| Temples & Legends of Himachal Pradesh |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
CHAMBA |
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second Storey has a similar number of niches, but without arches. Eleven dancing
caryatids, standing on consoles projecting above the pillars of the preceding Storey and
again holding the brackets supporting the top Storey frame these niches. And in each there
sits some godling in a miniature chapel with a three- fold roof.This last Storey
resembles, to some degree, that at the bottom, but the columns are lower, the arches
depressed, and the niches are occupied by squatting figures with human or animal heads
(ganas) . The projecting cornices of the last two storeys are decorated with a frieze of
suspended knobs (opali), a motif found also in other hill temples. On this pediment tests the gable, a triangular panel enclosing a trefoiled niche in which an impressive deity is seated. A frieze of nine deities sitting, with crossed legs, in very low arched niches supports this gable. Apparently these are the navagraha (nine planets). The other two sides of the triangle are ornamented with a rounded cornice moulding of highlystylized scales or leaves. In the arch Vishnu is sitting, held up by his vahana garuda, while on both sides two rather distorted chamara (fly whisk) bearers are standing. Garuda, with very short legs and almost prostrate, is quite inconspicuous, hardly more than a variant of the vakshas on the pediment. Vishnu, with three faces (boar, human and lion) amidst a mass of ringlets, once had twelve arms holding in their hands the symbols of his power, though now many of them are broken. Of his right arms the uppermost holds a parasol, the second probably a mace or a lotus flower, the third an arrow, the fourth rests on the attendant, while the last two are lost; of his left arms the uppermost carries a lotus, or trident, the second a disk, the third a bow, the fourth rests on the other attendant, the two lower most are likewise broken. |
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