiyarkovil (or at Tirichirai) 

 near Kumbakonani. 



Another place of interest I visited may be worth mentioning though 

 quite modern, and tliat is Kamalinga-pillai-salai, a remarkable church or 

 college building, called variously Pardesiinadain, and Sanmdrga-Sabai, 

 situate on the high road from " Caddalore" to Vriddhachalam, a mile or 



