THE SEVEN PAGODAS. 



181 



built, surrounded on the south, west, and north side by an 

 incomplete enclosure from 30 to 40 yards square. 



The mandapa or outer chamber is about 32 feet along (north- 

 south), 17' 6" wide (east-west) and 10' high. It is exactly in 

 front of the older portico cut in the rock. It is built on three 

 sides of stone, and on the south side has a small side chamber 

 17' 6" by 7'. The doorway into this is at some height from the 

 floor and only 3' high by If wide or less. 



The roof, which is of plain hewn stone beams covered by brick- 

 work and concrete, is supported by two groups of four pillars 

 each, irregularly spaced about 5 feet apart, and so as to leave a 

 wider interval (7' 4") in the centre, between the two doors. 



These pillars are monoliths 1 foot in diameter carved in 

 modern style; 8 J diameters below the bracket, which is about 

 one diameter (!') high and 3 diameters wide. 



They are composed of a square base, 2 diameters high, the 

 faces of which are carved with mythological figures, scrolls, &c. 

 Above the base for about 1 diameter is an octagonal moulding 

 with florid leaves at the angles, and above this a 16-sided shaft, 

 4| diameters high, crowned by a square capital J a diameter in 

 height. The bracket, 1 diameter in height, making 9 diameters 

 between floor and architrave, which latter is 1 foot in depth, 

 completing 10 diameters up to the ceiling. The brackets are 

 carved in florid scrolls with a double curve, drooping at the outer 

 end of each branch, and finished by a drop or drooping bud in 

 the mediaeval or modern style like those in the Krishna Mandapa, 

 No. 15. 



Opposite the front or outer entrance a doorway about 3 feet 

 wide with an ascent of two steps leads to the original rock-cut 

 chamber about 34 feet long N.S. by 16 feet at widest, and 10 

 feet 6 inches extreme height. 



The front of this was originally open and divided into five 

 bays or openings by four octagonal pillars between two semi- 

 octagon pilasters, all having the lion bases, of the same style as 

 those of the Kamaraja (now GaneSa) Temple No. 24, and 

 identical with those of the Yarahasvami Mandapa No. 25, except 

 that these have no tabular abacus, but the scroll-ended bracket 



