THE SEVEN PAGODAS. 



173 



and reveal the central object which seems wanting to explain the 

 action of the scene, now meaningless. 



Some traces of a coating of fine plaster remain to show that at 

 one time perhaps the whole face of the rock was once so coated, 

 possibly a restoration such as may now be seen in the great 

 temple at RamesVaram, where the stone, the same as here, has 

 suffered much by weathering in the briny sea air. 5 



Dharmaraja's Mandapa. 



(?) Mentioned in Braddoch' 's Account at p. 103 of Carr's Compilation 

 as "a four-pillared finished excavation," and in para. 16, p. 207 

 (by K.L.), is called Dharmaraja's Mandapa, and stated to be in 

 as good preservation as if just finished. 



44. This is a neat excavation in the rock facing east south-east 

 to the south south- eastmost end of the rocks, 100 yards or so to the 

 south-west of the southern (or 2nd) edition of the " Penance " No. 

 45. It consists of a double verandah or chamber (21' 6" x 12' 2") 

 supported by four plain piers with plain angular brackets spaced 

 5 feet apart in two rows, and forming three open bays between 

 plain square pilasters. The outer verandah is nearly 5', and the 

 inner rather more than 7 feet wide. 



The back (west) wall is carved to represent the front of a 

 structural building, a single storey (about 9 feet) in height, 

 having a moulded plinth and basement, surmounted by panels, 

 pilasters, and doors leading into three cells, topped by a curved 

 projecting cornice. 



The central cell or shrine stands forward a little beyond the 

 flank cells, and has had a pair of dvarapals, one on each 

 side of the doorway, which however have been destroyed, and 

 the image or lingam, for which there is a hole or socket, removed. 



5 Many of the sculptured works here, both monolithic and structural," have 

 traces of a coloured coating of fine plaster which may have been part of the 

 original design and not a restoration. The rugged nature of the intractable 

 kind of rock here, would seem to require some such finish. The great temple 

 of Min&kshi at Madura has been quite recently treated in this manner, with 

 the most brilliant, if not gaudy effect. 



