TEMPLES OF RAJASTHAN

The earliest dated temple in Rajasthan is the Shitaleshwara Temple at Chandrabhaga, near Jhalrapatan (Distriact Jhalawar), founded in 689. Of this temple only the sanctum and the vestibule, with a very late roof have survived. The hypostyle mandapa in front of the vestibule appears to be later by at kleast a century. The sanctum has prominent niche-shrines on the cardinal offsets. The podium-mouldings are bold and simple, the kalasha moulding being repla ced on the cardinals by a band decorated with lotus-scrolls and on some projectioins by ornate square rafter ebds. The wall has a plain surface, punctuated with heavy square pilasters, the latter decorated with a vase-and-foilage motif at the base and capital, a median band of scrolls, a lotus-band of kirttimukhas and geese and brackets of a plain, curved profile. The wall is surmounted by a eave-cornice. The sanctum door-frame was originally of four ornamented bands. Ganga and Yamuna are represented in the sculptural tradition of the Gupta period on its lower part. The vestibule is an oblong compartment with a row of 4 tall pillars and pilasters, showing vase-and-foilage at the square base, ornate octagonal shaft surmounted by vase-and-foilage capital and brackets of plain curved profile.
The surviving remains of the ruined Shiva Temple at Kans (District Kota), dated by an ins cription in 738, indicate that the temple was similar to the Shitaleshwara Temple on plan and design.
The Harshat-mata Temple at Abaneri (District Jaipur ruined temple of which onbly the sanctum, shorn of its superstructure, has survived standing on 3 stepped terraces,while
remains of its pillared mandapa and porch. The by an ambulatory is pancha-ratha on plan sculptured niche on each buttress of the
show Vasudeva-Vishnu, Pradyumna and Balarama-Sankarshana, respectively, on the south, west and north, indicating that the original temple was dedicated to Vishnu. In the sanctum is now enshrined an image of four-armed Harasiddhi, locally called Harshat-mata. The fa ces of the sanctum shell and the uppermost terrace are decorated with niches, containing religious and secular sculptures, each surmounted by a large pediment. The sculptures include romantic themes of dance, music, garden-sport and love, depicted with rich luxuriousness and a sense of gay abandon. The socle mouldings are bold and simple and the sculptures show volume and grace, reminis cent of the Gupta tradition. The decorative motifs, illustrated by the pediment composed of bold chaitya-dormers, pilasters surmounted by quarter lotus brackets, lumas and wavy vegetal patterns of palmettes, indicate that this temple is assignable to the 8th century.
A temple of a comparable design and date but without an ambulatory has been uncovered at Mandor (District Jodhpur). It is, however, badly dilapidated and only the podium mouldings of its sanctum proper and two terraces have survived. This temple appears to have undergone many subsequent re constructions.
The significant group of temples of Osian (District Jodhpur) belongs to two series, one early and the other late. The earlier series is represented by nearly a dozen and the later by half a dozen temples.
The earlier Osian temples are characterised by certain decorative and architectural peculiarities. They stands on a high terrace with bold mouldings, usually surmounted by a band, decorated with a wavy vegetal design. The terrace is punctuated with sculptured niches which are crowned by pediments and certain images of Ganesha, Kubera and other Brahmanical gods and goddesses. The socle mouldings are bold and simple. The temples are normally pancha-ratha on plan and in elevation and sculptured niches on all the 5 projections of the wakll, but a temples leave the projections flanking the cardinal offsets niches are surmounted by pediments and are larget on the latter display images of family-deities Trivikrama, Varaha, Vishnu or Harihara on
The Regents are invariably represented deities like Ganesha, Surya, Chandra, Revanta, Brahma, and Parvati on the auxiliary offsets. Temple 6 and the north-west Temple, however, show respectively, ascetics and apsaras (nymphs) on the auxiliary offsets.
The wall is surmounted by a frieze of chain, above which occurs usually broad recess, decorated with Krishna-lila scenes on temples 1 to 4 and with diapers of half-diamonds on the remaining temples. The shikhara, covered with a bold mesh of chaitya-dormers, is invariably pancha-ratha in design and of 5 to 7 storeys. The central offset extends to the neck which is surmounted by an amalaka and pot-finial. The earlier temples are, as a rule, without an ambulatory and consist on plan of a sanctum, an open hall and a porch. The outer bays of the mandapa are provided with balustrades punctuated with projecting elephant's heads, as on the Gadarmal Temple at Badoh (p.23). In many cases the mandapa is of the nava-ranga variety with occasional lateral transepts. The so-called Sun Temple and the oldest temple of the Sachiyamata group have each a pair of tall pillars at the entrance to the porc h. At least three temples are of the panchayatana type, viz., Harihara Temples 1 and 2 and the so-called Sun Temple, the last-mentioned also showing traces of an enclosing cloister.
The sanctum doorway has 4 or 5 bands, one of which is decorated with an interlacing design of adoring nagas, whose tails are held in the hands of a Garuda figure presented as the tutelary image. The vestibule has a porch resting on 2 pillars and 2 pilasters, the latter usually decorated with elegant figures of apsaras, sometimes surmounted by representations of Vasudeva-Vishnu and Balarama-Sankarashana, both riding on Garuda. The pilars of the vestibule and mandapa are heavily decorated with designs of vase-and-foilage, kirttimukhas, scrolls, and a square ribbed cushion, surmounted by either double roll or palmette brackets. The enclosing dwarf pillars are less elaborately ornamented and usually carry double-roll brackets. The ceilings of the vestibule and the hall are highly decorated, the former with an elaborate design of nagapasha entwining vidyadharas (divine angels).
Among the earlier Osian temples, Harihara Temple No.l3and the Jaina Temple of Mahavira are of exceptioinal design. The former is unique among the Osian temples in that its hall- ceiling and roof are of a vaulted design and its platform is quite plain. Its sanctum is rectangular on plan and lperhaps had a wagon-vault superstructure.