The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

THE PERIOD OF THE HINDU DYNASTIES 281
ed into elements entitled shin, trunk, neck, and
skull, analogies that suggest that the temple was
regarded as a microcosm of Prajapati, the Cosmic
Man. The rekha is further divided into
stages or bhumis, each one of which is presided
over by its specific deity. Not infrequently,
these same sikharas are designated as mountains
to certify that they were regarded as architectural
replicas of Mount Meru or Kailasa.
The earliest example of Indo-Aryan architecture
at Bhuvanesvar is the Parasuramesvara
temple off. a.d. 650 [216]. It consists of a tower
sanctuary of the rekha type with an attached
enclosed porch. This tower is simply an enlargement
of the types already seen in the sanctuaries
of the Gupta Period and the Galaganatha
at Pattadakal. The successive storeys or bhumis
are marked by heavy corner quoins in the lotiform
amalaka shape, and the tower is capped by
a complete amalaka supporting a metal trident
of Siva. Although the tower clearly consists of
identical repeated storeys diminishing in size
towards the summit, neither this emphasis on
horizontal division nor the heavily rusticated
character of the exterior decoration in any way
detracts from the soaring curvilinear profile of
the spire. The porch, which is covered with
corbelled slabs of heavy masonry, is decorated
with pierced latticed windows in stone and low
reliefs of dancing dwarfs. The raised courses of
216. Bhuvanesvar, Parasuramesvara temple