North Indian Inscriptions

ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE

Saṁvat 1136, the cyclic year being Śrīmukha (22nd April A.D. 1213), recording the grant of the villages Kūḍaladāmavāḍa for the worship of the god Kōppēśvara on the occasion of a solar eclipse is noticed on a slab placed just outside the southern entrance of the gūḍha-maṇḍapa. The grant was made by the Yādava king at his capital Dēvagiri. Later inscriptions of Siṅghaṇa and his officers have been found at Kolhāpur. [1] They show that the Śilāhāra kingdom was thereafter annexed to the Yādava Empire. Siṅghaṇa made a new arrangement for the worship of Kōppēśvara after this victory, but he took no steps to complete this magnificent temple at Khidrāpur. Perhaps, the rude stucco spire over the garbha-gṛiha was then erected ; but a pyramidal śikhara over the gūḍha-maṇḍapa was not constructed. As stated before, even the ceiling of the sabhā-manḍapa has since then remained incomplete.

..Generally, such temples are erected over a high jagatī or platform. Their adhishṭhāna is decorated with mouldings and rows of the figures of men, horses and elephants. The temple of Kōppēśvara also must be having such a jagatī and an adhishṭhāna, but they have now been hidden underground, the level of the outside ground being now the same as the floor inside the temple. It is necessary to clear the jagatī and the adhishṭhāna by scraping the ground all round.

.. The garbha-gṛiha, the antarāla and the gūḍha-manḍapa are star-shaped on the outside. Their walls are decorated with various images from top to bottom. The lowest part of the jaṅghā (the part between the adhishṭhāna and the śikhara) is adorned with beautiful figures of elephants with various gods such as Indra, Brahmā and Vishṇu riding them. [2] They are shown to have come to the temple of Kōppēśvara on elephant back. The elephants number 92 in all−there being 46 on either side from the centre of the back of the temple. Besides these, there are shown three images of Śiva and Pārvatī riding the bull (Nandī) which occupy the centres of the western, northern and southern outside walls of the garbha-gṛiha. So there are in all 95 beautifully carved vehicles at the bottom of the jaṅghā of this temple, but almost all of them have been mutilated by the frenzy of the iconoclast. Most of the images riding these vehicles have also been disfigured. Many images higher up which could be reached by the hand of the iconoclast have also been damaged, much to the horror of the observant visitor. Inside the garbha-gṛiha is a high Śiva-liṅga of black stone. [3]

..The garbha-gṛiha, the antarāla and the gūḍha-maṇḍapa being star-shaped, the images carved on the vertical projections and recesses of their outside walls appear all the more beautiful by the play of light and shade. The upper parts of the walls are ornamented with various images of beautiful sura-sundarīs, dancing nymphs [4] in various poses, players on musical instruments and so forth. If there is Gajānana on the south, there is Sarasvatī on the north. Besides, there are images of several gods and goddesses in large panels such as Mahishāsuramardinī, Bhairava, Vishṇu and Brahmā, and innumerable dancing girls in various poses. We shall describe here some of the prominent images.

.. Sarasvatī − As the image of this goddess is fixed at a high place not easily reached, it has remained unscathed. Sarasvatī is sitting in the padmāsana pose, with a karaṇḍamukuṭa on her head. [5] She is four-armed. Her upper right hand holds as aṅkuśa (goad) and the left hand a pāśa (noose). Her lower right hand has an aksha-mālā, and the left an unbound book (pōthī). She wears various ornaments such as necklaces, bracelets, ear-and foot-ornaments. The image is artistically carved and is a fine specimen of the art of that age.

.. Another fine image which deserves notice is that of the a prince.[6] He is stamding in the
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[1] The earliest of them is dated Śaka Saṁvat 1140. J.B.B.R.A.S. (old series), Vol. II, pp. 284 f.
[2] Plate K, Fig. 13.
[3] Plate L, Fig. 14.
[4] Plate M, Fig, 15.
[5] Plate N, Fig, 17.
[6] Plate M, Fig, 16.