THE SEVEN PAGODAS, 



199 



and shrines of Chidambaram are similarly stack roofed, and 

 devoid of gables. 



It is however reproduced in miniature in the oblong cell orna- 

 ments which adorn the roofs of most Dravidian temples. 



Dharmaraja's Rath a or Vim an a. 



No. 24, p. 106, of Braddoctts account, and para. 35, p. 216, of 

 Kdvali Lakshmayya. 



43. The southernmost of the monolithic shrines at Mavali- 

 varam. This is a pyramidal-roofed shrine, with three storeys of 

 cell-terraces above the lowest or ground floor storey, rising to a 

 small octagonal dome, rather higher than a hemisphere, and very 

 slightly splayed out at its rim or lower edge. The basement 

 storey or ground floor below the lowest cornice is quite unfinished ; 

 above, the roof is for the most part complete. It is about 

 27 feet square, with a projecting portico on the west face consist- 

 ing of four free-standing octagonal lion-based pillars (without 

 anta?) only roughly blocked out, with shapeless capitals and 

 brackets supporting the usual bold cornice, surmounted by a row 

 of three cells joined by the covered passage or corridor. 



Immediately over the architraves and under the cornice is a 

 frieze or course of dwarfs bearing the long roll-ornament hang- 

 ing down in festoons between them. This is only on the west 

 face, and for the length of a single compartment along the north 

 and south faces ; the rest of the frieze is a row of dwarfs with 

 their arms raised and extended, or intertwined, without the roll. 



The portico was designed to be open at both ends as is the 

 case in No. 41 on the north, east and south sides. The square 

 basement block was intended to have a plain verandah of three 

 bays each, between two central octagon lion-based pillars and 

 two square pilasters " antee" to match, without any projecting 

 portico such as that of the west face on the other sides. 



The angles of the basement story are left solid and have 

 a tall narrow rectangular niche, two on each face, or eight in all, 

 each containing the life size figure of a man or god standing 

 erect, wearing a tall topi and some of them having a few archaic 



