DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.2371#0422
400 BRAHMANICAL CAVE-TEMPLES.
and the walls occasionally carved with rilievos of their mythology,
the shrine at the back was retained, and in Saiva temples it was
soon surrounded by a pradahsJdnd or passage for circumambnlation,
it being considered a reverential and potential mode of salutation to
go round the image or shrine of Siva, keeping the right side towards
it.
Other modifications suggested themselves by degrees: in some
cases, as in the Dumar Lena at Blura, and at Elephanta and Joges-
wari, the hall was brought more into accordance with the cruciform
plan of the structural temples of the sect, and entrances excavated at
the sides, while the shrine was brought out of the back into the area
of the temple, and instead of the large central area and side aisles of
the Buddhist caves, rows of pillars were carried across the hall,
forming a succession of aisles.
As time went on other changes, both in plan and detail, were
introduced, till after persevering in this course for about a century
and a half the design of the Brahmanical caves had acquired a form
and consistency which almost entitled them to rank as a separate
style of their own. The original form of the Vihara was almost
entirely obliterated by the introduction of new features required to
adapt it to the purposes of the Brahmanical faith, and in a few years
more all traces of its origin might have been lost, when the progress
of the style was interrupted by a revolution which changed the
whole aspect of the case, but which at the same time proved to be a
last expiring effort, and was ultimately fatal to the progress of cave
excavations on the part of the Brahmans.
This time the revolution came from the south. When, as just
mentioned, the Rathors superseded the Chalukyas in cave regions
south of the JSTermada; they brought with them their own Dravidiafl
style of architecture, and instead of continuing the almost hopeless
task of converting a Buddhist vihara into a Brahmanical temple-
they boldly cut the knot and at once resolved to copy one o
their own structural temples in the rock. The result was ti
Kailas Temple at Elura, an effort on a grand scale to form c
of the living rock a shrine, complete in itself, with all necessar
accompaniments. It was in reality a great monolithic temple ie
out of the living rock, highly sculptured outside and in, nearly
feet in total height, with surrounding shrines, stambhas^ or ensign
pillars, gigantic elephants, corridors, &c, all in imitation of
and the walls occasionally carved with rilievos of their mythology,
the shrine at the back was retained, and in Saiva temples it was
soon surrounded by a pradahsJdnd or passage for circumambnlation,
it being considered a reverential and potential mode of salutation to
go round the image or shrine of Siva, keeping the right side towards
it.
Other modifications suggested themselves by degrees: in some
cases, as in the Dumar Lena at Blura, and at Elephanta and Joges-
wari, the hall was brought more into accordance with the cruciform
plan of the structural temples of the sect, and entrances excavated at
the sides, while the shrine was brought out of the back into the area
of the temple, and instead of the large central area and side aisles of
the Buddhist caves, rows of pillars were carried across the hall,
forming a succession of aisles.
As time went on other changes, both in plan and detail, were
introduced, till after persevering in this course for about a century
and a half the design of the Brahmanical caves had acquired a form
and consistency which almost entitled them to rank as a separate
style of their own. The original form of the Vihara was almost
entirely obliterated by the introduction of new features required to
adapt it to the purposes of the Brahmanical faith, and in a few years
more all traces of its origin might have been lost, when the progress
of the style was interrupted by a revolution which changed the
whole aspect of the case, but which at the same time proved to be a
last expiring effort, and was ultimately fatal to the progress of cave
excavations on the part of the Brahmans.
This time the revolution came from the south. When, as just
mentioned, the Rathors superseded the Chalukyas in cave regions
south of the JSTermada; they brought with them their own Dravidiafl
style of architecture, and instead of continuing the almost hopeless
task of converting a Buddhist vihara into a Brahmanical temple-
they boldly cut the knot and at once resolved to copy one o
their own structural temples in the rock. The result was ti
Kailas Temple at Elura, an effort on a grand scale to form c
of the living rock a shrine, complete in itself, with all necessar
accompaniments. It was in reality a great monolithic temple ie
out of the living rock, highly sculptured outside and in, nearly
feet in total height, with surrounding shrines, stambhas^ or ensign
pillars, gigantic elephants, corridors, &c, all in imitation of