(Photos) Plate 5. Architectural details from temple of Nilkanth

Plate 5. Architectural details from temple of Nilkanth

Pen and ink drawing by Frederick Charles Maisey of architectural details from the Nilakanth Temple at Kalinjar, taken from an album of 60 drawings dated 1847-1854. This drawings depicts the details of some of the columns of the temple. The shafts and bases are carved with floral and geometrical motifs and the capital has figures of dwarves, ganas, which support the entablature. Kalinjar is a very ancient site in Bundelkhand. Its fort, one of the oldest in India, was referred to by Ptolemy as Kanagora. It crowns a plateau of the Vindhya mountains 375 metres high. It was taken by Qutub-ud-Din Aybak in 1202 who also destroyed the temples. A few centuries later, with the rise of the Mughal Empire, a new series of attacks took place.

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Courtesy: Europeana.eu