There is a
mandap or a flat-roofed pillared hall in front. The mandap has now crumbled down. The
stone pillars that supported it are lying in front of the temple. They are granite pillars
and are ornamented by a single lotus carved on each of the faces in the lowest square
portions of the pillars. This mandap was most likely built to form a roof for the
accommodation of the large collection of statues assembled there.A casual look at the
Konch temple brings to mind the image of the Mahabodbi temple at Bodh Gaya. As a matter of
fact, there is a theory that the ancient brick built temple at Konch served as the model
for the Mahabodhi temple. But the Konch temple differs from the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh
Gaya in that the latter has its four, sides straight from top to bottom, while the Konch
temple has its sides curved in the, upper portion.
Moreover, the Bodh Gaya temple has numerous niches with images and ornamentation’s
on the exterior of its walls, whereas the exterior of the Konch temple has no such niches.
In the temple at Konch each wall is divided externally into seven phases by deeply
recessed upright lines. These divisions still remain strongly pronounced, while a general
coat of plaster mostly conceals the curved ornamentation.
