2 B. E. BY'dA\?i\\—Descriijtion of tlie Qrcat ^iva Temple. [No. 1, 



Most of the inscriptions appeared to be mere statements of gifts 

 made to the temple by private persons. The western and southern 

 (side) inscriptions appeared to be mostly in the Tamil character and 

 language with occasional Sanskrit formulae to begin and end with. Those 

 on the northern side were said to be chiefly in Grantha and Telugu or 

 other (than Tamil) characters. 



The temple consists of a grand stone " stubi" (as they called it), a 

 sanctuary steeple or Vimanam on a raised basement or terrace, decorated 

 by a rail ornament below, having the upright posts engraved with griffins 

 (or Ydli), and an elaborate scroll-enveloped animal or figure on every 

 third or fourth post, but no cross-bars or horizontal rails between. 



The Alodiii or terrace-path is 3|- feet wide, surrounding the entire 

 temple, including the great Veli-mandapam or Outer court, at a height of 

 about 5 feet above the (original) ground level. 



The great pyramidal Vimana is 100 feet square* at base and about 

 165 feet high. The double story below the j^yi'^mid and immediately 

 above the terrace basement is vertical, with five compartments or towers 

 on each face (north, west and south) of the temple, separated by four 

 deep recesses, with a handsome sculptured ornament (^purdna Jcumham) 

 in each recess. Each projecting compartment has a fine sculptured figure* 

 chiefly Saiva but not without important Vaishnava figures, and the plain 

 intervals of flat wall are covered with (?) historical scenes of rishis, kings, 

 worshippers and attendants, celestial as well as terrestrial, in low relief. 



Above the double vertical story rises the pyramidal stuhi in seven 

 stories to the neck which is spacious and supports four bulls (as at 

 Tanjore) below the dome or semi-dome. 



The whole temple is of stone throughout, and the domed top is 

 apparently carved to represent a copper tile or leaf -pattern covering, like 

 that of the five halls (sahlia) at Chidambaram. 



The only or chief ornament of the pyramidal portion of the tower is 

 the square and oblong cells of "Rath" { — car) or Gopuram (= spire-roofed) 

 pattern, with their elaborate fan-shaped windows, like spread peacocks' 

 tails. 



There is little if any stucco to be seen, the whole being of pure 

 stone. 



On the east side and attached to the great stuhi is the Mele- 

 Mandapam (= a higli court or west court), a three-storied portico or 

 transept covering the cross aisle between the north and south entrances to 

 the Temple ; this is built to match the Vimana, as at Tanjore. 



To its east again and attached to it, is the west wall and end of the 

 great Outer court (Veli-mandapam), begun in the same magnificent scale 



* Soo note above. 



