| Their
complete silence on the Brahmins' offer of a bribe and on Mahmud's breaking the nose and
belly of the idol out of his iconoclastic zeal and recovering from inside a vast hoard of
precious stones is noteworthy. Briefly speaking, a
careful study of their works reveals that: (1) the idol was the Linga of Shiva, seven
cubits in height, of which two were buried in the basement, and about three cubits in
girth; (2) it was of solid stone, not hollow so as to contain precious stones in it; (3)
it was set with precious stones; (4) its rich covering was embroidered with figures of
animals; (5) a crown studded with jewels hung over it from the ceiling; |
